Review: Kindness takes centre stage in dazzling musical The Book Thief

What price kindness? Well, in most circumstances little or nothing. But in some it can be a matter of life or death. Nevertheless, it is still worth risking everything for.

This is the message that is to the fore in The Book Thief. The story is based on Markus Zusak’s hugely successful novel, which was made into a film starring Sophie Nellise. Here it is a spectacular musical, a dazzling theatrical experience, with a huge cast and brilliant starring roles for two child actors.

And what parts they are. In the performance I saw Eirini Louskou played Liesel, a child in the very adult world of 1930s and ‘40s Germany. She is adopted by Rosa and Hans Hubermann (Mina Anwar and Jack Lord), a happy, childless, couple whose joy in each other is expressed in good-natured squabbles. Their kindness extends not only to Liesel, but to Max (Daniel Krikler), a young Jewish man, whom they take in and hide in their cellar. This being Nazi Germany, such an act can carry the death penalty.

At the start of the play Liesel cannot read. But on an impulse she steals a book from her brother’s graveside. This book, The Gravedigger’s Handbook, becomes the unlikely key to another world as Hans teaches her to read. Max, confined in his cellar, encourages Liesel to see words as touched with magic, able to open the eyes and hearts of readers. But words can also be dangerous. This is the time when the Nazis are burning books. People have to be careful what they say. Saying the wrong words can get you killed.

Two figures are outstanding in this beautifully choreographed production. Oliver Gordon is Rudy, a young boy who lives next door and is the fastest runner in the town. He has a bright impish charm and, of course, falls in love with Liesel.

The other figure is The Narrator (Obioma Ugoala) whose colossal presence links the scenes. He is Death, present everywhere and, as he says, busy in these times of hatred and fear. But he is no shrouded skeleton. He is a larger-than-life figure who delivers kindness too, here in the form of books that he deposits in Liesel’s way. Sooner or later we all meet him, and books are the witnesses to his work.

Far from being morbid or tragic, this show is full of life and hope. The singing is, for the most part, great, and the dancing and puppetry throughout support the action rather than distracts from it. The child stars are impressive on every level, not least in their talent and sheer stamina. Liesel is on stage for almost the whole play. Rudy buzzes around the stage like an exuberant bee.

Kindness is not a theme that is often presented as key to human happiness. It is less dramatic than courage, less ecstatic than love. But kindness is a choice: for some it is what makes life worth living and can literally save us from peril. For others it is anathema. Too often the latter have tried to prevail, but in the end it the former who usually win.

Visit belgrade.co.uk for details of future shows.