REVIEW: ASTORIA at Jack Studio Theatre 28 March – 15 April 2023

‘A tantalising introduction to the work of playwright Jura Sofyer and Vienna’s ABC of the 1930s’ ★★★

It’s a light-fingered, beguilingly cheerful tune being played out in the opening scene in Astoria, the latest offering from South London’s Brockley Jack.  As Jimmy Berg played by Sam Denia, smiles at the audience, his fingers dancing over the keys, it takes a minute to process this isn’t a sweet song we’re hearing, but something far weightier that questions our very humanity and presents a dire prognosis. This is our entrée to the ABC, a tiny cabaret venue that existed in 1930s Vienna and functioned as “the throbbing heart of political theatre.” Because the ABC seated less than fifty punters it was able to creep through a censorship loophole and continued to present theatre that asked big questions and lampooned the establishment after many others had been silenced.

In Brockley Jack’s similarly intimate environment, we are with a minimal set, transported back to the ABC in 1937 when Germany was poised to swallow Austria. At this time, all artists, especially those deemed subversive or critical, let alone queer or Jewish, risked their livelihoods and lives. Meticulously researched, this period piece, written and directed by Tony Britten, (a musician whose credits include writing the UEFA Champions League anthem) spotlights Jura Sofyer, a prodigious and radical young Russian playwright who wrote several plays that combined music and satire. Still celebrated in Austria, Sofyer is less known here, so Astoria is a tantalising introduction to the artist, his work and tragically short life. Played by Joshua Ginsberg in his professional debut, who bears some likeness to the writer, Sofyer is characterised as a defiant creative with passionate beliefs.

At 2 hours and five minutes with a 15-minute interval, this is a play of two halves. The first half is fun albeit a bit long. Alongside singing, extracts from plays and chortles aplenty, Hitler is seen as a bit of a joke, with his “funny little moustache.” We meet the key players and are introduced to their values, aspirations, and relationships. The stakes at this point seem low. But because we know our history (and that’s not a plot spoiler) we know there are clouds on the horizon. In the second half, ABC’s Jewish founder, Hupka is hounded off the stage with anti-Semitic heckles and the secret police are never far away.

“We must show life as art while we can” insists Sofyer who hatches the idea for a play called, Astoria (which sounds like Austria). This is the name of a mythical land of no unemployment, sickness, or poverty where people queue at the phoney immigration desk for entry. An explicit commentary about the dream of the Fatherland that was currently being sold to the masses, Sofyer aimed to “balance out the propaganda.” 

As we live through a time that offers unsettling parallels, this is an opportune moment to reflect on art’s ability to challenge the status quo in a culture shaped by populist discourse and a movement to the right. The freedom to criticise authorities through theatre or art may seem a small thing but the quelling of these voices nearly always represents something more sinister. Astoria is a window into a fascinating moment of history and will leave you feeling perturbed by the contemporary resonances.

Images: Davor Tovarlaza @the_ocular

ASTORIA at Jack Studio Theatre 28 March – 15 April 2023

A play with music, written and directed by Tony Britten

Box Office https://brockleyjack.co.uk/jackstudio-entry/astoria/

Reviewed by Nilgin Yusuf

An experienced author, lecturer and journalist (ex-Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph and ELLE) Nilgin is developing her first full-length stage play, supported by Mrs.C’s Collective and the Arts Council