REVIEW: As Long as we are Breathing, Arcola

As Long As We Are Breathing is a remarkable piece of theatre playing at The Arcola this week.

A holocaust-themed work like no other, and based on the true story of survivor Miriam Freedman, the audience is welcomed into a zen, calming space. Three performers are in the room. One lying face down in a yoga position, another gently tapping a sound bell, and the third, a delightful, white-haired woman who walks amongst the seats, chatting companionably with the audience?

“Have you come a long way,” she asks? “Have you eaten?” She is so empathetic, one instantly warms to her.

When the audience is seated, the woman, Miriam, starts a ‘yoga session’ with everyone instructed to place their feet firmly on the ground and to participate in a breathing exercise.

One wonders, is one in the right place? Is there some mistake? Is this zen space about the Holocaust? And indeed it is, because this beautiful and poignant piece is the story of Holocaust survivor Miriam Freedman’s life. A testament to the righteous gentiles who saved Miriam, a young girl living in an orthodox Jewish family in Bratislava – a tale of coming to terms with the unthinkable and about coping and finding strength and forgiveness.

And the breathing exercises? Miriam never spoke about her experiences until aged 40 and, living in London, she discovered yoga. As she became more and more immersed in the art, something inside of her began to unlock, and then, and only then, did she start to examine and start to come to terms with the enormity of what her happened in her life. And As Long as We Are Breathing is the true story of Miriam and her family’s life

Written by Kindertransport playwright Diane Samuels, and arguably her best work, and painstakingly accurate, the backdrop of the stage has panels of gauze containing images and writing from Miriam’s scrapbooks and photo albums. As Miriam’s story unfolds, haunting images are projected across the panel.

Billed not as a play but as “meditations on survival and beyond” there is not a swastika or jackboot in sight. A simple set – a wooden sideboard on which there is a Buddha’s head and a vase of carnations, each flower representing one of Miriam’s beloved family – the terrors of the experiences are powerfully portrayed in subtle and sensitive ways.

The performance is 76 minutes long and the cast of three, Caroline Gruber playing Miriam in her later life, Zoe Goriely a young Miriam, and Matthew Hinchliffe both acting and providing haunting musical themes, come together to create a magical performance.

And because this production is so very special, and because it is also about forgiveness, at the end of the show the audience is invited to stay in the space. To reflect, to see the notes and photos from Miriam’s life, and to write responses to this performance in a search for healing, peace and forgiveness.

 As Long As We Are Breathing plays until 1 March at the Arcola Theatre. arcolathetare.com There is a 20 percent discount code for Jewish News readers – quote MEDITATE20.