Blonde Poison

Belinda Giblin_Blonde PoisonBack by popular demand, a remarkable one-woman play about beauty, treachery and the high price of survival, Blonde Poison plays the Sydney Opera House until 12 May, before playing at Melbourne’s Southbank Theatre from 1 June 2016.

What is the price of survival? Stella Goldschlag was living illegally in war torn Berlin when she was betrayed and tortured. When offered the chance of saving herself and her parents from the death camps, she agreed to be a ‘greifer’ or catcher for the Gestapo and inform on other Jews in hiding.

She was extraordinarily successful in this and is ‘credited’ with finding and capturing 3000 Jews. She continued working for the Gestapo even after her parents had been sent to their death. What would you have done to survive? The vast dimensions of Stella’s character range from tortured victim to cruel killer, from loving daughter and mother to betrayer of friends, from gentle lover to depraved promiscuity.

She was given the name ‘Blonde Poison’ by the Gestapo who revelled in her treachery. Decades after the war Stella agrees to be interviewed by a childhood friend, now a respected journalist -her last chance at redemption. Can she ever be released from her past?

Critically acclaimed as a “90-minute tour de force” the Australian premiere of Gail Louw’s Blonde Poison enjoyed a sold-out season at The Old Fitz Theatre last year, garnering Belinda Giblin a Sydney Theatre Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role in an Independent Production.

The producer of Freud’s Last Session (winner, Best Off Broadway Play 2011) and co-producer of Howie the Rookie (winner, Best Actor in an Independent Production, 2014 Sydney Theatre Awards) is thrilled to bring this award-winning drama back to Sydney for a return season.

“The response to the premiere of Blonde Poison was overwhelming,” said producer Adam Liberman. “It had Australian audiences and critics gripped from beginning to end and was a career-defining role for one of Australia’s most talented actresses. Don’t miss your chance to see one of the finest solo performances you’re likely to see.”

Gail Louw is an internationally acclaimed playwright/writer, whose Jewish background and maternal influence has informed much of her writing, including this production. Blonde Poison has found great success internationally winning an Argus Award for Artistic Excellence at the Brighton Festival and Fringe in 2012 and receiving excellent reviews both in the UK and in Los Angeles, where it was staged in January 2015.

“Giblin gives one of the performances of her career with an emotionally layered portrayal that is full of nuance and complexity. (She) … makes the play soar, keeping us gripped, fascinated, appalled and moved as we contemplate what we would have done in her place” – Scene and Heard

Director: Jennifer Hagan Starring: Belinda Giblin Designer: Derrick Cox Lighting: Matthew Tunchon Sound: Jeremy Silver Production Manager: Frank Harlow Stage Manager: Patrick Howard Producer: Adam Liberman

Blonde Poison
The Studio – Sydney Opera House, Bennelong Point (Sydney)
Season continues to 12 May 2016
Information and bookings: www.sydneyoperahouse.com

The Lawler – Southbank Theatre, 140 Southbank Boulevard, Southbank (Melbourne)
Season: 1 – 11 June 2016
Information and bookings: www.mtc.com.au

For more information, visit: www.blondepoison.com.au for details.

Image: Belinda Giblin in Blonde Poison (supplied)