Going Deutsch

Going Deutsch opens with a classic scene: a woman is waiting for her date to show up. She’s proceeding cautiously, with uncertain expectations – after all, this isn’t just a get-together: she is meeting someone from her past. She waits for their arrival, worries about whether or not they’ll show up, and regales the audience with stories of their time together. All seems fairly typical – this could be a scene from any romcom or tale of long-lost lovers – yet a twist appears as soon it is revealed that this “someone” she’s meeting isn’t a “someone” at all. It is not a person with whom our solo protagonist has a torrid past, but a place. The object of her commingled desire and contempt is a country, Germany, and she is Jewish.

Sustained entirely by Anna Clover’s impressive one-woman performance, Going Deutsch presents a nuanced portrait of the protagonist’s relationship with the nation that engendered and subsequently persecuted her family and everyone like them. She finds herself constricted by a post-Brexit UK (directly likened to a partner who has suddenly – and without reason – forced an open relationship closed) and is desperate to explore other possibilities. Specifically, she is seeking out those options that will allow her access to an EU passport. Germany is the seemingly easy answer: as a descendent of persecuted Jews in Germany, Clover’s character is entitled to a passport. 

As she deliberates about re-entangling herself with a country with whom her history is already inexorably tied, the actress illuminates the complexities of the relationship between person, place and history. During the 60-minute performance the character must figure out which path to take. Should she take the easy route out, accepting all that Germany has to offer, but forgive the extreme cruelty of the past? Or will she be unable to overcome history, intolerant to the idea of depending on reparations from a country whose crimes can never truly be quantified? 

Clover manages to examine the intricacies of collective cultural memory, exploring inherited trauma in an incredibly unique way. Despite its proximity to the events of the second world war, the show’s tone remains light, buoyed by the young woman’s wit. The framework of viewing the character’s relationships with places as if they were romantic or personal lends a familiarity that is also achieved through Clover’s direct engagement with the audience. Overall, Going Deutsch is a singular exploration of the complexities of all relationships, both past and present, and between both people and places.

Madison Sotos

Going Deutsch is at the Vaults from 4^th February until 5^th February 2023. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.