An edge-of-your seat thriller exploring ‘fake news’ and how those in power bend the truth for their own agenda.
The critically acclaimed US production of Canned Goods is making its highly anticipated London debut at Southwark Playhouse Borough this January. Bringing to stage a gripping story of hidden history, this thrilling production is set in 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II. Canned Goods will explore the chilling and intense story of deception, power, and survival on the eve of a Nazi invasion.
The production is set on the border between Germany and Poland, where the shadow of fascism looms. Adolf Hitler’s plan to stage a violent Polish attack on a German-speaking radio station — a false flag operation to justify a Nazi invasion — sets the stage for an intense narrative. German farmer Franciszek Honiok finds himself imprisoned in a cell alongside two other prisoners from Dachau: a Jewish philosopher and a German janitor. As the mission looms closer and tensions rise, the three men must confront the terrifying unknown of a plan much bigger than themselves.
The cast playing the prisoners includes Tom Wells (Waterloo Road, EastEnders), Charlie Archer (Mission: Impossible – Fallout, New Blood), and Rowan Polonski (Kingsman: The Secret Service, Good Omens). Watching over the prison are Dan Parr (Silent Witness, Casualty) as SS Major Naujocks and Joe Mallalieu (Coronation Street, Endeavour) as the Guard. Danny Mellor (Happy Valley, The Full Monty) joins the cast as the swing. Written by Erik Kahn, Canned Goods is a gripping exploration of propaganda, the manipulation of truth, and the dangerous power of ‘fake news,’ themes that resonate sharply in today’s world.
Writer Erik Kahn comments, I was initially motivated to tell the story of Hitler’s false flag operation that proceeded the start of World War II. While the play is based on historical records, the real story that evolved is the complex psychological entanglement between three prisoners and the SS Major who dictates their fates. Canned Goods is intended to unmask those who perpetrate cruelty, while illuminating the political proliferation of false facts to advance acts of oppression. Themes that are obviously and sadly relevant today.
Listings
Canned Goods: Thursday 16th January – Saturday 8th February 2025
Southwark Playhouse Borough (The Large) 77-85 Newington Causeway, London, SE1 6BD
Tickets are available from £16 previews/ £28 standard: canned-goods/#book-tickets
Further Information: southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/canned-goods/