Moises Kaufman’s Here There Are Blueberries, at Theatre Royal Stratford East, revisits Hannah Arendt’s notion of 'the banality of evil' through a haunting theatrical investigation of a real photo album from Auschwitz. Donated anonymously to the Holocaust Museum in Washington in 2007, the album shows Nazi staff relaxing, singing and socialising near the death camp, even as mass murder unfolded. The title comes from a caption beneath an image of secretaries eating blueberries at a nearby retreat.

The production presents the photographs as central evidence, projecting them on stage while actors portray archivists and researchers piecing together their historical significance. Among the images is the only known photograph placing Josef Mengele at Auschwitz. The drama unfolds as a restrained yet powerful detective story, allowing the facts to speak with chilling clarity while highlighting the persistence of those seeking truth and justice.

In stark contrast, The Battle at Birmingham Repertory Theatre revisits the rivalry between Blur and Oasis during the summer of 1995. Intended as a comedy about the era’s music culture, the production descends into crude caricature and relentless profanity, portraying its musicians as swaggering, offensive stereotypes. Despite a lively premise, the show offers little insight or wit, concluding in a tasteless finale that leaves the nostalgia feeling hollow.

Together, the two productions offer sharply different reflections on cultural history: one a sobering meditation on atrocity and accountability, the other an abrasive return to a fleeting moment of popular music bravado.