Holy Fool
31 August 2026
Park Theatre
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
Holy Fool, currently running at the Park Theatre until 10 October, explores the life of the Soviet era composer Dmitri Shostakovich, looking at how the tyranny of the Soviet Union impacted his creative work throughout the years.
Still considered by scholars as one of the most significant composers of his time, Dimitri Shostakovich’s life is a turbulent one. During Stalin’s regime and throughout the second world war, life in Russia wasn’t easy. Steep rises in fame early in his career set him up for success and fortune, but working within a strict and suspicious regime that places restrictive rules onto art, he is denounced several times throughout his life. With the threat of being disappeared by the state, he struggles to work within the confines of the Soviet Union’s expectations and stipulations.
The show is presented with strong empathy and slow pacing, unfolding the narrative while letting the audience build a relationship with the main characters. There’s a depth of emotion built throughout that allows viewers to fully dive into the semi-biographical story of a genius composer muzzled by his government. There is of course artistic license built into the story, yet it retains so much of the beloved composer’s life.
With music at the centre of the story, the production takes its time to present snippets from Shistakovich’s compositions. Mixing in political themes to present the dire situation of those not fully agreeing with the regime at the time, it’s a narrative full of intrigue and personal sacrifice, yet filled with heart and historic exploration. What price are people willing to pay to protect their families, and how far does creative integrity carry when ones life is under threat.
This show is a beautifully constructed love letter to a composer struggling to have his work appreciated due to a tyrannical government that wanted to turn him into a tool for propaganda.
