As Long As We Are Breathing takes a meditative look at a striking true-life story at the Arcola Theatre
“I want to live”
We’re welcomed into the Arcola Theatre’s Studio 2 with conversational ease for As Long As We Are Breathing and as we exhorted to join in the meditative breathing exercises of its opening scene, it is clear that we’re heading for a different kind of theatrical experience. And as a multi-sensory, mixed media show, it certainly hits that mark, perhaps unexpectedly so given (part of) the subject matter.
Diane Samuels’ new play delves into the life of Miriam Freedman, someone who survived the Holocaust in Slovakia as a child and became a yoga teacher in London as an adult. Both strands are given equal importance here as the writing gives us both an older and a younger Miriam, exploring the connections between the two, how formative some experiences were, how restorative certain actions can be.

So we see the growing encroachment of fascism on everyday society through the eyes of a child in a powerfully evocative manner. We also see the discovery of yoga as a tool to manage physical and psychological pain, both facing up to unimaginable trauma but also finding a path to extraordinary forgiveness. The mellowness of the mood means oblique mentions of major events can sometimes slip by but intentionally so, the gentle fluidity is the point.
Ben Caplan’s production thus has a major task in both establishing and maintaining this atmosphere. Jasmin Colangelo’s movement brings expressive power to several scenes and Isabella Van Braeckel’s set design has some gorgeous touches, like the personal mementos trapped in gauze, frozen in time like amber. Sadly, their beauty works against them forming an effective video screen for Douglas Baker’s projections.
The imagery of the vase of flowers is stunning though, a painfully visual reminder of the reality of loss. And Caroline Gruber as the deeply empathetic older Miriam and Zoe Goriely’s youthful Eva (her given name) offer direct access to the profundity of the life experiences being expressed here. Matthew James Hinchliffe’s onstage actor/musician support is crucial too, whether folky accordion sounds, freestyle noodling on the clarinet or the deeply soothing sound of the steel tongue drum.