Farewell Mister Haffmann review: Nigel Harman cuts a chilling figure in this darkly funny production
From art-loving Nazis in occupied Paris to sexually frustrated tap dancing, this production is packed full of surprises that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
The English translation of Jean-Philippe Daguerre's Molière Award-winning play was first brought to the UK in 2023 at Ustinov Studio in Bath. Now the long-awaited London premiere has arrived at the Park Theatre, and it's everything theatre fans could hope for.
Farewell Mister Haffmann is a World War Two play with a twist. Joseph Haffmann is a Jewish jeweller, who is forced to go into hiding during the Nazi Occupation of Paris. He enlists the help of his employee Pierre, offering him control of the jewellery shop in exchange for hiding him.
Pierre has a proposition of his own however. He and his wife have been trying for a baby, with no success due to Pierre's infertility; so, this is where Mr Haffmann fulfils his part of the bargain. Predictably, chaos ensues.
Throw in an art-loving Nazi, his lewd wife and one of the most tense dinner party scenes to ever make it onto the stage, and you've got an excellent stage play that keeps you gripped throughout its 95-minute runtime.
While an Indecent-Proposal-meets-World-War-Two plot may not sound quite like a barrel of laughs, the play surprises with its remarkable ability to balance dark humour with creeping tension. Rather than making light of the heavy themes of the play, the humour serves to highlight the absurdity of the situation.
Alongside the interesting concept of the main plot, Farewell Mister Hoffman explores how ordinary people fall for propaganda, something which feels eerily relevant in 2025. As the shop begins to flourish under Pierre's leadership, his customer base begins to favour some unsavoury characters, and we watch with a horror-like fascination at how Pierre begins to bend over backwards to justify his new business relationships.
Throughout the play, characters fall further into morally grey areas and power dynamics begin to shift, causing tension to bubble up and burst through, with unpredictable and captivating results.
The acting in this play was top-notch, with standout performances from EastEnders and Downton Abbey star Nigel Harman as the chilling German Ambassador (a villain with the unsettling habit of delivering threats with a smile) and Michael Fox as the slowly unravelling Pierre Vigneau (who channels much of his frustration into tap dancing).
The overarching tension of the play is expertly mirrored in Rebecca Brower’s claustrophobic set design, which features several different rooms on the stage, plus the almost constant presence of the three main characters on stage. Christopher Nairne's lighting allows us to explore the characters' internal struggles, as opposed to how they interact with each other and the outside world.
Overall, Farewell Mister Haffmann is a masterful meditation on the human condition, placing the individual's capacity for both kindness and cruelty in extreme circumstances under the microscope.
Buy Farewell Mister Haffmann tickets from £31 at London Theatre Direct
Want to hear more about what we thought of the latest West End shows? Check out our review of Jamie Lloyd's Much Ado About Nothing, as well as our review of The Seagull starring Cate Blanchett.
When and where can I see Farewell Mister Haffmann?
Farewell Mister Haffmann is running at the Park Theatre in Finsbury Park from 10th March until 12th April 2025.
Buy Farewell Mister Haffmann tickets from £31 at London Theatre Direct
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How much are Farewell Mister Haffmann tickets?
Ticket prices start from £31 and will vary depending on which date you choose and where you decide to sit.
Buy Farewell Mister Haffmann tickets from £31 at London Theatre Direct
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