The Passenger was first published in 1938, written shortly after Kristallnacht by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz, who was only 23 years old. However, this book did not receive the attention it deserved at the time. Seventy years later, it has been rediscovered and translated into more than 20 languages. Now it has been adapted into a play, written by Nadya Menuhin and directed by Tim Supple, presented at the Finborough Theatre.
In 1938, numerous Jewish houses, stores and churches were devastated on the streets of Germany. Otto Silbermann, a well-respected businessman, has to part with his family and friends because of his Jewish identity and sets out on the road to escape. However, without a usable passport, he is trapped in Germany and has to run from city to city by train, over and over again, with no place that will bring him permanent relief. On such an anxious and unending journey, he also meets all sorts of people: a chess-loving Nazi and his wife, an undercover police, another Jew on the run, a woman travelling alone..
On each side of the four-sided stage (Hannah Schmidt), there is a row of red seats, as if they were seats on a train. Throughout the play, there are frequent sounds of train whistles (Joseph Alford) and the clunking sound of the wheels colliding with the rails, reminding the audience of Otto’s unstoppable escape. The light (Mattis Larsen) changes following the environment and the characters’ state of mind. When Otto attempts to cross the border to France, the entire room is thrown into darkness, with only two beams of light shining from the flashlights of the two Belgian border guards, instantly immersing one into the scenario.
Apart from Robert Neumark Jones, who plays Otto Silbermann, the other four actors (Ben Fox, Kelly Price, Eric MacLennan and Dan Milne) play multiple roles. They take on each character’s traits and temperament with the precision that distinguishes them by behaviours and mannerisms. Unfortunately, as the most central character, Jones’ Otto has more extroverted energy. While his anxiety and exhaustion can be felt, it is somewhat difficult for the audience to empathise with him, which is slightly fatal in such an important story.
Throughout Otto’s unstoppable journey, the people he meets can be quite intriguing. But at the moment, each exchange is rather superficial, failing to allow these passengers and Otto to reveal enough of their unique personalities, ways of doing things, and backgrounds in their interactions. When he meets new passengers after saying goodbye to many of them, there are times when the plot becomes a bit repetitive and stagnant. The story would have been more compelling if some of them could leave more impact on his journey.
In the current production of The Passenger, these people are really just passersby in Otto’s escape. By the end of the story, just like his unstoppable flight and journey with no end, there is no resolution to the situation at all. Being Jewish was already a crime in this brutal society of the time. While there have already been many works in the same context, like this novel that has been rediscovered, such stories are always worth telling. With a solid foundation like this, the play could have become even more compelling, gripping, and empathetic if it had dug a little deeper.
The Passenger runs at Finborough Theatre until 15th March 2025.
★★★☆☆ (3*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Steve Gregson
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