Main Event: 'The Wrestling Patient'

The Wrestling Patient

(Inspired by The Life and writings of Etty Hillesum)

Written by Kirk Lynn in collaboration with Anne Gottlieb and Katie Pearl

Katie Pearl, Director; Richard Chambers, Scenic Design; Charles Schoonmaker, Costume Design; Franklin Meissner, Jr., Lighting Design; Benjamin Emerson, Sound Design; Victoria S. Coady, Production Stage Manager

CAST: Jaap Hillesum, Daniel Berger-Jones; Louis Hillesum, Joel Colodner; Etty Hillesum, Anne Gottlieb; Mischa Hillesum, Tom Gottlieb; Riva Hillesum, Marya Lowry; Julius Spier, Will Lyman; Renate, Elise Manning; Wrecking Ball, Will McGarrahan

World Premiere co-produced by SpeakEasy Stage Company, Boston Playwrights' Theatre and FortyMagnolias Productions

Performances through April 11 in Roberts Studio Theatre, Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street, Boston

Box Office 617-933-8600 or www.BostonTheatreScene.com

The collaborative team of Anne Gottlieb, Kirk Lynn, and Katie Pearl has crafted a moving masterpiece from the diary and letters of Etty Hillesum, a young Dutch Jewish woman who lived a remarkable, examined life prior to her death in Auschwitz at the age of 29. Had there been no Holocaust, she might have become a lawyer or an accomplished writer, or remained unknown to the world. However, due to the historical timeline of her life and her personal transformation within that framework, Etty's compelling story made its way from the ashes of genocide into the public arena and the inspiring, spiritual play The Wrestling Patient.

Prior to the curtain, I wondered if there could be a good reason for another Holocaust story, and then along came this. It is a powerful production and a profound tale that reminds us no matter how far removed we are in time or distance, personal accounts of that horrific atrocity are both heartbreaking and significant, and Etty's contribution to the canon is noteworthy for its uplifting inner core. It packs an emotional wallop which left me feeling drained at the end of its three acts. I was not alone as the audience observed a moment of stunned silence before the applause began quietly, gradually building to a sustained ovation.

Set in Amsterdam in 1941-42 as Nazi rule overspreads the country, the play focuses on the transitions and difficult choices that Etty, her parents, and her two brothers are forced to confront. While being buffeted by an external maelstrom that threatens to leave them powerless, each must wrestle internally with fear and faith. In addition, the parents are probably depressed and the children suffer from varying degrees of mental illness. Jaap, the older of the boys, is in and out of the sanitarium due to his mental instability, and Mischa, the younger, is a musical protégé who has spent time in an institution for schizophrenia. When we meet Etty, she is severely depressed and seeking treatment with Jungian analyst Julius Spier, the founder of psycho-chirology (the study of palms in psychology).

By encouraging her journal writing, Spier helps Etty stop spiraling out of control and cope with her family life, as well as the madness of the world around them. When she feels like breaking something, he employs the unusual therapeutic technique of wrestling with her. When she pins him, it seems to launch her self-empowerment and awakening to spirituality and cements their relationship. It also allows her to openly acknowledge the worsening political conditions, even as the rest of her family remains in denial. She joins the Jewish Council in Amsterdam, a German-controlled organization created to maintain law and order among the Jewish population, but she is uncomfortable with her role in choosing who is deported. Instead, Etty volunteers to go to the Westerbork Transit Camp to serve as a social worker and help her fellow Jews awaiting assignment to other concentration and death camps in Poland. Her commitment to keep her soul alive and resist the Nazis in small ways is only made more intense once her parents and Mischa arrive there. It is her compassion that creates a community and holds everyone together.

The format of the play has Etty providing a great deal of exposition by addressing the audience in a conversational style, as if reading entries from her diary.  A family meal is reenacted stage left as she recounts it to Julius stage right, a clever vehicle to illustrate the madhouse that is the Hillesum dining table. In later scenes, letters between Jaap and Etty serve as the dialogue when he is sending supplies and news from Amsterdam to Westerbork, trying desperately to arrange an artist's waiver for Mischa. The story is often interrupted or foreshadowed by a made-up character called Wrecking Ball, who represents the fears that Etty harbors in her mind, but also reflects her psychological progress when she is able to stand up to him. He is the Nazi, the devil, and the Dutch citizens who are complicit as they turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to what is happening to their Jewish neighbors.

Anne Gottlieb is exceptional in bringing Etty to life and transforming from her depressed, nervous persona to a more integrated, mature woman. Her performance is informed by her deep involvement with the research and creation of the play. Will Lyman brings warmth, intelligence, and a twinkling eye (not to mention an aluminum foil helmet) to his portrayal of Spier. Gottlieb and Lyman sweetly reflect the growing ardor between Etty and Spier until it deepens and they become obvious soul mates. His purpose isn't always clear, but Wrecking Ball is a dissonant presence, from his double-breasted suit to his devilish grin, to his icy stare. Will McGarrahan excels in the role, exuding an oily charm and barely concealed menace, periodically erupting with a destructive power.

Joel Colodner (Louis) and Marya Lowry (Riva) have a hint of the Tevye/Golde dynamic from Fiddler On the Roof in their relationship, but their affection for each other comes across as genuine, as does their fear and confusion as their world falls apart. Daniel Berger-Jones takes Jaap on a journey from an unstable, intelligent young man to caring, driven mensch looking out for his little brother and working to make a difference. Tom Gottlieb creates a sensitive, high strung Mischa who develops strength when the family needs him, although his turnabout seems to come out of left field. Representing the unaccompanied children who benefited from Etty's guidance at Westerbork, Elise Manning captures both the adolescent bravado and winsome insecurity of the 16-year old Renate, eventually establishing a comfortable presence within the Hillesum family.

Katie Pearl directs this talented ensemble on a grim, tiered set designed by Richard Chambers. The focal point is a wall of vertical blue/gray planks with two openings. When the doors slide shut, it serves as a railcar used to transport human cargo to deadly destinations. Thanks to Franklin Meissner, Jr. (lighting) and Benjamin Emerson (sound), it is chilling when dim light filters through from behind the boards and we hear the mournful whistle of a train rumbling along the tracks. The creative team chooses not to employ the familiar icons of Nazi uniforms, striped pajamas, and yellow Stars of David, but Charles Schoonmaker dresses the cast in drab period attire. 

What makes The Wrestling Patient inspiring is that in the face of hatred, difficult choices, and powerlessness, Etty strives for self-awareness, honesty, and compassion as the means to reclaim her personal power. In the midst of the horror, she can smile because of a rainbow. Her parents lose all of their material possessions and are stripped of their pride, but they continue to be who they are at the core; Mischa can no longer play his beloved piano, but he can hear music in his head and hum. Each of them resists being destroyed by remaining true to themselves, by continuing to live every day in celebration of the mundane tasks of squeezing tomatoes for juice, reading Latin, enjoying strawberries, and honoring the family and God. As for the rest of us? We do our part in the audience by bearing witness.

 

Photo credit: Will McGarrahan (Wrecking Ball) and Anne Gottlieb (Etty Hillesum); by Stratton McCrady

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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