Dr Freud Will See You Now, Mrs Hitler review – dangerous jokes as bedwetter grows into a psychopath

Upstairs at the Gatehouse, LondonFizzing with intelligence and featuring a catastrophic misunderstanding and a deeply symbolic cigar, this richly imagined play feels all too plausibleIf there were a theatre prize for grabby titles, Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran would win it. Much as Tom Stoppard’s Travesties, spotting that James Joyce, Lenin and the artist Tristan Tzara coincided in Zurich in 1917, audaciously fantasised their interactions, Marks and Gran even more boldly posit that, if Adolf Hitler had seen a shrink in Vienna in the early 20th century, it might plausibly have been Sigmund Freud.Beginning with a title-explaining scene in which an Austrian mother seeks advice on her young son’s nocturnal bedwetting and nightmares, Dr Freud Will See You Now, Mrs Hitler contrives encounters across three decades: with Hitler as a patient; house-painter; hiker near the Freuds’ summer house in Berchtesgaden (giving, it is implied, ideas to Hitler); war-wounded corporal; and, ultimately, Führer. Continue reading...

Comments

Culture

Taylor Swift to turn over evidence in Justin Baldoni-Blake Lively legal battle, attorneys say

Independent

Comments

Similar News

Dr Michael Mosley’s widow Clare’s ‘profound’ shock after three more family tragedies

A House of Dynamite, Venice review – The most entertaining movie about mass destruction since Dr Strangelove

Nerd! How the word popularized by Dr. Seuss went from geeky insult to mainstream

Culture

Taylor Swift to turn over evidence in Justin Baldoni-Blake Lively legal battle, attorneys say

Dermot O’Leary speaks out about being ignored during This Morning’s NTA speech

BBC viewers can finally stream Aussie drama with 100% Rotten Tomatoes score after 7 month wait

The Emmys will get it wrong. That's why we give out the Deggys

Ego Nwodim Leaves ‘S.N.L.’ After 7 Seasons

Dave Portnoy says Trump’s divisiveness played ‘a huge part’ in Charlie Kirk’s death

Stephen King apologizes for claiming Charlie Kirk ‘advocated stoning gays to death’

Ireland becomes latest country to boycott Eurovision 2026 ‘if Israel participates’

Wallace and Gromit creator teases spin-off for British TV’s most terrifying villain

The Office star brands controversial season 3 episode ‘jaw-droppingly horrific’

The Netherlands becomes latest country to boycott Eurovision 2026 ‘if Israel participates’

SNL shake-up: Ego Nwodim becomes latest star to leave show after new cast members announced

Sean Penn says he was ‘conned’ by Putin in first meeting: ‘We talked about fatherhood’

Jennifer Lopez missed out on iconic musical role for auditioning too late

Coldplay at Wembley: How to beat the rush when 90,000 people leave the gig

‘Brilliant’ BBC thriller that hooked millions of viewers gets exciting update

Strictly 2025 ones to watch revealed by Oti Mabuse

Frankie Muniz turned down chance to host SNL to meet childhood crush instead

Bill Bailey pays emotional tribute to inspirational mother ahead of BBC Proms

‘I just wish my mum could see it’: Bill Bailey on making his Proms debut

Comeback of year? One of TV's biggest stars in surprise return to iconic show

Ricky Gervais says he's ‘fat, lazy and rude’ as he tackles new Netflix role

Ed Sheeran’s new album Play receives mixed reviews

Secrets of Somerset House: inside their behind-the-scenes weekend

Cancel your weekend plans to binge all 6 episodes of Amazon Prime’s ‘twisted’ new thriller

BBC weather presenter Jay Wynne dies aged 56 after illness as family pay tribute

Jimmy Kimmel slams Donald Trump for ‘blaming Democrats’ for death of Charlie Kirk

Great British Sewing Bee announces new host as Sara Pascoe replaced after three years

Molly-Mae Hague responds to backlash over NTA documentary win

Downton Abbey creator brought hit series to an end because of World War II

Mark Hamill nearly turned latest role because of gun violence: ‘It’s one of the worst aspects of American life’

David Bowie’s favourite songs revealed on note in new exhibition

Sydney Sweeney undergoes dramatic Christy Martin transformation in first-look biopic trailer

Henry Cavill dealt devastating blow as injury forces Highlander shoot to delay until 2026

Where was the Downton Abbey finale filmed?

London's biggest theatre to open in Greenwich next year with 3,000 seats

Toyah Willcox: I have used AI but always prefer to ‘pick up a pen and write’

Radical Harmony at the National Gallery: 'you can have just too many dots'

Harry Potter fans ‘dream Voldemort’ actor rules himself out of TV reboot

Where was the Downton Abbey movie filmed?

Scottish star Nina Nesbitt surprises local Kent venue with secret set

Polly Holliday death: Parent Trap and Mrs Doubtfire star dies, aged 88

Mad Men’s Jared Harris reveals ‘horrible’ way cast constantly drank Scotch and smoked

Tosca at Royal Opera: the controversial return of Russian soprano Anna Netrebko

TV legend set to reprise iconic role in one final special episode

Strictly fans rally around Vicky Pattison as she shares pic of training blisters

Sir David Jason to reprise Open All Hours role for 50th anniversary special

Sigourney Weaver says she’s too scared to watch Alien: Earth by herself

Jason Manford denies reports he quit Waterloo Road after one year

Rainn Wilson says axed The Office spinoff would have earned NBC ‘another billion dollars’

Downton Abbey producer hints grand finale film may not spell end for franchise

Amy Dowden speaks out after Molly-Mae Hague’s NTAs win

Country star Garth Brooks to headline British Summer Time 2026 after denying rape allegation

Thousands of Jane Austen superfans descend on city to celebrate beloved author’s birthday

Zara McDermott shares ‘terrifying ordeal’ after nearly being arrested in Thailand

Slow down to view Rembrandt painting, trust urges

Major new music festival announced for city park

Prince Harry vows to help war injured during surprise visit to Ukraine

Downton Abbey fans ‘can’t stop crying’ as finale hits cinemas

Vicky Pattison shares graphic image of her foot following Strictly Come Dancing rehearsals