Canned Goods ★★★ Southwark Playhouse, Borough | Jan 16 - Feb 8, 2025


Erik Kahn's Canned Goods recounts the story of the false flag operation that Hitler used as an excuse to invade Poland in 1939. The "canned goods" are three prisoners who will be used to impersonate Polish soldiers who attack a German radio station, thus providing an excuse for the Reich to retaliate. The prisoners who will be exploited in this gambit are a Polish farmer, a Jewish intellectual and a German petty thief. They are, no doubt, intended to be representative of the people Hitler used to his advantage in his plan to assert the Nazi hegemony. In prison confronted with an unknown and uncertain fate, the captives' conversations take a philosophical bent, questioning the purpose of suffering, the intervention of God in human affairs and the presence of evil. These existential and political meditations, along with the exposure of Hitler's theatrical propaganda and manipulation of public opinion, are clearly intended to resonate with current world events, and the parallels are less than subtle. The same might be said of some of the characters. However, the performances of Charlie Archer as Birnbaum, the Jewish teacher, and Rowan Polonski as the craven Kruger stood out for us. Both actors managed to create compelling and believable individuals. Tom Wells, playing the farmer Honiok, also does a credible job, although in his other role as the ranting Hitler he is largely incomprehensible. Dan Parr as the stereotypically menacing Nazi officer, SS Major Naujocks, has less to work with, and his character remains largely one dimensional. For a play that is an attack on the dangers of the theatrical deception of people, it seemed paradoxical that this work concludes with the fourth wall being broken, and the audience being reminded that they are involved in a theatrical performance that could also be viewed as manipulative. Nevertheless, Canned Goods proves to be a thoughtful gloss on George Santayana's dictum that those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

Rated: ★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Mark Senior

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