'Shards of Laughter': Giving people permission to laugh through painful topics
The play’s arc takes us from 1924 Munkács, a Czechoslovak town with deep Hungarian roots, through the Holocaust years and to present-day Australia
Assessment
This production deliberately uses humor to engage audiences with Holocaust history, a choice that challenges conventional reverence around the subject. By spanning from pre-war Europe to contemporary Australia, the play connects generational trauma to present-day identity. The central question is whether laughter can open emotional access that solemnity closes off.