The Pink List is a story that has been waiting patiently to be told, and Michael Trauffer had the audience in the palm of his hand as he delivered his personal and memorable play tonight at the Actors Theatre, Brighton.
The drama starts in 1957, a period post liberation, or so we think, but no, the legacy of Nazi Germany is still at play, morphed into a different type of tyranny, a different kind of nightmare. Karl, the sole character, has been watched, a known and registered homosexual, a criminal, seen entering his home with a stranger, assumptions made. He knows the drill, it’s not the first time he’s been the victim of this regime, but finds his own way to make the inevitable difficult for those judging him.
This play runs through the life of an ordinary man, one who happens to be gay in Germany across the 20th century. We see him as a young boy, full of hopes and dreams, we hear about the loves of his life, the compromises he has to make and how he copes with the change in society. He tells a personal story of the concentration camps, one we haven’t heard before, charting his progress and how he survives. Throughout, there is song, original music composed specially for the show by Trauffer, some joyous, some mournful, all beautifully written.
There is a sense of a hidden history throughout the evening. The play has been extensively researched and this actor is clearly passionate about telling it. What is particularly engaging is Traffer’s physicality, using the intimate space to portray a wide range of emotions and different periods of Karl’s life. The use of off-stage voices works extremely well, as does the narrative arc bringing us back time and time again to the consequences of his simple act of love in 1957.
This is a powerful portrayal of an endearing character. We are left with a sense that we need to know more of these stories, hear more of these voices, understand them fully. This is a thoroughly recommended performance, and as Traffer says at the end of the show, one that wider audiences need to hear as well.
The play runs for 3 further nights at the Actors and tickets are available at Brighton Fringe.
Traffer will be transferring this play to the Edinburgh Fringe this year with further plans in London. We wish him every success.
