Review: THE BOOK THIEF, Leicester Curve

In this new musical adaptation of The Book Thief, Jewish boxer Max asks 12-year-old Liesel Meminger what she thinks are the most dangerous weapons in the world. “Bombs?” guesses Lisel. Max disagrees. The most dangerous weapons, according to him, are words. They have the power to destroy and to spread hate and misinformation, such as in Hitler’s Mein Kampf. But they also have the power to heal, and to offer hope and connection. The Book Thief shows both sides perfectly, and though set in Nazi Germany, it feels painfully relevant to the present day.

Based on Markus Zusak’s bestselling novel, The Book Thief premiered in Bolton in 2022 to wide acclaim, and is now visiting Coventry and Leicester. It follows the story of orphan Liesel, who finds a new family with foster parents Hans and Rosa, and Max, the man they are hiding in their cellar. Liesel steals books wherever she can find them, but it’s Hans who teaches her to read, and Max who helps her understand the joys and dangers of language.

With a charming libretto by Jodi Picoult and Timothy Allen McDonald, and folk-style music and lyrics by Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson, The Book Thief is filled with the warmth of a young girl’s friendships and discoveries. But the dangers of war and Nazi rhetoric are a constant threat beneath the surface, and Lotte Wakeham’s direction ensures that even in the softer, slower scenes, the audience is aware that the show is building towards a devastating conclusion.

The performances make the characters easy to love. Jack Lord is the heart of the show as the kind and deeply moral Hans, and Mina Anwar is dynamic as the formidable Rosa. Daniel Krikler’s Max is charismatic, and Obioma Ugoala guides us adeptly through the show with his confident Narrator who slips easily between funny and sinister. 

It’s the children, though, that steal the limelight. The roles of Liesel and her friend Rudy are split between two trios of performers, and on press night Tilly-Raye Bayer’s assured Liesel had wonderful chemistry with all the characters. Thommy Bailey Vine was full of mischief as Rudy, but also gave a subtle and impressive interpretation of the boy’s struggle to reconcile his adoration for Black athlete Jesse Owens with his indoctrination into the Hitler Youth. The Act Two opener "Look at Jesse Owens" is a fantastic piece of theatre as the song begins with a celebration of sporting achievement, before stark changes in lighting and orchestration underline the moment when Rudy realises how the Nazi Party really view his sporting hero.

The lighting is impressive throughout; warm oranges and blues fade abruptly to stark greys and capture the richness of Liesel’s imagination as well as the horror of air raids and the grimness of the Jewish ghettos. The simple but effective set by Good Teeth combines with video projections from Dick Straker to seamlessly move us from cellars to libraries, trains to village streets and even to the Berlin Olympics.

The Book Thief is not a flawless musical yet; some of the songs fail to reach the heights they should, and some trail off unsatisfactorily. Others though, are the sort that make you want to listen again and again, like "The Challenger", Max’s ode to boxing and standing up to power. This proves a high point in the show due to Krikler’s vocals, Tom Jackson Greaves’ excellent choreography and a quite horrifying puppet of Hitler’s head. The closing songs are also beautifully staged and performed, and bring a great deal of hope and light to the ending after a very dark interlude.

With a show that has this much potential, it seems certain that The Book Thief must have its sights set on the West End or Broadway, and we can only hope to see more of this production which encourages kindness and love over hate and division.   

The Book Thief at Leicester Curve until 14 October 

Photo Credit: Pamela Raith

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