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A Worldly 'iWitness'
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| Although it is set in Germany and written by an Israeli, iWitness has themes that resonate with American audiences concerned about Iraq. Here, Franz Jagerstatter (Gareth Saxe) talks with his friends Martin (James Joseph O'Neil) and Hans (Seamus Dever). Photo by Craig Schwartz. |
Taper's WWII History Lesson Has Ties to the Present
by Jeff Favre
When Israeli playwright Joshua Sobol watched some of his compatriots in the military refuse to serve in what they considered occupied Palestine, he was reminded of the story of an all-but-forgotten Austrian named Franz Jägerstätter. When the Nazis invaded Jägerstätter's country, he refused to serve in the German army. He was imprisoned, and in 1943, he was beheaded.
Sobol, drawing parallels between these two moments in history, wrote iWitness, a fictionalized account of the last days of Jägerstätter's life. Israelis clearly drew the same comparisons; the 2003 world premiere in Tel Aviv reportedly caused near riots.
It's highly unlikely that the American premiere of iWitness, at the Mark Taper Forum in Downtown Los Angeles through May 21, will cause more than a few outbursts from audiences who see similarities in the work - not with the Israel-Palestine conflict, but with the current war in Iraq.
But whereas conscientious objectors in Israel, or the debate over the pros and cons of deposing Saddam Hussein are fodder for deep, dividing drama, watching one man during World War II refuse to fight for Adolf Hitler provokes nothing more than obvious agreement.
Director Barry Edelstein, who adapted the play from Sobol's literal translation from Hebrew to English, tries his best to infuse emotional power into the production by pushing his cast to the edge of melodrama, and by incorporating bleak lighting and a despairing set. But the result is a 100-minute, one-act journey with an inevitable end and a tone that rarely changes from morose.
Most of the story takes place either in a cell or in the dreams of Franz Jägerstätter (Gareth Saxe). Jägerstätter spends his days on death row scrubbing pots and pans and shining shoes that will be used by other inmates.
No one wants Jägerstätter to be executed, a fate he could avoid if he would just put on a German uniform. His jailer (JB Blanc) tries to scare him with tales of the guillotine. A prison psychologist cajoles him. Two close friends, Martin (James Joseph O'Neil) and Hans (Seamus Dever), visit with hopes of persuading him.
Hans, a chauffeur, seems to come the closest. He and Jägerstätter create a Marx Brothers-like skit, poking fun at the Nazis. Hans says the war will be over in a year, the Germans will lose, and then they can all return to their normal lives.
But Jägerstätter returns to the one argument he can't escape: The Nazis are invading lands and sending Jews and other people Hitler finds undesirable by train to death camps. The train whistle is heard throughout the play, and the only person besides Jägerstätter who acknowledges the whistle is his wife Franca (Rebecca Lowman). She mourns her husband at home with their daughter Maria (Christina Burdette).
Although set more than six decades ago, the script contains several lines that many American audiences will hear as direct opposition to President Bush. One of these, "When a leader allows himself to break the rules of humanity, it is the duty of every citizen to break the leader's rules," is spoken three times.
Saxe portrays Jägerstätter in a similar fashion to James Caviezel's Jesus in The Passion of the Christ. He emotes to such a degree that it's as if he is feeling the pain of all who are killed by Hitler's decree.
Saxe's over-the-top performance is bested by Katrina Lenk, whose wild-eyed portrayal of Margaret, Jägerstätter's first love, is almost comical. Dever, as the friend Hans, provides some needed comic relief, and Lowman gives the most emotionally honest performance.
The look of iWitness adequately matches the tone. Jon Gottlieb's cold, stark and spare set design is filled with Russell Champa's bleak lighting. Several short black-and-white films of Franca and Maria projected on the prison walls accentuate the concept of being in Jägerstätter's dreams.
Thanks to Sobol, Franz Jägerstätter can be remembered by a new generation as a man who refused to take part in an unjust war, and who paid with his life. It's a story that should be known, even if it makes a better anti-war statement than it does a compelling drama.
iWitness runs through May 21 at the Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or taperahmanson.com.
page 23, 4/17/2006
© Los Angeles Downtown News. Reprinting items retrieved from the archives are for personal use only. They may not be reproduced or retransmitted without permission of the Los Angeles Downtown News. If you would like to redistribute anything from the Los Angeles Downtown News Archives, please call our permissions department at (213) 481-1448.
Sobol, drawing parallels between these two moments in history, wrote iWitness, a fictionalized account of the last days of Jägerstätter's life. Israelis clearly drew the same comparisons; the 2003 world premiere in Tel Aviv reportedly caused near riots.
It's highly unlikely that the American premiere of iWitness, at the Mark Taper Forum in Downtown Los Angeles through May 21, will cause more than a few outbursts from audiences who see similarities in the work - not with the Israel-Palestine conflict, but with the current war in Iraq.
But whereas conscientious objectors in Israel, or the debate over the pros and cons of deposing Saddam Hussein are fodder for deep, dividing drama, watching one man during World War II refuse to fight for Adolf Hitler provokes nothing more than obvious agreement.
Director Barry Edelstein, who adapted the play from Sobol's literal translation from Hebrew to English, tries his best to infuse emotional power into the production by pushing his cast to the edge of melodrama, and by incorporating bleak lighting and a despairing set. But the result is a 100-minute, one-act journey with an inevitable end and a tone that rarely changes from morose.
Most of the story takes place either in a cell or in the dreams of Franz Jägerstätter (Gareth Saxe). Jägerstätter spends his days on death row scrubbing pots and pans and shining shoes that will be used by other inmates.
No one wants Jägerstätter to be executed, a fate he could avoid if he would just put on a German uniform. His jailer (JB Blanc) tries to scare him with tales of the guillotine. A prison psychologist cajoles him. Two close friends, Martin (James Joseph O'Neil) and Hans (Seamus Dever), visit with hopes of persuading him.
Hans, a chauffeur, seems to come the closest. He and Jägerstätter create a Marx Brothers-like skit, poking fun at the Nazis. Hans says the war will be over in a year, the Germans will lose, and then they can all return to their normal lives.
But Jägerstätter returns to the one argument he can't escape: The Nazis are invading lands and sending Jews and other people Hitler finds undesirable by train to death camps. The train whistle is heard throughout the play, and the only person besides Jägerstätter who acknowledges the whistle is his wife Franca (Rebecca Lowman). She mourns her husband at home with their daughter Maria (Christina Burdette).
Although set more than six decades ago, the script contains several lines that many American audiences will hear as direct opposition to President Bush. One of these, "When a leader allows himself to break the rules of humanity, it is the duty of every citizen to break the leader's rules," is spoken three times.
Saxe portrays Jägerstätter in a similar fashion to James Caviezel's Jesus in The Passion of the Christ. He emotes to such a degree that it's as if he is feeling the pain of all who are killed by Hitler's decree.
Saxe's over-the-top performance is bested by Katrina Lenk, whose wild-eyed portrayal of Margaret, Jägerstätter's first love, is almost comical. Dever, as the friend Hans, provides some needed comic relief, and Lowman gives the most emotionally honest performance.
The look of iWitness adequately matches the tone. Jon Gottlieb's cold, stark and spare set design is filled with Russell Champa's bleak lighting. Several short black-and-white films of Franca and Maria projected on the prison walls accentuate the concept of being in Jägerstätter's dreams.
Thanks to Sobol, Franz Jägerstätter can be remembered by a new generation as a man who refused to take part in an unjust war, and who paid with his life. It's a story that should be known, even if it makes a better anti-war statement than it does a compelling drama.
iWitness runs through May 21 at the Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or taperahmanson.com.
page 23, 4/17/2006
© Los Angeles Downtown News. Reprinting items retrieved from the archives are for personal use only. They may not be reproduced or retransmitted without permission of the Los Angeles Downtown News. If you would like to redistribute anything from the Los Angeles Downtown News Archives, please call our permissions department at (213) 481-1448.
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