The untold but true tale of how Bulgaria saved its nearly 50,000 Jewish citizens during the war and then how the world forgot all about it. Set to live folk music, this “Hamilton-esque” (The Stage) story follows a bunch of underdogs as they stand up to Hitler.
Bulgaria just told Hitler to bog off!
‘Whether a jazz fan, a history buff or just someone who loves gripping real-life stories, this is a must see.’ (Kyril, Prince of Preslav, Boris III’s Grandson).
Content warnings: strong language and references to war and antisemitism.
Mon 09 Oct – Post Show Q&A with James Bulgin.
James Bulgin is Head of Public History at Imperial War Museums and was previously Head of Content for the award-winning new Holocaust Galleries. He is currently completing his PhD at Royal Holloway College, University of London on ideas of apocalypse in Holocaust and Cold War history and he has an MA (with distinction) in Holocaust Studies. James has spoken at conferences across the world and has appeared widely across the media. He is the author of the book ‘The Holocaust’ and is the presenter of ‘How the Holocaust Began’ for the BBC. He can also be seen in the BBC series ‘Rise of the Nazis’ (for which he is a historical advisor) and the Channel 5 series ‘Secrets of the Imperial War Museum’.
Praise for The Brief Life & Mysterious Death of Boris III, King of Bulgaria:
Second runner up: The Popcorn New Writing Award in partnership with the BBC commissioning team, winner of VAULT Festival origins award.
★★★★ “Snappily written, wittily performed” – The Guardian
★★★★★ “Razor-sharp wit and faultless timing” – The Scotsman
★★★★★ “Historically poignant and hysterically funny” – West End Best Friend
★★★★★ “Simply the best historical writing to appear at the fringe in years.” – Get Your Coats On
★★★★★ “Everything a pieces of theatre should be” – The Brig
★★★★★ “A finely tuned ensemble, they turn a complex episode of European history into an irresistible piece of theatre” – British Theatre Dot Com
★★★★★ “Politics [is] theatre and theatre is politics.” – Broadway World
★★★★★ “Verve and bittersweet comic flair.” – Fringe Guru
★★★★½ “A blinder of a production” – The Quintessential Review
★★★★★ “A perfectly paced, witty and inventive retelling of history ” – Theatre Bubble
★★★★★ “Shakespearean richness” – Three Weeks
★★★★★ “An important Piece of work” – Upper Circle
