"We climbed the narrow stairwell to the performance space above the White Bear pub in Kennington. We were met with a virtually bare, black setting. There was a table draped with a black cloth, woven into the hanging frontal was the stylized black eagle with outstretched wings perched atop a swastika enclosed in a circle the primary symbol of the Nazi regime. Standing stock- still, up stage, was a man. A man dressed in SS concentration camp uniform of a cap, trousers and jacket, all of a grey-blue striped material. The man wears a yellow star. Hanging from his neck is a small blackboard on which is chalked “Ich bin Zurück.” This means ‘I’m back.’ He is a captured escapee. He was there before the audience arrived and remained, still, staring, as they took their seats. The lights went down and in marched an SS officer with a swagger stick uniformed in Field Grey, the mark of the Wehrmacht, the soldiery of which he, Rudolf Höss, the real-life commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp, claims to be a part. We, the audience are his soldiers, those working within the camp, to whom Höss addresses an hour-long lecture. The lecturer explains how the Fuhrer has ordered the extermination of all Jews, how Jews must never be given sympathy or any empathy since they are a subspecies, the eternal enemies of the Reich. A new system of extermination has been invented and trialled on prisoners, Zyclon-B which is to be used in gas chambers which can dispose of 2.500 prisoners an hour. The prisoner Abraham Königsberg is to be the first Jew to be killed in this way. Höss rants, demands, and manipulates his audience in a performative blend of populist emotionalism, rhythmic cadence, and aggressive body language, designed to whip us, his soldiers into a state of hypnotic fervour. He stares his audience down at, in this venue, uncomfortably close quarters, with his fiery rhetoric. He humiliates his prisoner and beats him viciously into unconsciousness with his stick. This is real, it really is. He tries to dehumanise Königsberg, demanding he pray to Jesus to save the children in his barracks. In Königsberg’s back story, there is a remarkable twist. Just to say, for now, in WW1, he, Königsberg, was a patriot. I happen to be of Jewish heritage and was shocked to silence but I know that other members of the audience were affected no less than I. This ‘Lesson from Auschwitz’ was one of the most powerful responses to holocaust denial I have ever seen demonstrated in any form of creative expression performed live for an audience. This show, and how demeaning you may think it is to call this presentation ‘a show,’ was written, produced and directed by James Hyland. He has for some years specialised in one-person shows. He also plays Rudolf Höss. He is a remarkable performer and every aspect of his performance is meticulously drawn, every movement, every stare, every swipe of his stick. He is frightening, evil, his increasingly mad oratory becoming ever more bombastic, frustrated by his prisoner refusing to concede his identity and self-respect under unyielding brutality. An astonishing performance. Ashton Spear, a Canadian actor is Hyland’s ideal foil. He provides an extraordinary authenticity in his reactions to bestialise him. It is often a painful performance to watch, painful, but obligatory to look upon, and not away. Hyland has put this stunning piece of theatre together from a number of sources, often using Rudolf Höss’s, own words together with those of Hitler and others. The audience left the house in stunned silence, whispering quietly to each other, shocked to their core by an important play which demands to be seen."
Rating: ★★★★★
~Stephen Gilchrist, THEATREREVIEWS.DESIGN
Original Source: https://theatrereviews.design/a-lesson-from-auschwitz/
"There is a specific kind of silence and discomfort that descends upon an audience when they aren't just watching history, but are being made complicit in it. At the White Bear Theatre last night Brother Wolf's A LESSON FROM AUSCHWITZ doesn't just ask for your attention, it demands it. It isn't just the proximity to the actors, but the way the play refuses to let you remain a passive observer. For fifty minutes you aren't just watching a history lesson, you're trapped in a room with a monster. James Hyland, who also wrote and directed the piece, delivers a performance of bone-chilling precision as Rudolf Höss. He has a terrifying coldness about him. He doesn't play a caricature. He captures an unsettling blend of military discipline and sudden, jagged cruelty. Watching him pace the stage, you don't see an actor. What you see can only be described as evil incarnate - a true physical threat. You feel the weight of his "logic" and you understand that he truly believes that he is the good guy. In the annual Pink Prince Theatre Review of the Year, Hyland won Actor of the Year 2025 and his performance here just confirmed to me just how strong an actor he really is. Opposite him, Ashton Spear as the Jewish prisoner Abraham Könisberg is remarkable. It's a role that demands incredible physical endurance. For much of the play, he remains a silent, haunting presence, yet Spear's ability to portray a terrified humiliation through nothing but his eyes and his trembling frame is absolutely astounding. His performance is anchored in his physicality. The seemingly involuntary tremor of a hand or the defiant look in his eyes speak louder than any monologue could. There is an undeniable strength to the character as he refuses to be a victim. The staging is sparse. In this tiny off-West End space, the starkness of the set, which is little more than the actors and their costumes, forces the focus onto the visceral hatred on display. Hyland's writing is chillingly captivating, expertly weaving historical reality into a narrative that feels dangerously current. The script masterfully avoids the trap of feeling like a museum piece. There is a shockingly brutal physicality to the piece. The violence is not gratuitous but deeply purposeful, making me and the rest of the audience feel like voyeurs to an atrocity. At one stage I thought he was going to invite one of us to literally take the whip and deliver a blow to the prisoner. Even though this didn't happen, there's no denying the feeling of guilt that is felt. This is the play's greatest strength. You leave feeling less like you've seen a show and more like you've survived an encounter. I was left with a feeling of being shell-shocked. It is rare for a play to give such a fresh take on such a well-trodden subject, but this is a raw and uncomfortable testament to the power of small-scale theatre.. It is an important reminder that we must never forget - and quite frankly, after seeing this, you won't be able to. It's a piece that sticks in the throat long after the lights come up."
Rating: ★★★★★
~Neill Kovacic-Clarke, PINK PRINCE THEATRE
Original Source: https://www.pinkprincetheatre.com/post/review-a-lesson-from-auschwitz-white-bear-theatre
"It was quite remarkable... It was packed with drama and great import... It's such a powerful performance that we were all rocked by it in the audience. It all went very quiet; very little talking in the audience afterwards. That's often the sign of good theatre... I think it's a play for our times... Big respect to James who's put this on, who's written this, James Hyland. And also his colleague [Ashton Spear], who was brilliant, absolutely sensational. He didn't have much to say but he acted all the way through the performance. A powerful, powerful stage performance... And if you're listening to this, James, congratulations on a brilliant performance... I have to say this was an absolutely cracking play."
~Robert Gibson, BCB RADIO (106.6FM)
Original Source: Listen Here
"In the simplest of productions with almost no set - little more than two actors in costumes - the sheer visceral hatred of the SS towards their fellow human beings is displayed with frightening clarity. 'A Lesson from Auschwitz' is a master class in the power of small theatrical productions. But more than that, it is a powerful reminder of the phrase 'we must never forget'. We must never forget the hideous sins of the past and, in doing so, guard against repeating those sins in the future. James Hyland is the writer, director and producer of the piece. He plays Commandant Höss with sadistic ferocity. Ashton Spear captures the plight of the terrified Jew humiliated and brutalised simply because of his race."
~Richard Trinder, YORKSHIRE TIMES
"as a piece of theatre it excels in practically every single way. There's a tendency for creatives who wear multiple hats to be a little bit precious about their work, but not Hyland, who handles the performance and direction of the piece with the necessary levels of professionalism and skill required. Formidable and physically imposing from the off, he delivers Höss' horrific views with unwavering conviction and the style, variation and intonation of an accomplished public speaker... Ultimately this is two actors, a table and a few props and yet the work itself is of such quality that it should be held up as an example of what can be achieved with so few trappings. But more than this, 'A Lesson From Auschwitz' is a forceful look back at how terrifyingly far an ideology can go. The fact it is delivered in real time and Höss' unwavering, unshakeable belief in what he is doing, rationalising the utterly irrational, makes this piece all the more intensely horrifying. The audience leaves shaken and silent. For subject matter and content, as well as the aspect that there are moments of this play that you genuinely cannot bear to watch, it feels wrong to praise 'A Lesson From Auschwitz', but for construction, execution, skill, and a shocking reminder of humanity’s darkest moment, it is an exceptional piece of work and a vital reminder that something like this can never be allowed to happen again."
Rating: ★★★★★
~Sophie Adnitt, BRITISHTHEATRE.COM
"The vast majority of the text is delivered by Hyland to us, his audience, in a mesmerically disturbing fashion... a powerfully realised drama that finds new angles on these events where so many have trod before... this easily portable drama should be seen up and down the land, whether in schools or elsewhere, not just as the most powerful refutation there could be of Holocaust denial (still very much with us), but also as a majestic statement of the power of theatre to bring to the surface the most unpalatable moral facts."
Rating: ★★★★★
~Tim Hochstrasser, PLAYS TO SEE
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"The audience is presented with Höss. A man who can be easily described as pure evil as he spouts his national pride and hate for the "vermin", the "parasite", and the "flea" stood beside him in the instantly recognisable striped uniform. This hateful man will make your skin crawl as he laughs at the new found "wonders" of Zyklon B and yet, his almost charismatic speech will leave you amazed at how he clearly believes he is doing the right thing... I honestly believe this was one of the most powerful and most important pieces of theatre I’ve ever seen."
~Chloe Fry, CENTRE STAGE
"Powerful, disturbing, unimaginably cruel and thought provoking... I sat gripped and stiff, totally engrossed in the performance by James Hyland, an incredibly talented playwright and performer... make sure you book, but prepare to be moved and shocked."
~Laura Locke, FELIXSTOWE RADIO
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"this spell-binding show left a decent-sized audience simultaneously enthralled and appalled... Hyland's Hoss is a dominant figure, his every move accompanied by loud clicking of heels. He can be pleasant and restrained, but his madness is never far below the surface... his incarnation as the SS commandant of our nightmares impresses... Both contrasted performances are tremendously powerful, but the true horror is to see fanaticism treated as normal."
Rating: ★★★★
~Ron Simpson, THE REVIEWS HUB
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"Both performances here deserve recognition and considerable praise, though they certainly don't make for comfortable viewing - but such is the nature of the play's subject matter. James Hyland convinces admirably as a man who has totally absorbed a shocking and inhuman philosophy to the extent that he can countenance any deed, including mass murder on an incomprehensible scale. Though there are times when Höss seems manic, he is not insane or mentally deranged, but a man wholly assured of his purpose and duty, and intent on persuading (or forcing) others to follow his lead. At times, Mr Hyland's Höss is exceedingly scary, able to send uncomfortable shivers down one's spine and making us all feel awkwardly unsettled when addressing us directly... an important warning and lesson from a vile and shameful period of history - that we must be ever watchful for the emergence of such repulsive ideologies in the future and be prepared to fight against them."
Rating: ★★★★
~Peter Brown, ACTDROP
"James Hyland's portrayal of Höss is frightening - a sadist and a manipulative bully who seems capable of any atrocity. His rhetoric style reminds me of Roland Freisler, a Nazi judge who completely perverted his office... Directed, written and produced by James Hyland, this production should be seen by all - especially in the light of recent events."
~Carolin Kopplin, UK THEATRE NETWORK
"James Hyland who plays “Höss” (as well as writing, directing and producing the piece) is superb as the sadistic commandant whilst giving us glimpses of the madness of the man. He spits out venomous rhetoric about eradicating an entire race whilst a tiny smile plays around his lips... it's important that plays like this are seen by as many people as possible"
Rating: ★★★★
~Alan Fitter, LONDON THEATRE 1
"As Höss, James Hyland has an imposing physical presence and an air of authority: he delivers the Nazi’s speeches with conviction in a chilling and uncomfortable performance... This is an incredibly powerful piece by Brother Wolf... The 'lesson' from Auschwitz that Höss wanted to impart might have been one thing, but the lesson we learn is another."
~LOITERING IN THE THEATRE
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