Full Cast Announced For New Cabaret DRAMA - THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF HERSCHEL GRYNSPAN

Brought to you by Theatre Cobra - theatre that strikes at the heart of the audience - in association with Fractured Time Productions and Ruby In The Dust Theatre.

The production will be running for three exclusive performances at Above the Stag as part of the NOT THE EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL.

With a mix of music old and new and a script written by Linnie Reedman, THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF HERSCHEL GRYNSPAN brings to life a story that has hitherto been confined to the backwaters of history. On the 7th of November 1938 a desperate 17-year-old Jewish refugee walked into the German Embassy in Paris and shot a German diplomat. The Third Reich retaliated with the mass pogrom that became known as 'Kristallnacht'. The slight but beautiful teenage boy inadvertently became an international celebrity. Herschel claimed he was driven by the plight of the Jews. But under international scrutiny a very different story emerged.

Thoroughly researched by Reedman, the drama includes original compositions by Arnoud Breitbarth. Enhanced by vintage video projections, the real life characters are given a fresh and fascinating make-over in this homage to an unsung hero of the time. Part cabaret, part tragedy it resonates with themes that are still relevant today.

The multi-talented cast includes Ross William Wild (Elvis Presley in Million Dollar Quartet), former frontman of Spandau Ballet and lead singer of his critically acclaimed band, Mercutio, recently signed to Universal Music, Madeleine McMahon (Beatrix Potter - Everyman Theatre, Eastenders), Claire-Monique Martin (Jerry Springer: The Opera, The Great Gatsby Musical) Scholarship graduate of The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) in New York City, Freddie King (Proud - MTFestUK 2021, Peter Pan Under the Bridge), Joe Wiltshire Smith (The History Boys, Sam Wanamaker Festival Shakespeare's Globe and Elliot Pritchard (Chorus of Others: Frantic Assembly's 25th Anniversary - National Theatre, Peter Pan Regents Park Open Air Theatre). Creative Associate of Jermyn Street Theatre.

The title role is played by Tristan Pegg (The Merry Wives of Windsor, RSC; The Shape of the Impossible, National Theatre.

It is directed by Scott Le Crass, Associate Director for Pleasure Dome Theatre Company and whose previous productions include A Midsummer Night's Dream, Lear, Lorna Doone, The Importance of Being Earnest, Macbeth and mostly recently an adaptation of J.M. Barrie's The Twelve Pound Look, filmed in association with Exmoor Studios)

"... My name is Herschel Grynspan. Do you like my name? My family don't. They want me to change it. I like it. It is a good, Jewish name. But because I tried to save the Jews I am in prison. A privileged prisoner - it is true. Privileged because I am useful. To the Third Reich. They did not even shave my head. I have been playing cat and mouse with that Fascist Adolph Hitler for four years now. But I fear my time is running out. I cannot let him win. So - I have one more card to play. And I will need to play it. I will confess. I will finally tell you my story. I will have to dictate it to you as I suddenly find myself in chains. Perhaps they sense I am up to something. I have always loved Cabaret. When not in prison you would most likely find me in a club. So, I will tell you my story as if it were a Cabaret Trial. Because the only worlds I have known in my short life are of cabaret and prison trials. My life will end soon. Please let me tell you my story. Don't let me be confined to the dustbin of history..."

Ticketing link: https://abovethestag.org.uk/cabaret-lounge/the-strange-affair-of-herschel-grynspan-hkpg9-26er4

Website: https://abovethestag.org.uk/cabaret-lounge

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