Friends In Berlin – Bewley’s Cafe Theatre – Review
by Frank L

Dates: May 12th – 31st, 2025

Adolf Hitler, because of his notoriety, is known simply by his surname, Hitler. Less well known is that his half-brother, Alois Hitler, married an Irish woman, Bridget Dowling. In Liverpool, Bridget gave birth to their son William Patrick on 12th March 1911. Alois disappeared from young William’s life, but as a young man, he was reunited in Germany with his father in 1931. William lived in Berlin during the 1930s.

The set consists of a table and two chairs, which become various bars and dives in Berlin. Early on in his time in Berlin, William (Felix Brown) encounters a young diplomat, Tom (Kyle Hixon) from the British Embassy. Their deepening friendship has to confront increasing challenges as Germany descends into a state which is becoming ever more totalitarian. Both of them are vulnerable for different reasons.

Hitler is inevitably a dominant presence, but he does not appear. He is brought to life throughout the play by William reading out loud from the side of the stage letters which William has written to his mother, Bridget, back in Liverpool. By this device, Brown enables the audience to be informed of the family relationships within the Hitler family and also to outline what was happening in Germany during those tumultuous years.

Hixon and Brown are both entirely credible as two young men making their lives in the extraordinary world of Berlin in the 1930s. But as the story unfolds, each of them is vulnerable in different ways in a totalitarian state.

Friends in Berlin is Brown’s first play, and he has chosen to portray William Patrick Hitler, an unlikely historical figure and make him three-dimensional. The play evokes some of the dangers that may be encountered when living under such a regime. Sadly, totalitarianism is on the rise, so the play has a topical resonance. Brown would also now be a similar age to William Patrick Hitler when he lived in Berlin during the 1930s. Friends in Berlin is worth seeing, and considerable credit is due to this young, aspiring playwright. Watch this space.

CAST AND CREW

WRITTEN BY: Felix Brown
DIRECTED BY: Michael James Ford
PERFORMED BY: Felix Brown and Kyle Hixon
SET DESIGN: Martin Cahill
LIGHTING DESIGN: Colm Maher
SOUND & MUSIC: Ewan Cowley​
GRAPHIC DESIGN: Gavin Doyle