A beautiful and relevant show about the power of speaking truth to power
It is hard to think of a single flaw of Brian Belding’s White Rose: The Musical. Playing at the Marylebone theatre until the 13th of April, the show follows the eponymous anti Nazi resistance movement led by siblings Sophie and Hans Scholl played masterfully by Collette Guitart and Tobias Turley respectively. The White Rose movement spread anti-Nazi pamphlets all across Germany. The show is a timely reminder of the importance of standing up for what one believes in extraordinarily difficult circumstances, and that anyone has the capacity to make a difference. The show makes use of a great deal of historical reference material, quoting directly from pamphlets that the actual organisation created.
There are no weak links in the cast. Every cast member gets the opportunity to shine. Obvious praise goes to Guitart whose depiction of the defiant Sophie is both moving and deeply human. Her Sophie is multi-faceted, and by showing her experiencing moments of doubt and hesitation, as well as moments of incredible strength and resilience, the message of the show is made all the stronger. Will Nunziata’s direction is fabulous. Small glances, the choice to stage Nazi generals as shadowy figures both literally and figuratively looming over the characters and the choice to implicate the audience when throwing leaflets and calling us to action make the show all the more real and moving.
It would have been incredibly easy not to do justice to the source material, but White Rose is able to communicate the extraordinary importance of the story, and the use of music heightens rather than diminishes the emotional core of the show. Natalie Brice’s compositions were beautiful, with tight harmonies and catchy (if occasionally repetitive) hooks. I personally particularly enjoyed the songs ‘Munich’, ‘Pride and Shame’ and ‘Who Cares?’. The technical design is fantastic.Justin Williams’ set is simple and engaging, it reflects the desperation of Munich. I particularly enjoy his use of levels. Alex Musgrave (Lighting) and Dan Sampson (Sound) have also done well to create simple but effective designs.
The celebration of intellectualism, standing up for what you know is right even when it’s difficult and the fact that anyone can make a difference makes for a timely and wonderful show. I have no doubt that we will eventually see this show on the West End, but there is something undeniably special about having had the opportunity to watch it in an intimate venue like the Marylebone theatre.