Fringe Show Reviews

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Back to Berlin

Written by: Vern Thiessen

Presented by: Death & Taxes Theatre, New York, NY/Winnipeg, MB

Venue 27: Rory Runnells Studio

Our Rating: Your Average Rating:

07/21/2012 5:51 PM | Comments: 0

Winnipeg-born playwright Vern Thiessen steps into the spotlight in a half-hour monologue to portray a genial Canadian who takes his 80-year-old Mennonite father back to Germany where he served as Nazi courier 60 years before.

Thiessen wrote this oddly light-hearted work as a companion to his first produced play, The Courier, a much more intense one-hander about the father’s wartime experience, which is also being staged at this fringe.

The newer piece is all about the modern liberal son’s coming to terms with his father’s Old World past, a past that has both angered and embarrassed him. It feels a bit like a toss-off, given Thiessen’s ambitious recent scripts, but it has some poignant moments nonetheless.

— Morley Walker

From the Fringe program:

A funny and lyrical look at fathers and sons.

In this fast-moving, 45-minute solo show, Governor General's Award winner Vern Thiessen takes you on a journey Back to Berlin, to discover the secrets lying in the city - and a father's past.

Recommended For: Mature Audience

Length: 45 min

Tickets: $10

Under 12 not admitted.

History

Updated on Saturday, July 21, 2012 at 5:51 PM CDT:
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