The Milliner

I just saw the Milliner at Classic Stage Company this past week. I actually saw it on Halloween - and this is the complete opposite of what most people were probably doing that day.

The show concerns...a Milliner (hat maker)...in Berlin during the period of WWII. This particular hatmaker happens to be Jewish - but claims to be stricly German, denouncing his ties to Judaism and even getting Baptized. We also learn right away that he loves Germany - literally, this man is in love with his country.

The story floats back and forth in time, introducing us to the other main characters. The Milliner is particularly struggling with losing his mother during the war. As you can imagine, she stayed in Germany and suffered the horrors of the Holocaust. We see that they have a close relationship, as he has learned his hat-making trade from her. From this trade, he meets his wife and they seemingly have a lovely relationship...until the war. They are forced to move to England (lucky to have had the chance) where they feel isolated as foreigners, and the Milliner particularly feels like his life has ended being away from his beloved Berlin. After the war, when it's safe to return to Berlin, the Milliner goes back for a visit. During this visit, he runs into a cabaret singer he knew years earlier and the two begin an affair. Going back and forth between England and Berlin, he continues his rocky marriage and the affair. Things seem to be spiralling out of control and his mind is running away with him. In the end, all of his past and present come to a halt when he murders the cabaret singer (after she has casually made an anti-semitic remark). The play ends up where it hinted at beginning - with the Milliner facing a trial for murder.

The show has an interesting concept and I found most of it to be quite good. Parts of the second half dragged on a bit, and I could see some scenes cut. The costumes and hats were lovely. I commented to my friend that I just wanted to grab one off the stage and keep it for my own. All in all, a nice, not spectacular, but nice night at the theatre.