On the night of 31 August 1939, what appeared to be three Polish soldiers seized a local radio station in Gleiwitz near the German border. A short anti-Nazi message was broadcast and local police found the men dead at the scene after an apparent failed attack. Or, at least, that’s what it looked like.

What appeared to be the work of disgruntled Poles was instead a false flag operation ordered from Berlin with SS servicemen carrying out what they called Operation Grossmutter Gestorben (or Grandmother Died) leaving behind the corpses of recently-executed German prisoners that they mockingly called Konserve (or canned goods). The international incident gave Adolf Hitler the public excuse he needed to invade Poland the following day.

The operation was led by SS Major Alfred Naujocks (Dan Parr), the self-styled ‘man who started World War II’ whose charming veneer is a facade for his dark amoral nature. There is more than a smidgen of Inglorious Basterds’ Hans Landa about his easy smile, his casual banter and his utter ruthlessness. He toys with his prisoners and the audience alike, asking us whether diplomacy and war are real or if it is just theatre. As the play progresses, we see more of how Naujocks manipulates events, acting as a chilling puppetmaster with ambiguous motives.

The three “canned goods” are a mixed bunch. Catholic farmer Franciszek Honiok (Tom Wells) is keen to get back to his animals while the working-class anti-semite Kruger (Rowan Polonski) and the intellectual Jewish teacher Birnbaum (Charlie Archer) share a cell but have little else in common. Honiok and Birnbaum bond over the works of St Francis of Assissi while Kruger does all he can to get on Naujocks’ good side and secure his own release.

All three actors bring intensity and depth to these benighted characters though only the fictional Kruger’s is explored to any extent. History only records the name of Honiok (the other two were shot in the face and too disfigured to make identification possible) but, by the end, we are invested in their sad and brutal fate. The fifth actor, Joe Mallalieu switches between evil guard, and two high ranking SS officials, Heydrick and Muller seamlessly.

One of the production’s strengths lies in its technical design. The lighting effectively captures the oppressive atmosphere of the time and helps us switch between different settings despite the simple set. Sound design is another highlight, with clear contrasts between the claustrophobic prison cell scenes and the booming speeches of Hitler.
The play is undoubtedly timely given the sentiments on either side of the Atlantic Ocean.

However, it stumbles in its writing and direction. The first two-thirds are slow-paced, with stilted dialogue that struggles to maintain engagement. Having Wells switch to shouting out snatches of Hitler speeches sparks things up but only briefly. Sightlines from the back are also challenging during moments when all the actors are seated or at low level on the floor, detracting from the experience. That said, thee final third is much more vivid as we reach the climax of the play and the execution of Operation Grandmother Died (and the three “Canned Goods”).

The closing scenes are with the manipulative Naujocks who weaves further threads of doubt about his version of events and addresses the audience directly as we find out a little more about his fate post-war. This then begs the question as to whether or not the ultimate focus of this play is on the “canned goods” or instead their gaoler Naujock, a character who steals the limelight whenever he steps on stage and is given the last word in an engaging epilogue.
Whilst the story is compelling—offering a Nazi perspective on a key event — it feels underdeveloped. The play has strong potential to be more but would benefit from tighter writing and firmer direction.

Soldiers in both World Wars had a saying: never light "three on a match" (presumably to prevent one of them being spotted by a sniper) and Canned Goods - alongside Operation Mincemeat (which started off-West End) and the upcoming Outlying Islands at Jermyn St Theatre - is one of a trio this season about secret World War Two plots. Will the superstition hold true or will we eventually see three successes?


Photo credit: Mark Senior

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