Written with Christina Katic, this piece was commissioned by the Man in the Moon Theatre where it ran for 6 weeks directed by David Craik. It was recently revived by Questors Theatre.
Time Out: You think no one can ever do this subject justice; no one can ever give it the gravity it deserves. Ten minutes into the play I am ashamed of my cynicism. This is a thoughtful, complex and devastating re-enactment of Hitler's last days in the bunker.... Also in the after life, constantly haranguing, questioning, bringing us back to the basic priciples is Primo Levi. Better than Schindler's Ark, this play is a taut concentrated production that must be seen. The subject is something we all know about, but it rarely speaks so forcibly as it does here.
The Stage: The historical truth is really no more important than in say, Macbeth. What is remarkable is the portrayal of Hitler as a very human villain, beset by fear if not doubt, and in a disturbing way almost a tragic hero… Christina Katic and James Woolf's script is brilliantly researched.
Isle of the Departed is set in the last days of the Third Reich in Hitler's bunker. The action is overseen by a number of characters from Hitler's past, as well as by the writer Primo Levi.
Full length play
Read the full script of Isle of the Departed. (PDF document)
Production photo courtesy of Questors Theatre.
John Osborne (1929-1994)
"Whenever I sit down to write, it is always with dread in my heart."