Set in World War II Berlin, after the Night of the Long Knives, Bent takes the audience on a journey of self re-discovery through the eyes of Max, a man at odds with his wealthy family because of his homosexuality. Written by Martin Sherman, Bent deals with strong subject matter – including the difficult choices one must make to survive during a war, life in a Dachau concentration camp, as well as Max’s identity and his obvious inability to commit, or love, another man.

The downstairs Belvoir production moves fluidly between two defining loves of Max’s life: Rudy and Horst, each relationship separated perfectly by the show’s intermission. The show opens rather lightly, with talk of sex romps, alcohol and cocaine induced blackouts and some very witty banter. Those going to see this show without knowing its premise or plot will most certainly find the change in tone between the first scene and the rest of the show to be rather shocking. That is not to say that there is no humour in the play beyond the fantastic first scene, but the humour that follows is more self-deprecating, as the characters poke fun at their own situation in order to break tension throughout the show.

It must be stated that the entire cast of Bent are fantastic, in particular the three leads. Max, played fantastically by Radek Jonak, manages to illicit both disgust and empathy from the audience, many times in the same scene, and should be commended for his fantastic work in the show. His monologue in the closing moments of the first act is so haunting that the audience is torn between feeling completely violated by his actions and empathising with him for being forced to commit them. Sam Haft, as Horst, plays his role with such conviction that his final scene actually brought many people in the audience, including myself, to tears. A special mention also must go out to both Jonak and Haft for their fantastic performances during their two “sex” scenes. These light and amusing sequences helped to break the depressing nature of the second act, while still maintaining the passion that the two characters have for each other. Rudy as played by Garth Holcombe supports Jonak’s Max perfectly in the opening act. Holcombe plays Rudy’s sweetness and dependency wonderfully, further shining light on Max’s immaturity, lack of responsibility and cruelty towards his partners.

I cannot recommend Bent strongly enough. With an impeccable cast, fantastic staging, backed by a powerful, simultaneously amusing and agonising script that makes the audience both think and feel, Bent is the must see event this Mardi Gras season.

Bent is playing downstairs at Belvoir St Theatre until March 6.