Past productions

KINDERTRANSPORT

30 October – 8 November 2025

by Diane Samuels

Between 1938 and the outbreak of war, almost 10,000 children, mostly Jewish, were sent by their parents from Germany to Britain on what was known as the Kindertransport. Nine-year-old Eva ends up in Manchester. When Eva’s parents fail to escape, Eva begins the process of reinventing herself and the denial of her roots. But she is forced to confront her past by her own daughter who discovers some old letters in the attic. This award winning modern classic, first staged in 1993, explores the pain and passion of mother/daughter relationships and the anguish of separation and loss; particularly poignant as 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.

Cast

Photography by Gail Bishop

Review | November 2025 | Theo Spring

A single central door and, either side of it, the back walls of the set was created by pile upon pile of old-fashioned small suitcases. This was cleverly representative of the nearly 10,000 children who were sent by their parents to safety in the UK between late 1938 and September 1939 and the beginning of the Second World War. An inspired visible indication by set designer Natalie Jones with cases begged and borrowed from several local amdram groups once the Miller Theatre supply had run dry. Many people were involved in this huge operation with, perhaps the best known in the UK, Nicholas Winton, a British stockbroker who specifically organized the rescue of 669 children from Czechoslovakia, working with colleagues like Trevor Chadwick and Doreen Warriner in Prague.

Diane Samuels’ moving play tells the story of one such child, Eva, whose parents struggled with the need for her safety against the trauma of letting her go, and it tells of how that decision shaped and changed her entire life. From a German Jewish family, the demands on the role of Eva are great with the requirement to deliver the German speech convincingly and the ability to grow up from a child into a young adult. Delilah Skyrme truly achieved this, with the German fluently spoken without hesitation as if to the manner born and her deportment, when young, changing noticeably as her years in England took hold as did her voice when turning ‘Englsh’. She is a member of the National Youth Theatre where her training was invaluable and in totally transforming herself into Eva she brought expert validation to the play. Her interaction with the rest of the cast changed too, as she made the effort to infuse herself into her English surroundings with just a few notable and in her case, frightening, anxieties still troubling her from her childhood.

The early scenes in Germany were of her patient mother trying her best to prepare her for her life ahead. Learning to sew on a button was an untried skill. Laura Mackie made mother Helga patient and as unemotional as possible when talking to her daughter yet revealing the huge distress involved in the decision to send her off to an unknown country, into unknown care and speaking an unknown language. Amazingly, in this play, Eva’s mother survives the death camps and comes to find her after the war, only to discover a completely transformed person.

It is Lil who takes in the newly arrived Eva, who gives her a home and love. Denise Scales, delivering a homely and sustained northern accent is seen doing so in flashbacks but her main role is as the mother of Evelyn and grandmother of Faith. A well-rounded and very believable performance with a hint of down-to-earth northern sensibility also delivered. There is mystery which slowly unravels as Faith uncovers keepsakes in the attic which reveal details about her mother she never knew. Celeste Rose-Valmary is the granddaughter, in turns stupefied, angry and then caring as her mother Evelyn is revealed as the adult Eva who adopted the name Evelyn to become more English and had hidden her origins away. Carol Moss as Evelyn brought out the vacillation of love for Lil, care for Faith and her own rejection of her returned mother Helga’s plea to go with her to America and a new life. Why had she kept those papers saying who she really was and was the torment in the attic for real or maybe only in her head?

The final member of the cast, playing a variety of small roles, is Matt Appleton, teasing and tormenting the young Eva about her German roots being one, but his main intermittent appearances are of the imposing and scarily-dress Ratcatcher, who is a fictional character from one of Eva’s early story books whose malevolence overshadows her throughout the play. Although the Ratcatcher is a non-speaking role, Matt managed to exude evil, helped it must be said by an excellent mask by Tamsin Blain and a great costume. In fact, all the costumes added much to the production with Berry Butler responsible for wardrobe. Jenny Tullett added to the expertise of the German pronunciation as the Accent Coach and Jane Bishop was responsible for Props. The all-important lighting and sound were in the hands of Ben Cooke and Jono Mash. Music was added to the production by Peter Beckwith and sound was successfully used to underscore the evil of the Ratcatcher with discordant notes during his appearances.

Director Julia Stevens was blessed with an excellent cast for this production which she brought to life with both empathy and interest. With Remembrance Day fast approaching, the timing was a welcome reminder of the sacrifices made on all kinds of levels, including by the very young children whose lives, although saved, were changed forever.