Taken At Midnight Tickets

Taken at Midnight – Travel back to 1931 and the rise of the Nazi party...

Fresh from Bertolt Brecht’s allegorical fable about Hitler’s ascent to power, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, director Jonathan Church brings us a gripping, tragic tale about 1930s Germany and the efforts of a young Jewish lawyer to stem the influence of the Nazi tide.

This is a thoroughly grown-up, terse, sober drama by Mark Hayhurst, looking at what happened to the people who stood up against Hitler's tyranny in those early days, against all the odds. Most suffered terribly for their bravery and many paid the ultimate price. Litten was one of them, imprisoned and tortured.

Litten's mother Irmgard fearlessly takes on the Gestapo and Hitler's henchmen on her son's behalf, stoically resolving to remain both 'patient' and 'objectionable' in her determined effort to get him freed. But it all came to nothing.

One of the saddest revelations is the involvement of a British diplomat who, while taking on Litten' case, argues that showing open aggression towards the Nazi party would be “counterproductive”. It's a shameful illustration of the way the British establishment remained reluctant to acknowledge the reality of Nazi Germany until it was far too late, war was imminent and conflict was unavoidable.

Taken at Midnight - The story

The story goes like this. In 1931 the lawyer Hans Litten subpoenaed Hitler himself to appear as a witness in a criminal trial. Hitler never forgot the experience, so furious that he refused to let his cronies so much as mention the lawyer's name in his presence for years afterwards. But in 1933 he had his revenge, arresting Litten and putting him into “protective custody”.

Litten was sent to Sonnenburg concentration camp to be endlessly tortured and beaten, never saw freedom again and eventually killed himself in the brutal Dachau concentration camp, isolated, despairing and unable to bear life any longer.

This tragic true story concentrates on Litten's mother, who did everything she possible could to free her son from a horrible fate, despite the odds. The resulting play is heartbreaking, compelling, unforgettable.

Taken at Midnight theatre tickets – Unforgettable and tragic

Want premium, full price or discount Taken at Midnight tickets? We offer great availability and value for money on every kind of ticket type and seat.