How do you put together a shattered family history when all you have are fragments? Beth Paterson tells the story of her grandmother through her own childhood memories and interviews with her mother.
Her grandmother is a striking character—a multifaceted, larger-than-life woman with a painful history as a nurse to Dr. Mengele in Auschwitz, forced to bear witness to atrocities and care for the victims of his inhuman experiments. By the time Beth was old enough to know her, she saw a bitter, traumatized woman who died before Beth could fully grasp what Niusia had endured. It is a deeply personal story, as it is Beth's family history, but it also serves as an important testament to lived history. The scale of horrors like the Holocaust is almost impossible to comprehend—10 million victims is an unimaginable number—but connecting with one story, and the ongoing tale of Beth's family, ties these events to a person and highlights their lasting impact into the modern day.
Beth is enthusiastic, and her excitement for her own discoveries is infectious. There are no dead moments—every story is a well-placed brushstroke in the portrait of her family. She starts from the outside in, offering broad strokes of her grandmother's life rather than a chronological exploration, driven instead by questions. Her grandmother was a formidable woman, smuggling medication from hospitals into the camps to treat her friends, but Beth never knew that version of her. She remembers an angry woman, dissatisfied with the best care facility they could find for her in Melbourne, often wondering to herself, "Why do we visit her?" Her mum's answer, "Because she's my mum and I love her," seems deceptively simple. This is not just a story about tragedy but about survival, growth, and the wisdom and rebellion passed down through the matrilineal line.
The staging is wonderful as well. Beth is surrounded by books, which symbolize how she learns and discovers her connection to her Jewishness and her family. These books, some of which made the journey from Poland to Melbourne, carry stories that ground her in her foremothers' lives and will undoubtedly be passed down to her children. That said, in this large theatre, Beth sometimes felt a little drowned out on stage—perhaps she stood too far back, or perhaps her mother's interview audio occasionally overpowered her, making some parts of the story harder to follow. Additionally, a few of the funnier lines came across as slightly rehearsed, a touch wooden, though this was more the exception than the rule.
Overall, Beth's storytelling is both heartfelt and illuminating, offering a poignant exploration of family, resilience, and the enduring power of memory. It’s a testament to how the past shapes us, even when its pieces are scattered and hard to piece together. Recommended drink: Beth has described this show as a hot toddy and I couldn't agree more. A hot tea with a dash of brandy to help the story go down just right!
Catch NIUSA at the Main Theatre at Goodwood Theatre and Studios on Sat 1 Mar at 15:00 and at the Studio Theatre on Mon 3 Mar - Thu 6 Mar at 18:00, Sat 8 Mar at 15:00 and Sun 9 at 13:00.
Tickets are available on the Adelaide Fringe website.