In real life tragedy, when the normal is warped into the abnormal, is not without its moments of comedy.

The creators of Jutro (the Polish word for tomorrow) understand this implicitly and create a theatre language which transforms the most mundane action into vibrant tragic- comic interplay.

This doesn't mean the subject matter, in this case the holocaust of World War 2, is demeaned in any way, to the contrary, it is humanised.

The dust of memory settles on the bombed jazz bar in Warsaw where Mina, the beautiful singer, and Janusz, the barman, are in hiding while the Nazis rampage above them. The nuanced physicality of the performances allows the two memorable characters to breathe their sorrows, hopes and sweet secrets in a world gone berserk. Where tomorrow is a lifetime away.

Director Helen Iskander's relentless eye for whimsical detail weaves a delicate web of survival containing a fragile love story which bridges the chasms of hatred and prejudice . At no point is the word Jew used.

The yellow star on Mina's coat and the Hebrew prayer she says at her mangled make-up table say it all. The terror of being discovered is kept at bay by keeping up a routine amid the debris.

Keren Tahor inhabits the very skin and soul of the leggy singer (having shed the self-consciousness she displayed in Grahamstown). Mina's dream is to escape to America and start a new life in the arms of a handsome tall man.

The Chaplinesque Janusz, who has to stand on a suitcase to dance with her, is not part of this picture.

James Cuningham brilliantly pours enormous pathos and insight into this everyman who is willing to put his own life on the line for his impossible dream.

Lisa Younger's set effectively creates the off kilter universe in which these two people find themselves in a war zone.

The lighting design needs attention. Yet little can detract from the fact that Jutro is a resonating jewel of a new South African play.

“Jutro is a brilliantly performed work by Keren Tahor and James Cuningham and is a must see for your arts calendar this year.

Set in World War two Poland it tells the story of hope, love and survival against overwhelming odds. Jutro, being the polish word for 'tomorrow', is a theme that runs through the play, meaning significantly more than merely a 'goodnight' or 'see you tomorrow' (How self-assured we have become believing that we have endless days of our own) Set in a basement cabaret bar it tells the story of a Polish bartender and Jewish singer whose lives become connected after having survived an aerial bombardment. Hidden from public view their confinement draws them together whilst the world they have known is shattered.

Continuing to survive further aerial bombing and increasing German patrols the characters interaction with each other develops understanding and romance. Punctuated with elements of humour and realism it shows that even in the depths of disaster humanity may be found.

The play is a 21st century challenge in recall of historic prejudice, moving us to consider our own lack of willingness to understand those from a culture different from our own, and hopefully to not be an instant rejecter of others.

The play is highly entertaining and engrossing and you will become attached to the characters longing for their survival as the play nears its end.

The show is currently being performed at The Liberty Life Theatre on the Square, Johannesburg.”

Submitted by Mike Humphries

Not quite a love story with sunshine and elegance, “Jutro” is an enthralling piece of theatre.

“Jutro”, written by Keren Tahor and James Cuningham and directed by Helen Iskander, with Keren Tahor and James Cuningham. (Liberty Life Theatre on the Square, Sandton 011 883 8606). Until 13 September.

“The idiosyncratic nature of post-traumatic behaviour gives life to this quirky war-time romance, cast in 1940s Poland, and the tight and well-choreographed physical humour animate it beautifully, and allow you to laugh at some of the most touching and crazy gestures imaginable. In the wake of an explosion all but destroying a sleazy little basement pub in Warsaw, Miss Mina (Tahor) the performer and Janusz (Cuningham) the barman, form a tender loving but oft awkward relationship, set in a strange kind of relief with a series of jokes of denial.

“Jutro” means “tomorrow” in Polish. Mina and Janusz, virtually trapped as they are in the ruins of the bar where they work, have no idea what tomorrow will bring, or if there will be a tomorrow; yet they pretend all is still normal.

Interwoven with the strains of the ancient joyously sad Sabbath song, “Shalom Aleichem”, the work offers constant interplays between dream ideas and realities, and even the dialogue of the two performers see-saws between the utterly droll and the deeply poignant. Indeed, the see-saw is literalised on set, juxtaposing social and physical relations which is not only discomforting but off-key, creating a humour which is neither bitter nor obvious, something with both Tahor and Cuningham play into with deftness and a deep understanding of the complexity of their two characters.

Mina is an unlettered girl. She is also vain and rather shallow in her sense of self-belief. While she behaves and dresses in a manner she deems proper, in spite of the degrading circumstances she finds herself in, deep down inside and after a good couple of schnapses, she’s not all that confident, and confesses that she thinks she can’t really sing. She left home as a teenager, but remains deeply and jaggedly aware of her roots - while she almost aggressively condemns her mother as having a big “tochus” (backside), she sentimentally lights a candle as she sings the song welcoming in the Sabbath. Mina is in many ways like a child - she is rendered vulnerable by her Jewish identity, her petty vanities and her femininity and Janusz is hopelessly besotted by her.

A man of many unspoken talents, Janusz knows about American culture and dance. He knows Mina has fallen for a man taller than he, but one who can easily be fictionalised. He can dance, he can fantasize, he can forage, he knows how to secure a fake identity for Mina, so that she can escape the stigma of her Jewishness and get to the dreamed-of America. He knows enough about her to not refer to her Jewish identity directly, but to protect her from it.

A well-crafted piece of theatre, “Jutro” is short and sweet. It lacks self-indulgence and offers a satisfying and gritty edge that prevents it from becoming mawkish or tragic.”

Submitted by Robyn Sassen

“Two frightened individuals are hiding in a bombed out jazz club in Warsaw in 1944 while Nazi soldiers are marching above. They hear a barrage of sound from above, the rat-tat-tat of machine gun fire and the thud of heavy jackboots. They could be discovered at any moment.

In tense, trying situations such as this it is difficult to comprehend what happens to an individual’s psyche as they wait for the inevitable to happen.

In this engrossing play Helen Iskander turns the situation around dramatically by treating the stark reality of the situation with a marvellous sense of whimsy. During this anxious time the pair engage in games to distract them from the reality that engulfs them.

Part of the success of this simple production is the astonishing contributions made by its two leads, Keren Tahor and James Cunningham. They play Mina, a striking-looking cabaret singer, and Janusz, a barman, who is in love with her. Mina dreams of crossing the seas to the land of freedom, America, where she hopes to become a famous singer. The fact that she is Jewish is subtly embraced here and this hits home only when she slips into an old coat with a yellow Star of David attached to it.

James Cunningham, as Janusz, who is in love with Mina, provides a stylish, well nuanced performance and is the perfect choice to partner Tahor’s Mina. There is pathos and humanity in his sensitive reading of the role.

Director Iskander stimulates the audience’s imagination through a liberal use of sound and physical imagery but without too much dialogue. Audience members are able to connect with their desperate situation, without the director having to resort to undue outpourings of mawkish sentimentality. Iskander makes excellent use of Lisa Younger’s cleverly devised set which helps create a sense of atmosphere, height and depth and effectively enhances the movement of the players.

Jutro is a very fine piece of theatre. It’s emotive and soul stirring.”

Unrequited love, war-torn Poland, a Jewess singer and a barman – the must-see Fringe show of the Arts Festival

“IF you are a theatre lover and you can see just one show at this year‘s National Arts Festival you will be well advised to choose this one.

That‘s a cliché, I know, but I mean it.

The feather-light touch of Iskander has provided some great enjoyment at the festival over the past few years and this slice of life from war-torn Poland is another triumph.

Actors and director move on tippy toe through an emotional and physical world as fragile as fairy glass, leaving the audience barely breathing.

Even the lightest sigh could destroy the dreams which are the characters‘ only salvation.

The title is Polish for “morning”, the image of future hope which remains bright even in the direst of circumstances.

As the bombers roar over Warsaw, a cabaret venue is hit and the barman (Cuningham) and singer (Tahor) are trapped among the rubble inside. There is a complication: She is Jewish, her coat adorned with a big, yellow star. To go outside is certain death for her.

But the podgy little barman in his neat black waistcoat has loved her for three long years and he cares for her, sharing her dreams and sneaking out every night to find food – a piece of cabbage, a single sausage.

His love is unrequited because the object of his adoration has set her hopes on America and a handsome American who, she believes, is waiting there for her. The little barman feeds into this dream because he cannot see her unhappy.

His love, forlorn hope and secret pain are captured to heart- wrenching effect by Cunningham, whose portrayal is nothing short of magnificent.

Tahor not only looks the role but also acts it with quiet control.

The intensely romantic and emotional content never turns to sentimentality because of the director‘s unique style which stretches a taut thread of tension between the frenetic and the fearfully still, between humour and tears.

Their predicament and their actions are very funny indeed make the reality just that much more poignant.

But it is the sheer theatricality of the presentation which gets my vote every time.

This is theatre which shows and never tells, which hoards a host of emotions in a single prop and a single movement.”

Review by: INA RANDALL, The Herald

“Jutro (meaning "tomorrow" in Polish) offers by far the most liberating theatre experience at the festival fringe in Grahamstown. Set in Poland during World War II, Jutro is an immensely powerful celebration of the human capacity to love and honour amidst the danger of risking one's own life in the dangers of war.

Mina, a Jewish cabaret singer (played by Keren Tahor) and Janusz, a Polish bartender (played by James Cunningham) deliver immaculate performances as they are trapped in a bombed out underground cabaret bar.

The dust and war debris of the destroyed bar and the broken remnants of Mina's dressing room give this play a magical quality which allows them to be able to play, escape into fantasies and to fall in love with each other. Their lives are continually disrupted by the sounds of gunfire, bombs and marching soldiers above their bunker.

For Mina there is a desperate urge to escape from the same trapdoor from which Janusz enters and exits the underground bunker. This trapdoor is their only connection with the outside world but it also poses the greatest danger that they might be found and be killed. Mesmerised by the glamour of the stage, even in the gloom of the bombed out shelter, Mina dreams about being in America where she will acquire true love, fame and glory. For Janusz who loves her so much, the decision to let her go or let her be caught by the marching soldiers or to even help her to escape to America with a new identity is the crux around which this immensely beautiful play is cemented. It is poignantly moving.

The opening scene of the play when Mina ascends her cabaret stage and her singing is deafened out by the marauding bombers is such a powerful statement for the rest of the play which in itself is a magnificent showcase for the healing and the redeeming quality that the arts present.

Tahor and Cunningham create tremendously credible characters. Their articulate performance is enhanced so much more by their use of superbly energetic and perfectly orchestrated physical theatre. Their love for each other amidst the rubble and the challenges of war is so captivatingly inspiring.

Theatre director Helen Iskander gives to this production such a wonderful sense of pace and timing. The moments of deep tension, gentle humour, quiet naivety and painful anger inter-change with each other so smoothly that the audience is never alienated.

Jutro is a play about hope! It dignifies our humanity and it meticulously and gently strips us down to showing that beneath all our divisions, our power to love each other is a greater conqueror.

Especially in our current times where the horrid pictures of war are transmitted daily by the mass media, Jutro gives us hope that even in our present conflicts in Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere the theatre of people who risks their lives above ideology to save those whom they love is always playing itself out.

Jutro is scheduled to open at the Liberty Theatre on the Square in Johannesburg during August. Don't wait till then to buy your ticket. This is a show which deserves to have full house and there is no doubt that it will not only scoop full houses but also walk away with greater accolades.

Jutro is deeply spiritually satisfying theatre!!”

Submitted by Ismail Mahomed , www.artslink.co.za

“Appearing on the fringe of the 2007 National Arts Festival, Jutro is a heart-warming and poignant story beautifully portrayed by James Cuningham and Keren Tahor. Under Helen Iskander’s skilful and imaginative direction, it is set in World War II in Nazi-occupied Poland and tells the story of a bartender and a cabaret singer who work at an underground nightclub.

She (Miss Mina) is late for work one night and he (Janusz) warns her that the club proprietor will be displeased but the moment she takes her place on the stage and starts to sing, there is the terrifying sound of bombing and falling rubble. Clouds of dust envelop them and their surroundings and they balance precariously on the fallen debris to revive themselves with some brandy in a glass decanter, which has miraculously survived the devastation. They josh each other along, saying that in America there is not so much dust - they have the Hoover!

A wayward plank stretching to the height of the ceiling provides an escape route into the outside world up above – a beautiful theatrical transference of perspective here - but Janusz, who is in love with Miss Mina, won’t let her go out into the street. She will be at risk because, being Jewish, she has to wear the identifying yellow star on her coat. Janusz sneaks out to find morsels of food and also to go in search of Victor who has the answer to Mina’s survival.

Accompanied by a sultry sax musical score, the two struggle to maintain some sort of equilibrium. He stays in his haven of squeaky timbers under what’s left of the bar and she gets under the dressing table. They consume cabbage with relish on a plank perched atop a pile of rubble which also forms a seesaw, dipping and rising as does the hopeful (or otherwise) nature of the conversation.

They dream, they laugh, they dance. They kiss.

Keren Tahor’s naive, wide-eyed and utterly endearing performance makes a perfect foil for James Cuningham’s sensitive and somewhat bashful barman who will go to any lengths to save his love. This is a disarming piece of theatre – watch out for it!”

Caroline Smart www.artsmart.co.za

“Die Tweede Wêreldoorlog is die agtergrond waarteen die elegiese Jutro van die regisseur Helen Iskander voltrek word. Hierin is ’n verwoeste kabaretteater in die besette Pole die ruimte waar ’n kroegman en ’n sanger skuil. Sy is Joods, hy Pools. In die beperkte ruimte durf hulle hoop op en droom van ’n nuwe lewe in die VSA. Hul redding is roetine en staaltjies van die verlede. Tog het die werklikheid ’n manier om soos ’n soeklig wat die donkerte deurpriem, mense tot besinning te ruk. Die kort stuk besiel en plaas jou binne die skokkende werklikheid van oorlog wat geliefdes van mekaar wegruk.”

Laetitia Pople, Die Burger

“Jutro is about the desire to look forward, to a world beyond war. Janusz and Mina are trapped in a cabaret club where they both work in occupied Poland during World War 2.

The bombs are crashing down. He is a Polish bartender and she’s a Jewish singer. Together they attempt to survive in the most appalling circumstances. Their nerves fray and hope begins to dim.

James Cuningham is phenomenal in his intense and stoic portrayal of Janusz while Keren Tahor (Nirvana from television series Scandal) plays Mina with tender sensitivity.

The couple are cooped up in a confined space scattered with building debris that convert into playful props; such as a glass that won’t stop sliding down a slanting bar counter and a see-saw that requires one of them on each end for it to function.

With searchlights piercing their sanctum and askew little lamps providing them with comfort, the two shine in a powerful tragic-comedy that attests to the resilience of the human spirit. This is a moving production with an enormously talented cast.”

Clint Tessendorf. Cue