“Niusia” is a one-woman show chronicling the complex family dynamics centred around the titular grandmother, a Holocaust survivor who later settled in Australia. Beth is Niusia’s granddaughter, our resident storyteller, who deftly navigates the past and the present as she dives into her grandmother’s past to answer personal questions about her family.
The Goodwood Theatre stage is filled with books, cardboard boxes and chairs, bearing a strong resemblance to a cluttered library archive. Beth addresses her audience both as herself and as Niusia, with the latter recounting tales about her exploits as an Australian immigrant. Beth embodies her grandmother’s mannerisms effortlessly, creating a portrait of a fiercely independent, free-thinking and unapologetic woman. A lifetime of trauma at the hands of the nazis is held in toe with Niusia’s strong sense of pride and composure, a woman defiant of the atrocities inflicted upon her and her people.
As Beth deliberates on her personal relationship with Niusia, audio recordings of her mother Susie interject between monologues. It provides a counterpoint and contrast to Niusia’s stubborn and occasionally cruel behaviour as Susie remarks on her enduring fondness for her as a mother. Beth’s initial curiosity often gives in to anger and indignation as she remembers the mistreatment towards her and her mother, which clashes with Susie’s more forgiving perspective. As the performance continues, Beth begins to accept the nuances of these complicated relationships and the struggles the two women have in acknowledging the atrocities of the past.
Between these accounts of Niusia’s life, Beth also returns focus to her own personal experiences and understanding of her heritage. She dabbles in good humour and irony about what it means to be “Jewish” and her anxieties over speaking on behalf of her culture and her place within it. Her empathy for her grandmother grows as she absorbs more information about the reality of Auschwitz survivors and the horrors experienced within, along with the pieces of history she gleans from both her grandmother’s lived experience and the plethora of documentation at her feet. A particularly chilling account of Joseph Mengele had the audience speechless at the descriptions of violence and the horrific conditions Niusia had to endure while working under him as a medical aid.
Beth is an endearing orator and an exceptional actress in her own right. Her skills at handling pathos and bathos in equal measure are commendable as she navigates both the hilarious and the disturbing aspects of the family history. Beth is able to interweave her own intellectual curiosity and compassion into a journey of self-discovery and appreciation for the struggles of her forebears. And the questions she is made to ask are complex and thought-provoking. What history dies when the original storyteller is no longer alive? Who carries the torch? And how do you communicate that truth honestly, no matter how uncomfortable or confronting?
Anchored with sweet sincerity and frank honesty, “Niusia” is an emotionally resonant account of intergenerational trauma, heritage and matriarchal power, with a strong emotional core and a powerful message of motherly love.
***** FIVE STARS