Propaganda Swing, part of Nottingham Playhouse’s Time and Memory season, is based on the true and surprising story of ‘Charlie and his Orchestra’. Jazz, which had been frowned upon and even banned in Germany, was allowed by the Nazi party on the radio in the form of propaganda.
A striking art deco set and imposing swastika flag combined with toe tapping jazz consumed the auditorium to create the atmosphere of late 1930s Berlin, making sure the audience was hooked as soon as the lights were dimmed. This intriguing musical tale was narrated by protagonist Bill Constant, an American broadcaster who is a reporter in the city at the time, played brilliantly by Richard Conlon. He comes to Berlin to find his sweetheart, LaLa Anderson, but along the way tells a story of lost love and loyal friendships. The play also questions how far you would go to stand up for your principles or whether you should at all.
LaLa was played by Miranda Wilford whose beautiful singing transported us to the age of jazz. Wilford’s heartfelt acting was also wonderful and made the audience sympathise with her often desperate situation. Furthermore Charlie was played admirably by Jonny Bower, whose smooth voice also seduced the audience. Indeed all of the actors and supporting professional musicians combined to play the music which was woven seamlessly throughout the performance. Tomm Coles, who played LaLa’s previous husband Lutz Templin, sincere performance highlighted how the war had changed his view from hopeful to cynical. This was contrasted against Callum Coates, who played the infamous Lord Haw Haw, who successfully brought darkness and even fear into the play, specifically within the second act. Clara Darcy’s character Anita Spada was also very interesting to watch develop as the plot unfolded.
However, the most striking performance of the night was by Chris Andrew Mellon, who played Otto Stenzl, the owner of the jazz club. The dark humour in his stand-up section of the show, combined with the slow deterioration of his character in the monologue, was particularly striking. In fact the humour in the play overall, discounting a slightly odd and misplaced sex scene, provided an intriguing contrast to the darker subject matters of the play.
This part musical, part memoir was full of surprises. The dialogue in the first act was a little slow at times but this was more than made up for by brilliant musical moments, and the dramatic second act. The story was intriguing, the set commendable and the costumes were detailed, encapsulated by a cast who were convincing, making for a fantastic performance.
Kathryn Bancroft
Propaganda Swing is running at Nottingham Playhouse until 18th October. For more information, see here.
Images credited to Robert Day
