What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank Tickets

Fresh from the director of the Olivier and Tony Award-winning Leopoldstadt and the producers of 2023’s The White Factory, this ‘serious comedy’ hits the West End with a bang – plus warnings about strong language, sensitive political subjects and drug use. Big drama awaits you!

What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank - The Story

This powerful comedy with a serious streak introduces two Jewish couples; one not at all religious and the other ultra-Orthodox. It reveals the argument none of them meant to have about identity, politics, being a parent and getting high on drugs. The place is Florida, the time is ‘now’, and the dialogue is provocative, hilarious, painful and honest. Expect discussions about Gaza, Israel, the Holocaust, Nazis, marriage, sex and more.

The climax of the story sees Debbie and Shoshana playing a childhood game, the Anne Frank game, where they speculate about which of their non-Jewish friends would save them if there was another Holocaust.

Nathan Englander has been rewriting the story in different ways since 2012. His obsession with the piece is “probably because the setup is something I see as an increasingly rare occurrence in our ever more polarized and personalized-algorithm driven lives. That is, two best friends, now on opposite ends of political, religious, and economic spectrums come together to talk and laugh and cry it all out—and to see if any of the love they’ve long felt for each other can survive.”

About What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank

This comedy play has been lifted from one of the Pulitzer-finalist stories in the book. It stars Joshua Malina, who delighted us in TV’s The West Wing, Sports Night and The Big Bang Theory, as Phil. This is his London theatre debut. The drama is directed by Patrick Marber.

A top class creative team supports the action, with Anna Fleischle (Designer), Oliver King (Producer), Lew Forman (Associate Producer), Craig Dorfman (Co-Producer), Nina Tassler (Co-Producer), David Daniels (Co-Producer), Wild Yak (General Management) and The Production Office (Production Management) on board.

Prepare to be shocked, perhaps annoyed, but always stimulated by this sharp, uncompromising exploration of thorny themes it is never easy to discuss.