Haunting, revealing social theater
Svandovo Theater and New End Theater Beyond’sThe Good and the True, a Czech import ended its run on September 14th. The play was created by Tomas Hrbek, Lucie Kolochova, and Daniel Hrbek and translated by Brian Daniels, with Daniel Hrbek directing, Isobel Pravada as Hana Pravada, Saul Reichlin as Milos Dobry.
After seeing The Good and The True I became depressed, angry and sorry I saw it. Walking a bit numbed, through the lobby into the street thinking about what I just absorbed, I asked myself, “Why produce such a wrenching negative inducing play?”
The individual portrayals of Hana and Milosareemotionally charged. Their truetales are dynamically expressed with verve, pain and passion – and yes, with occasional humorous innuendos. Isobel Pravada and Saul Reichlin brilliantly perform the individual reenactments, living with and searching for the strength to overcome and endure their stolen wretched lives, after being packed in cattle cars and sent off to death camps. Day after day, confronted and challenged with un- imaginable adversity, they used cleverness and chance as weapons of survival. The actors breathed life into the characters so unfortunate as to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, when mankind was at its most shameful. Smartly directed by Daniel Hrbek, the audience watches the entire play through a curtain of barbed wire, cleverly separating the actors from the audience, isolated and imprisoned, blending voyeurism and personal intimacy in seamless continuity. A railroad track down the center divides the stage in two, Hana on the left, Milos on the right. Both reveal heartfelt stories as the lighting and sounds in the background change with the chapters of their experiences, as the years transpire before us. They never meet personally, and their individual narratives simultaneously run parallel with each other; we’re watching two stories at once. Both endure suffering, although separately, the circumstances they share are enough to combine the twain.
“To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child”said Marcus Tillius Cicero.After giving it some more thought, I realized that despite the play’s heavy, stark and true content, it was very important to remind audiences at large about this bitter slice of world history. Let’s not forget what really happened to these people. After being methodically corralled and marched into death factories, during this most unimaginable dank and
bleak time, few survived, millions didn’t. The Holocaust. From the Greek, holos (whole) and kaustos (burnt). Holocaust; sacrifice by fire. How can one turn a blind eye to the tragic aftermath and impact of the real-life horror? The grand scale of massive misguided power and insanity. Should we go into the denial or face reality? That’s why this is a very important play.
My negative impressions changed to positive admiration, inspiration and deep stirring strength, putting it all in proper perspective. We must face and process reality, however cruel, barbaric and senseless. How very important it is to realize and remember these innocent victims of mass extermination. Our civility and the self-preservation of mankind comes from our core values, and each generation has a responsibility to pass on those core values. Let’s avoid producing a generation of cynics.
Patrick Modiano has just won the 2014 Nobel Literature Prize on the subject of evoking ungraspable human destinies.Let’s not forget the horror and genocide that happened to these human beings.
Most of the new generation does not know or want to know about world history. They don’t know who fought or died for their future, much less The Final Solution. Move on and forget the past, versus observing and learning from it to help us inthe now. Today, we all have more in common andat stake than ever. The young need our help.
We can bridge the generation gap by teaching them the truth and facts. To clearly understand the importance of the history of humanity, and our human rights before they disappear or fall into folk law. We can encourage millenniums to become aware by learning from the past and to benefit from that knowledge. They are keepers of the keys in today’s global culture.
To witness certain theater, with the power to stir emotional reactions as this one does, is a cultural achievement. We’re startled and turn away when we see something awful. Why? It’s only actors in a play. The Good and The True is more than a play, it’s a theater experience, profoundly reminding us we are all in this together.
Stanley Fine, former Ad Agency Creative Director, CLIO judge and International Society of Graphic Design representative is currently a freelance writer. Has written and produced plays and numerous travel adventure stories.finestan@ earthlink.net
