Once Upon A Time in Nazi Occupied Tunisia

by Josh Azouz

1943. Four months into the Nazi occupation of Tunisia. You're imprisoned in a labour camp. You're buried up to your neck in earth. You're dying of thirst, you miss your wife, and your best friend just pissed on your face. How could things possibly get any worse? Once Upon A Time in Nazi Occupied Tunisia was first produced at the Almeida Theatre, London, in August 2021, directed by Eleanor Rhode.

Genres: Historical Fiction

112 pages, Paperback

Published April 5, 2022

Reviews

[Ana-Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This play was interesting because I learned about the Nazi presence in Tunisia in 1943 and how they used the locals to persecute Jews. The collaboration between Nazis and Arab locals was a fact I wasn't aware of. There are not many characters in this play, there are two couples, one of Muslims and one of Jews, friends who are put in a situation where one man becomes a prisoner and the other one the guard, and there is a Nazi officer who is quite grotesque and sinister. However, the play did not grip me; I found something missing. It wasn't the right combination of tragic and dark comedy. However, because it illuminated the dynamic of relationships among ethnicities in Tunisia, it was worthwhile to read—a quick read, but not the best one this season.

[Phillip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was going back and forth between a three and four star rating for this, and ultimately erred on the side of generosity. I like the focus of this play, which is about the conflicts created within Tunisian society by the Nazi occupation. The play largely centers on two couples--one Jewish and one Arab Muslims. The Nazi occupation puts the Arab citizens of Tunisia in an awkward position. On the one hand, they are freed from French colonial rule and promised (by the Nazis) that they will be given control of their own country. On the other hand, many Tunisians (including Youssef, the male Arab in this play) were drawn into the Nazi occupation machinery--either because they needed to survive an occupation or because of genuine simmering antisemitism. For Youssef, he isn't an antisemite, he is just poor and finds a job cooking for the Nazis at the detention camp, a job which also seems to include some moderate humiliation/torture of prisoners. One of those prisoners is his friend Victor, a Jewish man married to Loys. At some point, it becomes unclear whether Youssef's humiliation of Victor had been purely about survival, because toward the end of the play it is revealed that Youssef and Loys have had an affair while Victor was detained. This throws a whole new light onto Youssef's treatment of his "friend." It also explains tensions between Faiza (Youssef's wife) and Loys, even though they are also supposed to be friends.

Against the backdrop of these relationships are the Nazi occupiers. On the one hand, there are vicious thugs who enjoy torture, violence, etc. and seem to be true believers in the ethnic superiority of the German people. But then there's also Grandma, the head of the camp. Grandma is one of those unique/quirky Nazis you sometimes get in media--he's not a killer as such, though he does kill, and he has a lot of unusual traits, like knitting (which earned him his nickname), philosophy, and aesthetic appreciation. And yet, these things in their own ways make him much more sinister than the more overtly violent Nazis.

The issue I have with this play is that it seems to want to do a lot, and I'm not sure how well it hangs together coherently. There is obviously the political story line here, but at the same time there is the personal story line between the two couples, and there are philosophical debates about what it means to be a Jew (or what "Jews" mean) and zionism, etc. Everything is, in some sense, justified by what's going on in the show, but it is a bit crammed and consequently feels somewhat more scattered than I'd ideally like.
https://youtu.be/47icz1E3pNE

[Sarah Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once Upon a Time in Nazi-Occupied Tunisia by Josh Azouz is a sharp, intense, and darkly comic play that sets a little-known chapter of World War II in the harsh desert heat. Set in 1943, it explores the tensions, alliances, and betrayals between two couples—one Jewish, one Muslim—caught under the pressure of Nazi rule in Tunisia. With layers of wit and sharp dialogue, Azouz unpacks complex themes of identity, loyalty, and survival in a time of extremism.

The play deftly balances brutal historical realities with a disarming sense of humour, bringing the absurdity of human behaviour under extreme pressure to light. It’s a powerful reminder that not all wartime stories are set in Europe, and not all heroes—or villains—fit into simple categories.

Azouz’s writing is raw, sometimes shocking, but undeniably thought-provoking. The characters are deeply flawed yet painfully relatable, making their struggles both tragic and darkly funny at times. If you enjoy theatre that challenges your views and leaves you thinking long after the curtain falls, this one’s for you.

[Jenny Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

The play itself is well constructed, and set in an interesting time and location (Nazi occupied Tunisia). It’s meant to explore the dynamics that shift friendships into competition for survival both in the larger political context alluded to several times (Nazi’s ridding Tunisia of French colonial rule) as well as in the individual level (2 couples, one Jewish, one Muslim, caught in a matrix of politics, gender, friendship, politics, and desire).

However for me, the depiction of female desire fell flat—it had no depth rounding out Loy’s decisions and the desires driving them in particular, and her character fell flat for me.

Well worth reading for WWII history nerds, and for those interested in the complex ways interfaith work manifests in lived experience.

[Mom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird story so violent that I had to put it away at times. Listening on audio, I found the story line hard to follow and never really understood what happened to the two men friends and their creepy wives. Depressing. Was it supposed to have some kind of humor?

[Sherry Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio.