Actor John Bell takes on a WWII general for new Ensemble show

A GERMAN general’s decision to save Paris towards the end of WWII is explored in actor John Bell’s new show at the Ensemble theatre.

Actor John Bell is starring in a new show at the Ensemble theatre. Picture: AAP Image/Julian Andrews

• David Williamson at the Ensemble
• Theatre names Brian Meegan and Kate Raison as patrons

IT was August 1944. Hitler had demanded the destruction of Paris and the city’s fate hung in the balance.

General Dietrich von Choltitz was the man holding the orders but he defied the Furher and saved the city.

It was decision he is now celebrated for but the truth is always more complex and it’s explored by feted Shakespearean actor John Bell in a new play at the Ensemble.

Diplomacy, which has already sold out, sees Bell go head to head with fellow stage legend John Gaden.

Rehearsing with John Gaden for Diplomacy. Picture: Prudence Upton

Bell takes on von Choltitz, while Gaden steps into the shoes of Swedish diplomat Raoul Nordling tasked with convincing the general to save the city.

“The story is extraordinary. A lot of people don’t know,” Bell said.

“We nearly lost it. It nearly went up in smoke.”

This is Bell’s first time to perform at the Ensemble and he chose the venue as it’s the perfect intimate space for the intense, emotionally charged play. The autocratic German officer sparks off the cunning diplomat and it’s proven to be an interesting combination of personalities.

“They both claimed credit after the war for being the one that saved Paris,” Bell said.

“I think they were both quite self serving in their testimony.”

Bell with his wife Anna Volska in a production of Macbeth in 1994. Picture: Bell Shakespeare

Alongside taking on the lead character Bell is also in the director’s chair. His wife Anna Volska is the assistant director and they are enjoying working together. So much so it’s all they talk about together.

“She’s very perceptive and sets the stakes very high,” he said.

For those who missed out on tickets a return season of Diplomacy is planned next year.

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