Review by N16 arts correspondent, Bryony Hegarty.

The opening scene of the Arcola's production of Heldenplatz, is a stylised and elegantly choreographed evocation of a moment of flight, in an otherwise broadly naturalistic production.

The confusion and noise of a station, characters dressed in black, red-lipped women, suited men, each marked by a yellow Star of David and clutching a case or piece of furniture labelled Oxford. Co-directing, Annabel Arden's influence and her Theatre de Complicité background are very much in evidence.

The play takes it name from the 'Heroes Square' in Vienna, where Hitler announced the 'Anschluss' of Austria to the German Reich in 1938. Fifty years later, the central character of Thomas Berhard's play has thrown himself from a window into the Heldenplatz, no longer able to tolerate Vienna nor willing to flee once more. Chancellor Kurt Waldheim condemned the work as an insult to the nation when it first opened. The play is full of anti-Austrian feeling and more broadly critical of modern times. Age has lifted the constraints of decorum and there is a blunt delivery of things as they are perceived. A neo-Nazi resurgence is a more dreadful prospect than reflections on the past.

The production focuses on dialogue, with a minimalist set comprising the window from where the Professor has jumped in Act 1, a bench in Act 2 and a dining table in the final Act. Audience faces audience on opposing sides of the action. Co-directors Annie Castledine and Annabel Arden have enabled the dark, comic element within the text to shine through. There are Beckett-like references to life being the long wait for death, and numerous bleak ironies, particularly from Clive Mendus as Professor Robert. Hannah Boyd playing Herta the maid brings comedic physical awkwardness to her role, breaking the tension.

The characters are genteel folk rooted in a bygone era. Professor Robert says 'all my life I have lived in a museum'. Whilst the play is steeped in Austrian culture, there are plenty of traits identifiable with British society, such as its class system and the relationship of masters and servants. The housekeeper, a forthright Frau Zittel astutely portrayed by Barbara Marten, has been more significant in the life of the deceased than his wife has. In many ways Bernhard is as critical of his chief, though dead, protagonist as he is of Austria. His fastidious and punishing nature has dictated the lives of those around him. Now they dare to do what he prevented. Brought together for a funeral and by their shared past, each of the characters is isolated within their own train of thought.

The brief second half of the night falls slightly short of the momentum required for the final moments of action. Overall this is an impressive and enjoyable evening.

Arcola Studio 1, until 06 March

www.arcolatheatre.com