A German Life
A stunning play by Christopher Hampton, drawn from the life and testimony of Brunhilde Pomsel, directed by Jonathan Kent
“I had no idea what was going on. Or very little. No more than most people. So you can’t make me feel guilty.”
Brunhilde Pomsel’s life spanned the twentieth century. She struggled to make ends meet as a secretary in Berlin during the 1930s, her many employers including a Jewish insurance broker, the German Broadcasting Corporation and, eventually, Joseph Goebbels. Christopher Hampton’s play is based on the testimony she gave when she finally broke her silence to a group of Austrian filmmakers, shortly before she died in 2016.
Maggie Smith, alone on stage, played Brunhilde Pomsel.
Christopher Hampton’s play is drawn from the testimony Pomsel gave when she finally broke her silence shortly before she died to a group of Austrian filmmakers, and from their documentary A German Life (Christian Krönes, Olaf Müller, Roland Schrotthofer and Florian Weigensamer, produced by Blackbox Film & Media Productions).
Dates
The Bridge, London
6 April – 11 May 2019
Gallery
Creative Team
Director Jonathan Kent
Writer Christopher Hampton
Designer Anna Fleischle
Lighting Jon Clark
Sound Paul Groothuis
Reviews
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“This surely is the theatre event of the year”
I
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“Maggie Smith makes a stunning return to the stage”
The Times
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“‘An acting master-class”
The Daily Telegraph
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“Maggie Smith returns in triumph”
The Guardian
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“A brilliant performance”
The Financial Times
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“Maggie Smith returns triumphantly”
Evening Standard