Concert Hall, QPAC
December 3, 2017

Nancy Wake was a colossal force. A larger than life, uncompromising woman who witnessed such barbaric Nazi atrocities in the Second World war that she became a leading figure in the Maquis groups of the French Resistance and was one of the most decorated servicewoman. She was a brave, ruthless fighter dubbed White Mouse by the Germans because she evaded capture.

The White Mouse’s reach is ambitious. It prompted doubt as to whether a concert-theatre piece on a modestly dressed QPAC stage, albeit stylishly illuminated, could do justice to Wake’s astonishing story. This reviewer wondered if the music would be compromised by the drama and serve as background wallpaper, or, if the theatre would be marginalised by Camerata’s thoughtful programme design and stunning delivery of its eclectic choices, which included Edith Piaf’s Non, je ne regretted rien sung by the accomplished Meg Hamilton.

Actor and writer Tama Matheson’s bittersweet script was fuelled by pathos, irony and eye-twinkling humour. It was easy to be swept up in the story-telling. Matheson proved to be a phenomenal shape-shifter, superbly versatile. For he took the role of major figures in Wake’s life – including her mother, a cold-hearted bible-thumper, Henri...