The Banality of Evil: Hannah Arendt, France, 1940

You may not know the name Hannah Arendt, but you’ll know her most famous quote: she coined the term ‘the banality of evil’ in her 1963 book about Adolf Eichmann. However, as Julia Pascal’s new play highlights, the German Jewish writer had a far from boring life before that, with The Banality of Evil focussing on her time in a French internment camp during the Second World War – which she went on to break out of. Pascal’s play – which she also directs – focusses on her great escape, in cahoots with fellow internees Charlotte Salomon and Eva Daube. Mai Weisz stars as Arendt.