The Happiest Man on Earth
Review by Ernest Goes To The Theatre/Ernest Edwards
Six Points Theatre continues their 2025/2026 season with the play The Happiest Man on Earth.
This one man play was written by Mark St. Germain based on the memoir by Eddie Jaku. JC Cutler plays Eddie. The play is directed by Ben McGovern.
Eddie recounts his life as a German Jew during the 1930’s and 1940’s. How his parents tried to hide him. His time at the concentration camps. Life after the war, meeting his wife, having children, and at the age of 100 finally telling his story.
The play is deeply moving, educational, heart breaking, informative and important. JC Cutler gives an amazing performance as Eddie. He really draws us in with the recounting of events. The lighting design by Todd M. Reemtsma and sound design by C. Andrew Mayer help to bring those moments to life.
From the program: “When Eddie Jaku’s memoir was published in 2020, he was one-hundred years old. He had spend most of his life refusing to speak publicly about the Holocaust, even to his own family.
Only after decades as the Sydney Jewish Museums’s oldest Auschwitz survivor and volunteer, where he spoke to thousands of visitors and school children each year, did he choose to preserve his full story in writing.
It was an immediate international success, debuting at number one in Australia, climbing the New York Time’s Bestseller List, and ultimately being translated into more than thirty languages.
Reviewers consistently noted its unusual combination of blunt historical testimony and striking emotional clarity. Eddie passed away in 2021 at the age of one-hundred-and-one, but his memoir continues to inspire, not only as a historical record, but as a guide to living with intention, decency, and hope.”
I really enjoyed this play. It’s a powerful story.
The play is only about 70 minutes long, which is perfect for work nights. It runs through February 8, 2026. Check out www.sixpointstheater.org for tickets.
