Our Class

Catholics and Jews playing together

The Wilma Theater, located at Broad and Spruce Streets, is producing Our Class through November 13, 2011. This masterpiece is based on a here-to-fore- little known atrocity in which the residents of a small Polish town totally annihilated their Jewish neighbors and consequently laid the blame on the Germans. Director Blanka Zizka traveled to Poland to research the play and has brought a touch of Poland back with her. The audience is introduced to 10 very young characters who enter the stage and take seats in a classroom, and later laugh and enjoy each other as they play childish circle games. Each of the 14 scenes is demarked by the 10 characters standing in a freeze-frame and singing a Capella for 6-10 lines. Within a matter of minutes we are taken to a new year and subtle changes take place; a push here, a shove there, and Jewish students are asked to sit in the back of the classroom while the Catholics pray.. As the behavior of the classmates towards each other borders on incredulity, this fine ensemble cast brings the audience along for a heady if painful ride. No matter how many years pass, no one can escape his troublesome past and you won’t be able to ignore it either. Only Abram, who manages to emigrate to the United Stated shortly after his Bar Mitzvah, remains unchanged. But his litany when he learns of the death of his entire family is heart wrenching.  You’ll be glued to your seat by this breathtaking and mesmerizing production. It’s insufficient to say you must see this piece. WOW!  Call 215-546-7824 or visit wilmatheater.org for tickets.

In the Next Room or the vibrator play

 Dr Givings at work

In the Next Room, or the vibrator play, seen at the Wilma Theater at 265 S Broad St. in Philadelphia was nominated for both the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and The Tony Award for Best Play and one need only to see it to understand why. Set in New York in the 1880’s, the Victorian mores of the characters not only give comedic value to the production’s first act which carries over into its second act, but bring a sense of Greek tragedy as well when, at one point, it seems as if no one is going to be satisfied by what life has meted out to them. Jeremiah Wiggins is a very convincing Dr Givings, whose life work is to perform “electricity experiments” on hysterical patients. He is so involved with the success of his vibrator treatments on others that he is oblivious to his wife and her needs. The “hysterical” and demure Mrs. Daldry, played by Kate Czajkowski, does not want to admit recovery for fear of losing her “treatments”. The wet-nurse Elizabeth, played by Opal Alladin gave a brilliant monologue near the end of the play in which she displayed the heart-wrenching  pull of caring for another’s child after losing one of her own. Far and away the most empathetic character was Catherine Givings, played by Mairin Lee. Married to the doctor who satisfied all his patients but refused to satisfy her, she was lonely and despondent, not only because of his stubbornness, but because of her lack of ability to connect with her child. The audience cheered her resilience. Costume designer Oana Botes-Ban did a wonderful job in creating period costumes as the characters were frequently dressing and undressing and had many pieces of clothing to share with the audience. Alexis Distler did an outstanding job with the set design. The theatre was transformed into salon style seating on both sides of the stage to allow the audience to observe the intimate relationships in the play. A door separated the doctor’s office from the living quarters of the home and a small desk designated the doctor’s working space away from patients. The décor set the mood of the late 19^th century. Barrymores are on the horizon for both of these designers.This play is sure to return to the Philadelphia area in a year or two.  If you haven’t seen it, or even if you have, make sure you plan to see it when it comes back.