Theatre review: Blonde Poison – Sydney Opera House (Performances until 12 May 2016)

Directed by Jennifer Hagan and presented by Strange Duck Productions, Blonde Poison is a gripping tale of betrayal, war and the high price of survival. Based on a true story, Stella Goldschlag is preparing to be interviewed in her home by an old childhood friend, now a successful journalist. As she becomes increasingly anxious about his arrival, she begins to reflect on her life, and the decisions which have shaped the person she has become.

Forced into hiding with her parents while living illegally in Berlin during the Second World War, Stella was betrayed and tortured before agreeing to act as a Gestapo spy in order to save her parents from being sent to Auschwitz. While initially forced into her new life as a “griefer” for the Gestapo, Stella begins to revel in her power as she exposes Jews in hiding.

Even after her parents are sent away to the camps, she continues in her role as Blonde Poison, the Gestapo’s greatest weapon. Is this merely a terrified woman doing whatever she needs to in order to survive, or a vain, selfish girl, seduced by the perks of being a Gestapo spy? Belinda Giblin is exceptional as Stella in what is essentially a one woman monologue, portraying the very depths of despair, passion, love, lust, fear, longing, happiness and ultimately defeat. It is disturbing to hear Stella sprout out her anti-Semitic views and increasingly difficult to empathise with a woman so vain she blames others jealousy for her unjust treatment after the war.

Yet, there are moments when she speaks of her parents with such affection. There is a powerful scene in which she recalls being tortured by the Gestapo, where you cannot help but feel for her tortured soul. It is as if Stella is two entirely different women and, as an audience, it is difficult to reconcile these drastically differing sides.

With an ending which will remain with you long after the curtain closes, Blonde Poison is a mesmerising portrayal of self-preservation and deceit. As Stella re-lives her dark past, questions of redemption are uppermost in her mind. It is clear that she will not receive forgiveness from those who knew her, most heartrendingly, from her daughter, but the biggest question remains of whether she can forgive herself. Does she even feel she has to? Giblin holds the audience in the palm of her hand as they sit, captivated, by a story that almost defies belief and leaves you wondering – what would you do?

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Blonde Poison is playing at the Sydney Opera House until May 12. For more information and to book tickets head to the Sydney Opera House website.

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