In her one hour show, (which she successfully took to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year), Melbourne thespian Beth Paterson shares her family’s story in the intimate Loading Dock theatre, QTopia.
The story that she shares is a difficult one. Beth’s background is the long shadow of the Holocaust.
During World War 2, her grandmother Niuisa spent a long time interred in a concentration in which Mengales was a Commandant . Miraculously, she survived, but the experience left her badly damaged emotionally. Prior to this horror, she had been a bit of a free spirit, after the horror, she was uptight, anxious and had dark moods.
Growing up, Beth found Niusia very hard to deal with, and thought that she was a bitch. To me this is fully understandable. How can a developing young person possibly understand what her grandmother had gone through, and even more could she possibly fathom how the terrible experiences that she went through had reshaped her character in to a much tougher, difficult woman.
The main movement in the play is when Beth’s mother tells her lots of stories about her quirky, eccentric, flamboyant mother, and through these stories Beth grows to love her.
As this is a solo show, Beth’s mother tells her stories through the theatre’s speakers.
The staging is simple and effective. Books are strewn around the stage with, on the far side, from my vantage point, a long desk, again replete with desks.
Beth talks to the audience about the jewish’s people’s love of books, intellectual thought, and rigorous, friendly debate. True, though, in some jewish circles, especially in the conflict between orthodox and liberal religious traditions, there can be some very black and white and harsh judgments! Debates are not permitted!
Interestingly, Beth spoke about how, for a long time, she didn’t really connect with her jewishness, which she has only done recently.
Verdict. This was a tough show to sit through. Early on, Beth had warned the audience that the show was going to be tough to sit through and that any audience member that did find it too tough was welcome to leave. She would fully understand.
Beth’s performance style wasn’t gentle or warm. I would describe it more as to the point, authentic and , at times, angry.
All in all I found the show a positive, affirming experience. In psychology, the term cross generational trauma describes how the trauma that the Holocaust survivors went through can often be passed down the generations in very unhealthy ways.
Positively, Beth’s family seems strong. Beth tells us that her mother is a very successful psychologist who believes in open and clear communication. And Betman herself comes across as a of a woman of integrity and intelligence.
Beth Paterson’s DON’T MISS NIUSIA is playing this one weekly at the Loading Dock theatre, Utopia. Final performance is this Saturday night, 11th April 2026, at 7pm. The show runs about an hour.
Production photography by Mayak Salter
http://www.qtopiasydney.com.au
