Now, I love the theatre and try to go on a regular basis but in the 3 years I have lived in London now I have never managed to make it to the National Theatre. The plays that I wanted to see had always either been sold out or I was away or I just ran out of time. However, when I saw that they were putting on a production of one of my favourite books from my childhood I knew this would be the play to go see at the National.
The story of Emil and the Detectives was penned down by the famous German author Emil Erich Kästner, an author, poet, screenwriter and satirist, in 1929. Kästner is known primarily for his humorous, socially astute poetry and his children's books. Emil and the Detectives was his first major success (one of his first published works) and the only one of his pre-1945 works to escape Nazi censorship. Having been translated into at least 59 languages, Emil and the Detectives remains Kästner's best-known work.
The most fascinating aspect of the story, and maybe that is exactly why it is still so relevant today, is that, especially compared to children’s literature at the time, Emil and the Detectives is realistically set in a late 1920’s Berlin. It includes some fairly rough and mean characters, refrains from obvious moralisation and lets character’s deeds and actions speak for themselves.
Adapted as a Hollywood film in 1964, Emil and the Detectives is mostly set in Berlin and tells the story of Emil Tischbein, a young school boy from Neustadt. Raised by his single mother after his father’s death, Emil grows up in a poor household, his mother working hard as a hairdresser to earn their living. Having saved for months and months, Mrs Tischbein sends Emil to Berlin with 140 marks (a hairdresser’s monthly salary then; it would be equivalent of £2,856 today) to give to Emil’s grandmother. Urging Emil to be careful not to lose the money, Emil decides to pin the envelope containing the money to the lining of his jacket.
However, on the train to Berlin Emil meets a mysterious man by the name of Max Grundeis. Emil falls asleep on the train sitting next to Herr Grundeis and as he wakes up both Herr Grundeis and Emil’s money are gone. What follows then is a goose chase for Herr Grundeis around Berlin – and Emil makes enlists the help of a group of local children who offer to help him in his quest. Parole Emil is born – a secret password the children use to communicate with each other.
Having followed Grundeis around Berlin and to his Hotel, Emil and his “gang” (the Detectives) catch Grundeis at a bank where he is trying to exchange Emil’s money for smaller notes. One of the boy detectives follows him into the bank and tells the bank teller that the money is stolen. Enter Emil, who tries to tell the bank teller his story. He is able to prove that the money was his by describing the holes left by the needle he used to pin the bills in the lining of his jacket on the train.
Herr Grundeis tries to run away, but Emil's new friends cling onto him until the police arrive. Once arrested, Herr Grundeis is found out to be a member of a gang of bank robbers. Emil receives a reward of 1000 marks (£20,400) for capturing Herr Grundeis.
The story might not sound terribly exciting to us know but when I was a little kid, Emil chasing a thief around Berlin with a group of kids seemed like the greatest adventure of all time. Emil was my hero, the kid I aspired to be: fearless, brave, independent and clever. My love for this literary character has never weaned and to this day I admire the same qualities in Emil that I did as a child.
Because I am so fond of this story seeing the production of Emil and the Detectives at the National could have been a major disappointment. But it ended up being the exact opposite: I loved every minute of it. Being the National Theatre, the set was stunning, innovative, expressionistic and perfectly portrayed the sense of constant movement that is so vital to the story. And even though the script writers took some creative freedom with some aspects of the story – Herr Grundeis became Mr Snow – it was great to see the story come to life the way it did. In fact, the stage adaptation seems to almost portrayer an even darker and grittier story than the original story.
The show relies so heavily on children to lead and carry the show, and thus has received some mixed reviews from the critics. It would be impossible to compare a show such as Emil and the Detectives to something like Warhorse or Frankenstein, but there is no need to do so. Emil and the Detectives is a really enjoyable, beautiful show that touches on themes that are familiar to all of us and transports us right into Berlin in 1929. If you are looking to see a show in London that is worthy of being watched before Christmas (or even after) I would encourage you to go and take part in parole Emil.
Tickets might be a bit hard to get but on the other hand they aren’t terribly expensive for London – tickets range from £12 to £48. You can buy tickets to the show on the National Theatre website here. Emil and the Detectives is on until the 18th March 2014.
Blogger David Nice also wrote a great summary of both the show and the film - check out his blog post here.
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Movie Poster