Set in the near future, Memoriam imagines a world in which a tech company can extract, package and sell people’s memories as fully immersive VR experiences. Rachel is a buyer for the company – sharp, persuasive and good at her job. When her grandmother Rivka becomes the last living Holocaust survivor, Rachel sees both a professional opportunity and a profound responsibility: to preserve the most important memory the world may never otherwise keep. What begins as a proposition to her grandmother Rivka quickly unravels into a family conflict about ownership, legacy, ethics and what we owe the dead, as Rachel tries to secure Rivka’s memories for preservation. Sharply funny and deeply moving, the play asks who has the right to tell the stories of the past – and who gets to decide how they are remembered.
Review by Richard Lambert.
Beverley Klein, aged 72, takes on the role of a 93-year-old Rivka, bringing a sprightly energy to the character, and her dialogue was always clear and audible. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for all the other performers. The opening scene was particularly difficult to decipher, with a strong accent and no sound amplification making some of the dialogue hard to follow.
The set was glorious and cleverly used, with a few well-placed pieces of furniture immediately establishing the location. The lighting was also used to great effect, helping to create and sustain the world of the play.
The concept was genuinely engaging for the first 30 minutes, but then the focus shifted to an hour of disagreements between the grandchildren, which, frankly, held little interest for me. With threats of one sibling cancelling the other, I found myself simply not caring. In the process, the far more compelling central story of Rivka’s Holocaust experience became lost amid the distractions.
The character of Chris was also difficult to believe in. As a senior manager at a tech company set in the near future, his ill-fitting suit with over-sized jacket did little to establish either the corporate environment or the technology-driven world he supposedly inhabited. Think Bill Gates or Elon Musk: sharp tailoring, open-necked shirts, polo-neck jumpers or simple polo shirts. There is a recognisable aesthetic associated with senior figures in the tech industry, and the costume failed to capture it, leaving the character feeling less convincing as a result. As the story’s “baddie”, Chris simply wasn’t unscrupulous enough. He lacked the ruthlessness and moral ambiguity needed to make him a truly convincing antagonist, leaving his role in the conflict feeling somewhat underpowered.
A few stage management cueing issues also proved distracting, although this is live theatre and such things can happen, particularly on press nights.
Memoriam has an interesting concept, but not enough story to sustain its length, and far too many words. There is the potential for a brilliant play here, but it needs a serious trim to around 60 minutes to bring the central story back into focus.
At 1 hour 50 minutes, without an interval, I have to admit I was pleased when it finally finished.
Cast
Beverley Klein – Rivka
Rachel Barry – Rachel
Jimena Larraguivel – Becky
Ashley Margolis – David
Ben Wiggins – Chris
Creatives
Noga Flaishon – Writer
Daniel Goldman – Director
Ellie Wintour – Set and Costume Designer
Jonathan Chan – Lighting Designer
Sarah Spencer – Composer and Sound Designer
Nadine Rennie – Casting Director
Gabriella Sills – General Manager
Pete Rickards (eStage) – Production Manager
Euan Jackson (eStage) – Deputy Production Manager
Cora Frank – Company Stage Manager
Orr Hacohen – Assistant Stage Manager / Cover Company Stage Manager
David Djemal – Outreach
Guy Amos – Outreach
Grace Chapman and Isabel Dixon (Cup of Ambition) – Marketing
Madelaine Bennett (The GingerBread Agency) – PR
Presented by Tangram Theatre Company and Gabriella Sills Productions, the play runs at Southwark Playhouse Borough from 22 October to 21 November 2026
Memoriam, written by Noga Flaishon, received its world premiere at Main Street Theater in Houston, Texas, from 29 March to 19 April 2025, directed by Julia Oppenheim, with at least 19 scheduled performances, including previews. It subsequently had a staged reading at the Royal Court Theatre in London on 10 April 2025, directed by Daniel Goldman, as part of the inaugural Open Submissions Festival. The play is receiving its UK premiere at Southwark Playhouse Borough, presented by Tangram Theatre Company and Gabriella Sills Productions, running from 22 October to 21 November 2026.