The Hare with Amber Eyes – live in Linz

A family is torn apart by war and discrimination.  Many family members are murdered.  Years later, a descendant of one of the survivors tries to find out what happened.

This might not sound a promising premise for a musical.

But at the Landestheater Linz on 6 April, the world premiere of the musical “The Hare with Amber Eyes” took place, based on the book of the same name by British author Edmund de Waal.

Let me declare: I think the book “The Hare with Amber Eyes” is a brilliant account of the impact of the Holocaust on one family, and fully deserves its best-seller status. If you have not read it, take a look.  When I met librettist Henry Mason and composer Thomas Zaufke at the Jewish Museum in Vienna last year and heard that they were planning to launch a musical based on the book, I was intrigued; but found it hard to imagine how they would do it.

In fact, the show is a triumph.  It is full of catchy tunes and manages the long time-span of the book cleverly.  At one point three actors playing three differently-aged versions of the same person, de Waal’s inspirational Uncle Iggy, are on the stage at once.  Many scenes are moving; others are inspirational.  The character of Edmund de Waal plays a central role – curious at the premiere, where the real Edmund de Waal was in the audience watching himself on stage.

The last time I saw Edmund de Waal was at the unveiling of his new work at the Embassy here in Vienna last year, when I was proud to hold the eponymous hare in my hand.  The hare was also on display when Edmund curated a show at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in 2016.  He is a creative and inspiring person.

I congratulate Henry Mason, Thomas Zaufke and the Landestheater Linz for bringing “The Hare with Amber Eyes” to the stage.  I hope it is a success – perhaps one day, in Vienna too.