Meet Monsieur Haffmann: Philippe Awat

Our visiting production of Adieu Monsieur Haffmann lands in Boston in exactly one week. Check out this video of Philippe Awat introducing his character, Joseph Haffmann, and why the play is so relevant in this moment.

Here’s the English translation of Philippe’s words:

“Hello, my name is Philippe Awat. I'm an actor and I play the role of Joseph Haffmann in the play "Adieu Monsieur Haffmann" by Jean-Philippe Daguerre. It's the story of a Jewish jeweler. It takes place during World War II, and this jeweler makes a deal with his employee, Pierre, to give him the store so that it doesn't fall into German hands. In exchange, he asks him to hide him in the cellar of his store, which is also his home.

“So, Mr. Haffmann will live in this cellar and will invite Pierre and his wife to live in this house to prevent the jewelry store from falling into the hands of the Nazis. So, in this play set in 1939-1945 during World War II and the deportation of the Jews Mr. Haffmann represents a segment of the French Jewish population who was deported by the French police.

“So there you have it, the little story gets lost in the big story. He's a very beautiful character, very dignified and who will face a situation, since it's a story of life or death, and this character will fight like a lion to survive in this great war which saw the deportation of all these Jews.”

Seats are filling fast, so don’t miss your chance: get your tickets today!