Taking Sides

Taking Sides is a 1995 play by British playwright Ronald Harwood, about the post-War U.S. denazification investigation of the German conductor and composer Wilhelm Furtwängler (1886-1954) on charges of having served the Nazi regime. Harwood drew inter alia on a detailed diary kept by Furtwängler of his interrogation sessions. Although the investigation that is the focus of the play resulted in formal charges being brought against Furtwängler, he was eventually cleared by the tribunal.

The original text

The original production starred Daniel Massey and Michael Pennington. Massey won the Laurence Olivier Award for his role as Furtwangler. When the play transferred to Broadway the following year Ed Harris took over the role of the American Colonel, and Massey repeated his award winning role.

Performance history in South Africa

Presented by Pieter Toerien at the Alhambra Theatre opening 16 March 1997 and at the Theatre on the Bay opening 7 May 1997. Mark Graham directed, designs by Andrew Botha, lighting by Jannie Swanepoel. The cast : David Clatworthy (Major Steve Arnold), Nicole Franco (Emmi Straube), Rosalind Butler (Tamar Sachs), Philip Godawa (Helmuth Rode) (replaced by Peter Krummeck for the Cape Town run), Thomas Hall (Lieutenant David Wills) and Michael Atkinson as Furtwängler.

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taking_Sides_(play)

Taking Sides programme, 1997

Cape Argus 5 March 1998.

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