Review: Mrs Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library, Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh Festival Fringe | Travfest26

Lisa in the theatre
20 hours ago
2 min read

Fresh from playing Off-Broadway, Mrs Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library makes its European premiere at the Traverse Theatre, where it plays until Sunday 30th August as part of TravFest26 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Read my review below.

Brett Temple (Karl) and Ella Dershowitz (Hannah) in Luna Stage's Mrs Stern play, Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. Photo credit: Valerie Terranova — Brett Temple and Ella Dershowitz in Mrs Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library. Photo: Valerie Terranova

Mrs Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library ★★★☆☆

Review: 7 August 2026 | Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

American new writing theatre Luna Stage and British producer Richard Jordan bring Jenny Lyn Bader's play Mrs Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library to the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh. Following a critically acclaimed Off-Broadway premiere in New York, this new play - inspired by a true story: the real-life arrest of Hannah Arendt - now has its European premiere as part of TravFest26 at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Directed by Ari Laura Kreith, Mrs Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library is set in 1933 Berlin. A young "Political Police Officer" Karl (Brett Temple) interrogates Mrs Stern - better known as Hannah (Ella Kaille), whom he has arrested on suspicion of being a political activist. The entire play takes place in her cell as the two dance around each other, cautious, probing, uneasy,

It's a beautifully framed piece of theatre by Kreith, the audience discovering at the same time as Hannah why she has been arrested and what she is accused of. We learn pretty early in the play that Mrs Stern was seen in the wrong section of the library. reading and photocopying the wrong pages of books and newspaper articles. But in 1930's Berlin, martial law is in effect and if she is found to be a political activist, that would be a capital crime.

The tension between the newly promoted Gestapo interrogator and the young Jewish academic is palpable in the Traverse 2 studio theatre. Neither can risk putting a foot wrong as they are faced with impossible choices. It's a powerful, fascinating premise for an 80-minute piece of theatre and the actors do a wonderful job of conveying the outright terror of the time through their subtle glances and tentative movements.

The design of the Gestapo cell with its impossibly high windows and bright lights is an effective platform for the story; however, the staging and presentation of the play does feel very static. This is a serious piece of theatre, of course, but it would benefit from more variation and some theatrics to keep the audience fully engaged. ★★★☆☆