One could
have been tricked into thinking that this two-hour production would
revolve only around the Führer himself, his justifications for
the mass killing of Jews and his vision of Utopia. That would have been
interesting enough as the exploration of an individual's psyche usually
provides for an insightful performance, especially when the individual
in question is so notorious. However, Adolf was a pleasant
surprise as it delivered more than expected.
The play begins when the audience is introduced to Hitler, (played
by Pip Utton), who is preparing to commit suicide after realising that
the ongoing war will not end with German victory. In his bunker, he
prepares to speak to his loyal comrades, those who have stood by his
side as he has led Germany through World War Two. During the first hour
of the production, Utton, looking uncomfortably like the Führer,
takes the audience on a journey where they soon learn how a man like
Hitler could have become the leader of Germany.
One of history's greatest demagogues, Hitler possessed the ability
to rouse the audience with his passion and conviction. Utton portrayed
this perfectly. In fact, if he hadn't been speaking in English, his
perfect imitation of Hitler's style and mannerisms - he had even perfected
Hitler's favourite gesture of gently pressing his hair down - could
have fooled even a Nazi soldier. Created from the words of Mein
Kampf, Adolf delved into the twisted mind of Hitler, leaving
no area unexplored. Utton revealed that as maniacal as Hitler was, his
brilliant methods succeeded in shaping the mindset of an entire nation.
The lighting and sound crew significantly enhanced Utton's role as
the failing infallible leader. The lighting was often used to cast a
large, intimidating shadow behind Utton onto a red flag emblazoned with
the swastika, the symbol of Nazi cruelty. Along with this, the great
amplification of Utton's voice during some of his speeches enabled his
complete transformation into the Führer, the man whom Germany had
looked up to.
My only complaint is that certain parts seemed to drag on for too long.
This could have been due to slight repetitions which had the relatively
young audience craving more action.
The first part of the play was undoubtedly insightful but the latter
part was not only more attention-grabbing but also more directly relevant
today. After Hitler had ended his final fiery speech, the play took
an unexpected turn. Loosening his tie and removing his wig and fake
moustache, Utton complained about "the bloody heat" and asked the
audience for a cigarette and a beer. This sudden transformation took
the audience by surprise, and most of them started to turn to each other,
unsure whether the actor was serious. With a can of beer (provided by
his backstage crew) in his hand, Utton began to amuse the audience with
jokes about fat people, immigrant races and other types of people in
the world today. Slowly and effortlessly, he put his audience at ease
by mimicking the accents and behaviours of different races. However,
quite soon, the audience realised the sinister direction is which Utton
was heading and the laughter died down. Then, just as suddenly as he
had transformed an hour ago, Utton took on the role of the Führer
yet again, delivering another speech on the need to exterminate the
Jews and preserve a pure race in Germany.
Though racism and intolerance may not be as extreme today as they were
sixty years ago, Utton showed us how they still exist. His ability to
switch from portraying Hitler to portraying an Everyman racist was commendable.
Deceptively chatty, he allowed the audience to feel at ease before subtly
showing them that their ease was ill-founded; showing them that, just
as the people of Germany allowed Hitler to take control of their nation,
the same thing could happen again.
Utton wrote the play himself, and its two parts complemented each other
nicely to expose the great influence of racism today. All in all, a
powerful and challenging performance by the actor.
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"If he hadn't been speaking in English, Utton's perfect imitation
of Hitler's style and mannerisms - he had even perfected Hitler's favourite
gesture of gently pressing his hair down - could have fooled even a
Nazi soldier."
More M1 Singapore Fringe Festival Performances
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