Good review: ‘fascinating psychological theatre’ starring David Tennant
This quietly terrifying play offers a ‘surprising and perceptive psychological slant’ on the Nazis’ rise

“Few actors can project charismatic affability better than David Tennant,” said Dominic Cavendish in The Daily Telegraph. And fewer still have his ability to switch off the charm in an instant and “go dead behind the eyes”, as we discovered when he played the serial killer Dennis Nielsen in ITV’s Des.
In Good, set in pre-war Germany, Tennant plays another “seemingly ordinary man” – a liberal-minded literature professor, John Halder, who gradually becomes part of the Nazi “killing machine”, washes his hands of his Jewish best friend, and ends up arguing for the Final Solution.
First performed in 1981, C.P. Taylor’s quietly terrifying play offers a “surprising and perceptive psychological slant” on the Nazis’ rise. Halder is not “spurred by rousing speeches” and nationalist passion – but rather by bourgeois insularity, “self-interest and self-absorption”. And Tennant’s performance is “hypnotic”.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This is “fascinating psychological theatre with the feel of a fever dream”, amplified in Dominic Cooke’s production by bold, non-naturalistic staging, said Arifa Akbar in The Guardian. Vicki Mortimer’s set is “grey and prison-like”; scenes change abruptly. The strangeness of all this is explained by a reveal at the end, but “the payoff isn’t quite surprising enough”. Still, there is “enough intrigue, intellect and fine acting to keep us rapt”, and Tennant is “spellbinding in his ordinariness, not hiding Halder’s venality yet ensuring he remains human”.
Tennant’s is a “chilling performance rather than a moving one”, said Sarah Crompton on What’s on Stage. It falls to Elliott Levey, as Maurice, Halder’s best friend, to locate the play’s emotion, and he brilliantly conveys both Maurice’s humour and rising panic.
Sharon Small is equally persuasive, said Dominic Maxwell in The Times: she has to switch between parts – Halder’s wives, his mother, a Nazi soldier – and does so in a way that is “clear, unfussy, instant”. Don’t expect fireworks from this excellent revival. “What you get is something stranger, more insidious, and I suspect much more memorable.”
Harold Pinter Theatre, London SW1
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
‘It’s time for Congress to step up for us’
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Poland downs Russian drones in NATO airspace
Speed Read Polish airspace was “violated by a huge number of Russian drones,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said
-
Judge lets Cook stay at Fed while appealing ouster
Speed Read Trump had attempted to fire Cook over allegations of mortgage fraud
-
Jessica Francis Kane's 6 favorite books that prove less is more
Feature The author recommends works by Penelope Fitzgerald, Marie-Helene Bertino, and more
-
Book reviews: 'Baldwin: A Love Story' and 'The Fort Bragg Cartel: Drug Trafficking and Murder in the Special Forces'
Feature A loving James Baldwin biography and the drug crimes of two special ops veterans
-
Rigatoni with 'no-vodka sauce' recipe
The Week Recommends Comfort food meets a clever alcohol-free twist on a classic
-
6 blooming homes for gardeners
Feature Featuring a greenhouse in Illinois and 13 raised garden beds in New Mexico
-
The Roses: Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch star in black comedy reboot
The Week Recommends 'Acidly enjoyable' remake of the 1980s classic features a warring couple and toxic love
-
Film reviews: The Roses, Splitsville, and Twinless
Feature A happy union devolves into domestic warfare, a couple's open marriage reaps chaos, and an unlikely friendship takes surprising turns
-
Music reviews: Laufey, Deftones, and Earl Sweatshirt
Feature "A Matter of Time," "Private Music," and "Live Laugh Love"
-
Woof! Britain's love affair with dogs
The Explainer The UK's canine population is booming. What does that mean for man's best friend?