Jennifer Kirby on starring in 'Farewell Mister Haffmann'

Call the Midwife actor Jennifer Kirby on tackling Jean-Philippe Daguerre’s thorny play Farewell Mister Haffmann at the Park Theatre.

Actor Jennifer Kirby wasn’t always destined for the stage. “I came to it a little bit later than some people, because I was a really shy kid,” she explains. “The thought of doing anything performance-wise was very alien to me.” It was only after switching from music to drama GCSE that she realised she had found her calling — “and all of my insecurity and shyness went out the window”.

Fast forward a few years, and Kirby is now best known for her four series on long-running BBC show Call the Midwife, which follows a group of midwives and nurses in the East End from the 1950s through to the 1970s. However, her latest project in the London premiere of Jean-Philippe Daguerre’s Farewell Mister Haffmann (adapted by Jeremy Sams) sees her take on a darker role as Isabelle Vigneau, a young woman caught in a complicated ménage à trois.

Kirby spoke with London Theatre Magazine about her latest challenge, the importance of spotlighting women’s experiences on stage, and why she loves playing with the classics.

Can you explain what the show is about?

It’s set in 1942 in Nazi-occupied Paris, and essentially a couple decide to hide their Jewish boss [Joseph Haffmann]. The couple are unable to have a baby because the man is sterile, so in exchange for protecting Haffmann, he has to get me — the wife — pregnant.

Can you describe your character?

I play Isabelle and I see her as the driving force within the play. She's nearly always the voice of reason, and after the initial proposal is made, she really takes the lead. It’s nice to see a woman at the centre of something and taking charge of it herself.

What attracted you to the play?

I wasn't aware of the play until I was sent the script. I was very pleasantly surprised by how unique and interesting it is. I haven't really read anything like it. And I think because it's a translation of the original French, it has a quite singular tone: it’s European and open and honest. I've done a lot of different things, but often my parts are wholesome and family friendly, and I really liked that this is a play about sex and that I could explore more complicated sexual relationships.

Has becoming a mother recently in real life informed your approach to the play?

It's funny how things in your own life match up with the job that you're doing. This is my first job since having my baby — she's only seven months old. There is an innate understanding now of wanting to have a baby. Being a mother, I definitely bring new things to the work and to the job, and hopefully a more grounded style. It feels like this is a job that is meant to happen at this time.

Your breakthrough role was as Nurse Valerie Dyer in Call the Midwife. What does the series mean to you?

It was a huge stepping stone and a big part of my life — I suppose it still is to a certain extent. I was very lucky to work with such strong women and real icons like Linda Bassett and Judy Parfitt. It was great to be part of something so big, an institution, and the job is so much bigger than any particular actor in it because people will watch Call the Midwife no matter who is in it. It was lovely to be part of a wider show that will go on without me and existed well before me. It’s a whole chapter of my life and I’m very grateful.

The show has helped to put a spotlight on women’s stories. How important is it to prioritise these female experiences on stage and screen?

It’s very important to see various things in life being shown from a woman's perspective, so that a woman can watch TV and see themselves authentically shown, without it being sanitised or filtered through a male gaze. Prioritising female creators, writers, and directors can only increase that. And it’s not just limited to new work — I'm interested to see how we do the classics with more of a woman's perspective. The world is more interesting when we can see things from many points of view, whether that be gender or race. I think that's the direction we're going in, with theatre, film, and TV. But, of course, we can always go further.

That’s an interesting observation, given your last two stage shows untitled f-ck m-ss s--gon play and The Massive Tragedy of Madame Bovary also take classic stories and give them a new twist.

I hadn't really noticed until now! I guess I'm drawn to shows that do something a bit different. I want to push myself to do stuff that is unusual and maybe people wouldn't expect to see me in it. Especially with untitled f-ck m-ss s--gon play, I was drawn to it because I thought people will go into that play and come out saying, “ Wow. That's a real experience.” It’s about looking at what happens when we play around with who's in charge of the story.

What do you love most about the London theatre scene?

I’ve always loved it, since I was a kid. I find that Off-West End theatres, like the Park, put on really interesting and unique shows. The West End is obviously brilliant and attracts massive names, but the more affordable and perhaps more daring stuff happens on the fringe. That's why I've always loved London — there's always something new and dynamic to see.

Book Farewell Mister Haffmann tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: Jennifer Kirby in Farewell Mister Haffmann. (Photo by Mark Senior)

This article first appeared in the April 2025 issue of London Theatre Magazine.