The Telegraph
·Aug 2026
Tracy-Ann Oberman: ‘I never want another actor to have to hide their Star of David’
Tracy-Ann Oberman discusses her gender-swapped production of Noël Coward’s Present Laughter, relocated to 1970s New York, in which she plays the ageing actress Geri Essendine. She reflects on her television and theatre career, including EastEnders, the Royal Shakespeare Company and her role as Shylock. Oberman also describes becoming a prominent critic of antisemitism since the Corbyn era, the backlash and security concerns she has faced, and her MBE for Holocaust education and combating hatred of Jews. She praises Keir Starmer’s efforts while expressing concern about antisemitic and conspiratorial language she associates with some Green councillors. Her recent work on The Holy Rosenbergs, involving actors with sharply different political views, convinced her that dialogue and collaboration can overcome division. She argues that performers should not be forced to conceal Jewish identity or pass political purity tests, and that gender should not limit casting when a reinterpretation serves the work.