REVIEW: SAVAGE @ WHITE BEAR THEATRE

🎭 Savage

📍 White Bear Theatre, 138 Kennington Park Road, London, SE11 4DJ

🗓 Friday 27th February 2026

⭐️ 5 Stars

FRINGE AT ITS MOST FEROCIOUS

There's something uniquely visceral about sitting in the White Bear Theatre during LGBTQ+ History Month, knowing you're about to confront a part of our history that remains a jagged, unhealed wound. Claudio Macor's SAVAGE isn't just a play, it's a reckoning. And frankly, it's one of the most vital pieces of theatre you'll see this year.

I found myself completely transfixed from the moment the lights dimmed. There is a specific kind of magic that happens in these intimate fringe spaces that the West End simply cannot replicate. Honestly, who needs the glitz of a massive commercial house when fringe theatre can be this raw, this powerful, and this devastatingly good? It is an absolute honour to witness work of this calibre in such a close-quarters setting - and only a 3 minute walk from where I live!

SAVAGE is a gut-punch of a play. It follows the harrowing true story of Dr Carl Vaernet, a man who conducted horrific "healing" experiments on gay men in Nazi-occupied Copenhagen. What makes the evening so heavy, and so vital, is the infuriating truth that Vaernet was never brought to justice. He escaped to South America and lived out his days while his victims remained broken.

As I sat there, I couldn't shake the terrifying reality that this isn't just history - gay conversion therapy is still legal in 170 countries, including right here in the UK. That knowledge hangs over the production like a shroud, lending it an incredible amount of gravitas.

The writing is rock-solid, but the acting is genuinely sensational. It's such a rare treat to see a cast of this size in a small venue, and they filled every inch of the room with emotion.

Kerill Kelly's Nikolai is a masterclass in vulnerability. His performance is outstanding, and watching his spirit be systematically dismantled is almost too much to bear. Beside him, Matthew Hartley is brilliant as Zack, Nikolai's American lover. Their chemistry is so palpable that you feel every ounce of their desperation and love.

Claire-Monique Martin gives a wonderfully caring and human performance. You could visibly see her character's discomfort - her soul recoiling at being part of a process she clearly felt was cruel and inhumane. Then there's Tom Everatt, who was scarily realistic as the Nazi officer. He brought a chilling, razor-sharp tension to the stage.

Mark Kitto was eerily believable as Dr Vaernet, playing him with a calm, clinical detachment that was more frightening than any shouty villain could be. Jonathon Keen gave a deeply heartfelt performance, and Simon Chappell rounded off this incredible ensemble nicely, ensuring there wasn't a single weak link on that stage.

Robert McWhir directs with such a keen eye and handles the L-shaped seating of the White Bear with total mastery. He never forgets the audience is on two sides, ensuring the blocking feels natural, immersive, and urgent rather than static.

Richard Lambert's lighting is exquisite, perfectly capturing the shifting moods and doing exactly what it needs to do to enhance the storytelling and heighten the claustrophobia of the era. It's subtle when it needs to be and harsh when the story demands it.

I left the theatre feeling completely drained but so grateful for the experience. This is why we go to the theatre. It's important, it's heartbreaking, and it's a five-star triumph.

SAVAGE is a masterpiece of storytelling that reminds us how far we've come - and how terrifyingly little has changed in some corners of the world. Go see it at Kennington's White Bear Theatre where it's playing until Sunday 15th March. Click here for tickets.

Neill Kovacic-Clarke

All views are my own and I pride myself on being honest, fair and free from influence. Theatre is subjective and it is important to remember that all views expressed are just those of one person.

My ticket for this performance of Savage was gifted by Kevin Wilson Public Relations who invited me to watch the show in exchange for my honest review. The fact that my ticket was gifted played no part in the content of my review or the star rating given.

CAST LIST:

Mark Kitto as Dr Vaernet; Kerill Kelly as Nikolai Bergsen; Matthew Hartley as Zack Travis; Tom Everatt as Obergruppenführer General Heinrich von Aeschelman; Claire-Monique Martin as Ilse Paulsen / Maria Fruede; Jonathon Nielsen Keen as Georg Jensen; Simon Chappell as Major Ronald F Hemingway

RUNNING TIME (approx):

1 hour 20 minutes, with no interval

CONTENT WARNINGS:

Nazi imagery and rhetoric; Violence; Homophobia; Conversion therapy; Gun imagery; Nudity

AGE RECOMMENDATION:

18 +

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