| Bent | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Poster for theRoyal National Theatre's 1990 revival ofBent, starringIan McKellen | |
| Written by | Martin Sherman |
| Date premiered | 3 May 1979 (1979-05-03) |
| Place premiered | Royal Court Theatre, London |
| Original language | English |
| Subject | Persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany |
| Setting | Berlin, 1934 following theNight of the Long Knives |
Bent (sometimes stylised asBENT) is a 1979stage play written byMartin Sherman. It revolves aroundthe persecution of gay people in Nazi Germany, taking place during and after theNight of the Long Knives.
The title of the play refers to the slang word "bent" used to refer tohomosexuals.[1] When the play was first performed, there was only a trickle of historical research or even awareness about the Nazi persecution of homosexuals. In some regards, the play helped increase that historical research and education in the 1980s and 1990s.[citation needed]
Maximilian Berber (Max), a promiscuous gay man in 1930sBerlin, is at odds with his wealthy family because of his homosexuality. One evening, much to the resentment of his boyfriend Rudolph Hennings (Rudy), he brings home a handsomeSturmabteilung man, Wolfgang Granz (Wolf). Unfortunately, it is the night thatHitler orders theassassination of the upper echelon of the Sturmabteilung corps, to consolidate his power. Wolf is discovered the next morning and killed bySS men in Max and Rudy's apartment, and the two have to flee their home.
They seek counsel from Rudy's boss Greta. Greta is a drag queen; she ran her own gay club, which is newly shut down (implicitly due to, at the time, newParagraph 175 enforcements). Greta explains that the SS approached her for information about Wolf, and that she took them to Max and Rudy's apartment. She officially fires Rudy and hands Max the finder's fee she earned from the SS. They leave the club and Berlin behind.
Max's uncle Freddie, who is also gay, but lives a more discreet life withrent boys to satisfy his desires, has organized new papers for Max to flee toFrance where homosexuality is legal, but Max refuses to leave Rudy behind. As a result, Max and Rudy are found in a forest tent-colony and arrested by theGestapo. They are forced to board a train headed forDachau concentration camp.
On the train, Rudy is spotted wearing glasses by an officer. The officer makes Rudy crush his glasses, and then orders Rudy to be taken, presumably to be killed for his poor eyesight. Rudy is beaten within an inch of his life, all the while Max tries to ignore his screams. Another prisoner on the train, wearing a pink triangle patch, explains the patch system during the Holocaust to Max and tells Max that he must show no sentiment towards Rudy. The officer has Rudy taken back to Max and coerces Max to beat Rudy to death. Max is taken by the guards and lies to them, telling them that he is aJew rather than a homosexual, because he believes his chances for survival in the camp will be better if he is not assigned thepink triangle. Max later confesses, to the same prisoner from the train, that the guards then forced him to have intercourse with the body of a dead pre-teen girl to "prove" he was not homosexual. That prisoner reveals their name is Horst.
In the camp, Max makes friends with Horst, who shows him the dignity that lies in acknowledging what one is. They fall in love and become lovers through their imagination and through their words. After Horst is shot by camp guards, Max puts on Horst's jacket with the pink triangle and commits suicide by grabbing anelectric fence.
Bent premiered in May 1979 at theRoyal Court Theatre in Sloane Square, London, the production transferring that July to theCriterion Theatre in theWest End.
The first cast was[2]
In 1997, Sherman adaptedBent into afilm of the same name, directed bySean Mathias. The film featuredClive Owen as Max,Lothaire Bluteau as Horst, andIan McKellen as Freddie.
