SITE GUIDE
SEARCH
REVIEWS
REVIEW ARCHIVES
ADVERTISING AT CURTAINUP
FEATURES
NEWS
Etcetera and
Short Term Listings
LISTINGS
Broadway
Off-Broadway
NYC Restaurants
BOOKS and CDs
OTHER PLACES
Berkshires
London
California
New Jersey
Philadelphia
Elsewhere
QUOTES
TKTS
PLAYWRIGHTS' ALBUMS
LETTERS TO EDITOR
FILM
LINKS
MISCELLANEOUS
Free Updates
Masthead
A CurtainUp Review
Incident at Vichy
|
Why do we first require human sacrifices before our guilt can be transformed into responsibility? —Arthur Miller in 1965 N.Y.Times article.
|
L to R: Jack Koenig and Jeffrey C. Hawkins
Stephen Kunken |
A stellar ensemble cast revives a stirring production of Arthur Miller's Incident at Vichy. What happens to men when trapped in a terrifying situation? That is only the beginning of Miller's examination of guilt and responsibility.
When an artist, Lebeau (Mark Alhadeff), anxious and jumpy, asks for coffee he is ignored. He turns to ask Bayard (Ron McClary), a burly laborer, if he knows what's going on. He does not. Lebeau asks the others. No one knows. The others try to calm him down, mainly to keep themselves contained until they are brought into the office and hopefully released.
The group is disparate: a gypsy, a prince, a psychoanalyst, a boy and so on. They try to make sense of the senseless. Revealing only the essentials about themselves, each tries to maintain his individuality in the grip of a power that is trying to dehumanize him. Except for the boy and an old man who sit paralyzed, each one argues why he should not be here. Gregory Salata layers actor Monceau's terror with a desperate elegance, maintaining that his immortal portrayal of Cyrano will surely set him apart. Bayard claims Nazis are working people and will sympathize with his socialism. Psychoanalyst Leduc (Christopher Burns) fought in the war. The waiter serves the Nazis lunch. Lebeau, always agitated, asks if anyone else had his nose measured.
They all avoid what is evident, that he is there because he's a Jew. If that's the reason, it's all over. John Freimann plays the only obvious Jew, an old man with a beard and a hat, clutching a bundle. He sits alone, no one talks to him, and no one knows better than the old man himself why he is here. The 14-year-old boy, played compellingly by Russell Kahn, sits taut and horrified, listening for something hopeful. When the aloof Marchand (James Prendergast) finally speaks, he maintains that this is just a question of checking legal papers. It is surely no more than that. They learn, however, that there is more. The officials are checking penises, and those detained will be sent to extermination camps.
When the terrified boy finally speaks, he reveals he was taken while running to the pawn shop trying to sell his mother's wedding ring. He has to bring the desperately needed money back home. It is the most important thing in his mind, as he repeats, "It's all we have." When he realizes he will be sent away, he begs the prince to take the ring back to his mother.
Played by Todd Gearhart, Prince von Berg is a decent art-loving Austrian who despises the Nazi's vulgarity and abandoned his heritage to emigrate to France. He felt he was aware of everything happening in Europe. Gradually, he comes to accept complicity by not taking action. His growth is key to this play, peaking in a confrontation with Leduc, who finally admits he is a Jew and maintains that everyone discriminates against "the other", adding, "Even the Jews have their Jews." Also vital is the German Major (Jack Koenig), wounded in the war and assigned to this unit. At one point he tries to leave but is forced by the "Professor" in charge to stay
Director Scott Alan Evans adeptly builds the tension. He elicits individual portraits from each ensemble player, never losing his grasp on their mounting fear and flashes of hope. With lighting design by Mary Louise Geiger, he introduces them dramatically — first Lebeau, then a blackout. Then Bayard, another blackout. And so on. Tension is further heightened when each is called into the office. If he returns, it gives hope to the others. The anxiety mounts.
Scott Bradley's detention set is appropriately bleak, the office to one side with its dirty windows opaque enough for those waiting to barely discern what is happening inside. Appropriate dress by David Toser puts an ascot on the actor, neat suits for Marchand and Prince von Berg, and shabby street or work clothes for the others.
First produced in 1964, there is no resolution as this gripping play ends with a face-off between two non-Jews. It is clear that in the events that followed, we still seem to be at the same face-off point regarding power, complicity, guilt and responsibility. The compelling relevancy of Incident at Vichy is not to be missed.
Editor's Note: For more about Arthur Miller and his work, see our Arthur Miller backgrounder.
|
Incident at Vichy By Arthur Miller Directed by Scott Alan Evans The Actors Company Theatre/TACT Cast: Jamie Bennett, Richard Ferrone, Todd Gearhart, Jack Koenig, Ron McClary, John Freimann, James Prendergast, Gregory Salata, Mark Alhadeff, Christopher Burns, Jeffrey Hawkins, Leif Huckman, Russell Kahn, Michael Oberholtzer, Dan Stowell. Set Design: Scott Bradley Costume Design: David Toser Lighting Design: Mary Louise Geiger Sound Design: Jill BC Du Boff Original Music: Joseph Trapanesse Stage Manager: Meredith Dixon Running Time: One act. No intermission The Beckett Theatre on Theatre Row, 410 West 42 Street between 9th and 10th Avenues) Tickets are $26.25-$56.25. Available through Ticket Central at www.ticketcentral.com or from noon-8 PM daily at (212) 279-4200. Performances: Monday and Wednesday-Friday at 7:30 PM; Saturday at 2 PM & 8 PM; Sunday at 3 PM. Performances begin 3/08/09; opening 3/16/09; closing 4/11/09. Review by Elizabeth Ahlfors based on performance 3/15/09 |
|
REVIEW FEEDBACK Highlight one of the responses below and click "copy" or"CTRL+C"
Paste the highlighted text into the subject line (CTRL+ V): Feel free to add detailed comments in the body of the email. . .also the names and emails of any friends to whom you'd like us to forward a copy of this review. You can also contact us at Curtainup at Facebook or Curtainup at Twitter |
Try onlineseats.com for great seats to
Wicked
Jersey Boys
The Little Mermaid
Lion King
Shrek The Musical
South Pacific
In the Heights
Playbill 2007-08 Yearbook
Leonard Maltin's 2008 Movie Guide
Wicked
Jersey Boys
The Little Mermaid
Lion King
Shrek The Musical
South Pacific
In the Heights
Playbill 2007-08 Yearbook
Leonard Maltin's 2008 Movie Guide