A story of rediscovery

A new play telling the story of a once-celebrated German composer who perished in the Holocaust will debut in Melbourne on Sunday, July 26 at 7.30pm, reviving music that has been silence for more than 80 years.

Morgen Wieder Lustik (Tomorrow will be Cheerful Again) tells the story of Heinz Lewin, who turned his back on his family’s cigarette business to become one of Germany’s most successful composers, writing a string of hit operettas before moving into film scoring as cinema took off.

When the Nazis rose to power in the 1930s, Lewin was forced to compose under the assumed name Heinz/Henri Letton before fleeing Germany for Paris. Following the Nazi invasion of France in May 1940, he was interned as an enemy alien and spent two years in the labour camp at Septfonds. Even there, he continued to write music, composing new songs to lift the spirits of fellow internees. With the permission of a sympathetic camp commandant, Lewin and other prisoners staged shows for guards and visiting VIPs, with Lewin serving as musical director.

In August, 1942, orders arrived from Adolf Eichmann for 200 Jews from Septfonds, including Lewin, to be deported. The camp commandant delayed the deportation by two days so Lewin and the camp orchestra could give one final performance before being sent to Auschwitz.

Morgen Wieder Lustik brings Lewin back to the stage to tell his own story, interwoven with some of his best-loved melodies. The three-act play was written by his great-grandson, scriptwriter and journalist Zeddy Lawrence, who also stars as Lewin. The title is drawn from one of Lewin’s own operettas.

“It seems a particularly apt title,” Lawrence said, “given that Heinz lost his life in the Holocaust and that his songs, once so popular, were long forgotten. That he and his music are now being rediscovered means the joy that he sought to bring to the world are with us once more.”

Alongside the music, the play features Lewin recounting anecdotes from his life, including memories of his family’s cigarette manufacturing business and an unexpected link to the 1997 film Titanic. He is also remembered as a composer who liked to work with a parrot perched on his shoulder.

The production draws on research conducted by Lawrence’s brother, Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence, and their mother, Yvonne Mocatta.

Lawrence is joined on stage throughout by pianist Tomi Kalinski, formerly musical director for the late Barry Humphries.

Tickets available at morgenplay.com