Flash! Bam!! Alakazam!!

The Wicked Witch of the West is one of the most iconic villains in both literature and film.  But, what if we’ve all been fed a line about her evil?  What if the official history was simply a lie?  Discover the true story of the Wicked Witch of the West in Wicked which is currently playing at the Orpheum Theatre.

I’m definitely of two minds about this show.  I was entertained.  The show is beautifully sung and strongly acted.  But the story lacks a certain punch.  The idea is definitely intriguing, but Winnie Holzman’s script based off the novel by Gregory Maguire fails to hit a home run and has to settle for a double. The first act tends to drag a bit though the developing friendship between Elphaba (Wicked Witch) and Glinda helps to sell it due to the work of the leading actresses.

The story picks up considerable steam in the second act once Elphaba has been deemed the Wicked Witch and an enemy of Oz.  The script introduces multiple storylines and even wraps them all up, but some storylines aren’t developed enough and are just bluntly ended.  However, there is some considerable skill with the way the story weaves in the characters of The Wizard of Oz where it’s clear that that story isn’t a complete lie, but a version manipulated by the true powers in Oz. 

Joe Mantello gets as much out of the script as is humanly possible.  From a technical standpoint, the show is solid as a rock.  The pace is on point.  Cue pickups tight as a drum.  The actors have been coached into strong performances and each has a well-developed character.  Mantello has a real gift for duet scenes as some of the show’s strongest moments are when just two characters are interacting and they can be full of tension and pain or dripping with tenderness and sweetness.

Some strong supporting performances come from John Bolton who plays the Wizard.  He’s more (or should I say less) than a weak man.  He’s a power addict responsible for most of Oz’s problems.  Jake Pedersen excels as Boq, a Munchkin doomed to a dire fate due to his fawning over Glinda and his angering of a powerful foe.  Lisa Howard is downright sinister as Madame Morrible, the power behind the throne.  Kimberly Immanuel has a wonderful arc as Nessarose, the crippled sister of Elphaba who seems sweet, but hides a vindictive nature that makes her worthy of her never revealed title of Wicked Witch of the East.  Michael Genet is sympathetic as Dr. Dillamond, the last animal allowed to teach at the university and a tragic victim of the elite’s desperation to hold on to power.

There’s a lot under the surface of Jordan LItz’s Fiyero.  Fiyero puts on a good front of being a lazy gadfly, but it hides a tortured unhappiness.  Litz is wonderful as he comes off as a not overly intelligent jock until an act of kindness towards a lion cub starts to peel back his layers to reveal the honorable and heroic man lurking beneath the façade.  Litz has a beautiful tenor and knows how to act through the numbers and can be delightfully humorous when he sings about “Dancing Through Life” or heartfelt and loving as he pledges love to Elphaba in “As Long As You’re Mine”.

Jennafer Newberry shines brightly as Glinda.  Newberry does a remarkable job showing us the true Glinda.  She isn’t good.  She’s a rich, stuck-up, vapid airhead used to getting her own way with a bent for malapropisms.  But it’s a joy to see how her friendship with Elphaba helps her to truly become a better person and to inspire her to overthrow the true wickedness in Oz.  Newberry also has a stunning soprano which she can use to comedic effect evidenced by “Popular” where she tries to help Elphaba fit in or use to tug your heartstrings in “I’m Not That Girl” and “For Good”.

Lissa deGuzman is stunning as Elphaba.  She is brilliant at portraying the outcast who hides her pain under the mantle of responsibility as she cares for her sister.  It’s a treat to watch her slowly work her way out of her awkwardness until she claims her role as the Wicked Witch of the West (though not in the way you may think).  deGuzman has a stunning lower soprano and she nails the show’s hallmark song “Defying Gravity” to the floor.

Evan Roider and his orchestra never miss a note in their performance.  Susan Hilferty’s costumes recall the film version of the story with its fantastical clothes and characters.  Chic Silber’s special effects add that crucial bit of magic to the show.  Tony Meola’s sounds help bolster the show with sounds of magic and raging storms.  Eugene Lee’s sets are very impressive with the ever present clock and gears and the homunculus used by the Wizard to seem all powerful.  Kenneth Posner has a good use of lights especially when acts of magic are enacted.  James Lynn Abbott’s choreography is solid, but lacks any huge moments.

In spite of the story not quite being all it could be, Wicked is definitely a pleasant evening of theatre with strong musical performances and splendid acting.  It is also certain to enthrall the kids and the kids at heart.

Wicked runs at the Orpheum Theatre through May 15.  Performances are Tues-Sat at 7:30pm, Saturdays at 2pm and Sundays at 1pm and 6:30pm.  Tickets range from $43.50 to $188.50 and can be obtained at www.ticketomaha.com.  The Orpheum Theatre is located at 409 S 16^th St in Omaha, NE.

‘Visiting Mr. Green’ Opening at Lofte Community Theatre

Manley, NE—Visiting Mr. Green will run at Lofte Community Theatre from May 6, 2022 to May 15, 2022. Showtimes are Thurs-Sat at 7pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets cost $24 and can be purchased at www.lofte.org or by calling the box office at 402-234-2553. Lofte Community Theatre is located at 15841 Manley Road in Manley, NE.

Synopsis

Mr. Green, an elderly, retired dry cleaner, wanders into New York traffic and is almost hit by a car driven by Ross Gardiner, a 29-year-old corporate executive. The young man is given a community service of helping the recent widower once a week for six months. This is a moving and often funny story about two men who do not want to be in the same room together. As they get to know each other and come to care about each other they open old wounds they’ve been hiding and nursing for years.

Cast

Bill Bossman as Mr. Green
Ross Mumford as Ross Gardiner

“Stick Fly” Up Next at OCP

From L to R: Olivia Howard, Brandon Williams, D Kevin Williams (front), Nina Washington, DJ Tyree, Kara Davidson (front) star in “Stick Fly” at OCP

Omaha, NE– The Omaha Community Playhouse (OCP) production of Stick Fly will open on Friday, May 6, 2022. The show, directed by DeMone Seraphin, will run in the Howard Drew Theatre through June 5 with performances Thursdays through Sundays. Tickets are on sale now starting at $36 with prices varying by performance. Tickets may be purchased at the OCP Box Office, 6915 Cass St., Omaha, NE 68132, by phone at (402) 553-0800 or online at OmahaPlayhouse.com.

SHOW SYNOPSIS

The LeVays, a wealthy Black family, set out for a relaxing weekend at their second home in Martha’s Vineyard. When brothers Kent and Flip both bring their new girlfriends to meet the family, the newcomers butt heads over everything from class to race to cultural expectations. Sibling rivalries and parental expectations bring their roller coaster weekend to a boiling point in this bitingly funny comedy-drama.

Directed By: DeMone Seraphin

Cast

DJ Tyree as Kent (Spoon)
Olivia Howard as Taylor
Nina Washington as Cheryl
Brandon Williams as Flip
D Kevin Williams as Joe Levay (Dad)
Kara Davidson as Kimber

Photo by Colin Conces Photography

The Burden of Memory

Cork Ramer and Stella Clark-Kaczmarek star in “The Giver”

Jonas lives in a perfect world.  There’s no war.  No hunger.  No crime.  Also, no love.  No acknowledgement of the past.  No color.  It’s sterile.  At a ceremony celebrating his twelfth year of life, Jonas is selected to become the new Receiver of Memories and a whole new understanding of reality is opened up to him through the acts of The Giver which is currently playing at the Omaha Community Playhouse.

This show is a pretty bold step by the Playhouse as The Giver is based off of a Newberry award winning children’s story.  As such, I wondered if this production was going to be able to capture the interests of adults.  Let me tell you, after viewing this play, I just may read the novel.

This has been the most thought-provoking work I’ve seen all season.  The source material, written by Lois Lowry, tackles a challenging theme of what it is that makes us human and the roles that free will, choice, memories, and individuality play in our humanity and uniqueness.  Eric Coble’s translation is tight with concise storytelling merged with crackling dialogue that had me hooked from the start.  The ending is a bit vague, but that vagueness actually makes perfect sense in this particular universe.

Lisa Kerekes’ direction is absolutely splendid.  The cast is made up mostly of children and Kerekes had them (and the adults) working like a well-oiled machine.  The kids really had their acting fundamentals down with projection, cheating out, and not upstaging themselves.  Her pacing was pitch perfect.  Cue pickups were tight as a vise.  Kerekes guided her actors to rock solid performances and managed to eliminate the static from the talky script with precisely plotted movement that beautifully animated the scenes.

Prepare to be amazed by some powerful performances from Giovanni Rivera and Katy Kepler as Father and Mother, friendly, but monotone caretakers of their family unit.  Ree Davis-Stone manages to imbue a subtle, mightier than thou attitude in her Chief Elder.  Liam Richardson provides a splash of humor as Asher, a boy fretting about his imminent career assignment and a constant mispronouncer of words.  Madeline Scarsi is charming as Lily, as close as one can get to being a rebel in this world.

As good as the supporting cast is, the night belongs to Stella Clark-Kaczmarek and Cork Ramer.

I searched for the right word to describe how Clark-Kaczmarek’s performance hit me and gobsmacked is definitely the word.  Clark-Kaczmarek is stunning as Jonas as she displays an acting confidence well beyond her years.  She gives Jonas that needed sense of curiosity and potent sense of justice to realize that there is something beyond the flat earth he knows and that he has the courage needed to forge a new path for this society.  She is so gentle and caring and the glee and agony she feels as Jonas experiences the memories of the past are infectious and believable.

Cork Ramer brings a phenomenal weariness to The Giver.  This is a man who is not broken, but is definitely bowed under the awesome weight of having the memories of the past as well as coping with the regret of his personal failure in attempting to train a successor to his role ten years prior.  Ramer’s Giver is almost Christlike as he bears humanity’s essence on his shoulders and he is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to help humanity regain itself.

Matt Hamel has designed a simple set suited to the sterility of this world with a stone pillar, dining room table and chairs, podium, and a cell phone like monitor in the family living room that suggests this world’s equivalent of Big Brother is watching its citizenry.  Jim Othuse’s use of light is very effective, especially the sporadic use of color in this staid world.  I loved Andrew Morgan’s properties with his bright red apple at the top of that list.  Lindsay Pape’s costumes fit the sameness of the world with the virtually identical gray tunics worn by everyone.  John Gibilisco provides a cornucopia of sounds to help move the story along from the roar of an airplane to the crying of a baby to the sound of memories being transmitted.  Timothy Vallier has composed a moving score and I tip my hat to Darrin Golden for the effect of snowfall and Amelie Raoul’s use of projected scenes to represent memories of the past.

As I said earlier, this is one thought-provoking story.  Yet in a dystopia that has stripped humanity from the people, its greatest gift is still present:  hope.  Bring the family and enjoy a tale suited for one and all.

The Giver runs at the Omaha Playhouse through May 8. Showtimes are Wed-Sat at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased by calling 402-553-0800, visiting www.omahaplayhouse.com, or at the box office.  The Omaha Community Playhouse is located at 6915 Cass Street in Omaha, NE.

Photo provided by Colin Conces Photography

A ‘Hare’y Case

Elwood P. Dowd is a heck of a guy.  His manners are impeccable.  He always has a smile and a kind word for you.  He’ll meet you as a stranger and leave you as a friend.  Speaking of friends, his best friend is an invisible six-foot, one and a half inch tall white rabbit which deals fits to his family. Find out why in Harvey which is currently playing at the Lofte Community Theatre.

In Dowd, Mary Chase has created a true disciple to Cervantes’ beloved madman, Don Quixote de La Mancha.  Not only does Dowd see life as it should be instead of as it is, but he takes it one step further by making life as it should be the reality of his little corner of the world.  It’s quite a powerful theme and it’s truly a joy to watch the magical effect that Dowd’s philosophy of just “being pleasant” has on the world.  Had Chase focused solely on the idea of Dowd’s philosophy and madness, she’d have had a nearly perfect story.  But her use of several subplots that never really get fully developed or settled waters her work down a bit and turns a nearly perfect story into a pretty good story.

Kevin Colbert’s direction is fairly effective.  I loved his staging and use of space in the mammoth set.  His actors are precisely placed so you not only always see their faces, but it makes the cavernous library and sanitarium feel full.  Colbert also has a firm grip on the show’s primary theme and gives it the proper focus throughout the production.  He’s also guided his actors to some sweet and charming performances.  As the show does have elements of a farce, I thought the pacing could have been picked up at points and the cue pickups needed to be tighter, but I’ll qualify that by saying I did catch this show on its penultimate night and I may have just been seeing the performance fatigue that sometimes hits at the end of a run.

In this solid ensemble, you’ll see some entertaining performances from Matt Jarvis and Natalie Christina McGovern.  Jarvis makes the most of his brief time on stage by being the physical embodiment of Dowd’s philosophy.  He’s very irritable when he enters, but is transformed into a friendly, garrulous man after meeting Dowd.  Jarvis also gets one of the night’s best monologues as he tells the story of taking patients to and from the sanitarium which paints the difference between happiness and reality.  McGovern provides some laughs as a slightly snobby and man hungry high society elitist.

Neal Herring was sublime as Elwood P. Dowd.  When he first entered, I was struck by his physical similarity to Dan Duryea and his Dowd has a personality to match (Duryea was known as the nicest guy in Hollywood in massive contrast to the vicious villains he brought to life on screen).  Herring underplays the role beautifully.  He is just charming and likable and one cannot help, but be a better person just by being in his presence.  This guy isn’t crazy, he’s simply “conquered reality” which makes him saner than most.

Scott Clark is very clinical as sanitarium head, William Chumley.  This man is practically a robot, staying in his office and never interacting with patients which explains how he’s lost touch with his humanity.  Clark is truly amusing as he starts to disintegrate when dealing with the curious case of Dowd and Harvey and has a truly shining moment when he throws off his shell and you realize Chumley is a man who has merely forgotten the simple pleasures of life.

Rosalie Duffy has all the right elements in place as Dowd’s sister, Veta Louise Simmons.  Duffy’s Veta has got a good heart, but also is a little more concerned with her ranking in high society and how she’s perceived by others instead of just being happy.  Duffy also does a fine job of slowly peeling the onion of her relationship with Harvey and you learn there may be more than madness at play.  This is a truly fun role and I think Duffy has the space to go a bit bigger with some of her interpretations and reactions with some of the show’s more farcical moments.

Colbert has designed the best set I’ve seen this season.  It breaks apart and rotates like a jigsaw puzzle with one side being the library in the Dowd home with its fine stained wood, gorgeous window, bookshelves, and looming fireplace and the other being the front office of the sanitarium with powder blue walls, office doors, phones, and desk.  The sanitarium actually has a homey feeling which would put patients at ease.  Janet Sorensen’s costumes are on the mark with elegant suits for the men, splendid dresses for the wealthy women, the sterile uniform of the sanitarium orderly, and the practical nurse uniform of Ruth Kelly.  I also want to take a moment to praise the wonderful portraits Cindy Mumford has painted of Marcella Dowd plus the one of Elwood and Harvey.

And what of Harvey?  Is he delusion?  Reality?  Or that little spark of happiness that many of us tend to lose?  I have my thoughts, but I’d rather you watch it and come up with your own theories.

Harvey has one final performance at Lofte Community Theatre on April 10 at 2pm.  Tickets cost $24 and can be purchased at the box office, by calling 402-234-2553, or visiting www.lofte.org.  Lofte Community Theatre is located at 15841 Manley Road in Manley, NE.

‘The Giver’ Opens at OCP on April 15

Cork Ramer and Stella Clark-Kaczmarek star in ‘The Giver’

Omaha, NE– The Omaha Community Playhouse (OCP) production of The Giver will open Friday, April 15, 2022. The show will run in the Hawks Mainstage Theatre through May 8 with performances Wednesdays through Sundays. Tickets are on sale now starting at $25 with prices varying by performance. Tickets may be purchased at the OCP Box Office, 6915 Cass St., Omaha, NE 68132, by phone at (402) 553-0800 or online at OmahaPlayhouse.com.

Synopsis

Twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a utopian society with no war, no pain and no memories. All of life’s choices, from your occupation to your family members, are conveniently dictated by the government to keep things perfectly equal and functional. But when Jonas is chosen by The Giver to bear the memories of his society, past and present, he learns the truth behind his perfect world. Will Jonas fall in line or risk everything to forge a new path?

Directed by: Lisa Kerekes

Cast

Stella Clark-Kaczmarek as Jonas
Cork Ramer as The Giver
Giovanni Rivera as Father
Katy Kepler as Mother
Madeline Scarsi as Lily
Liam Richardson as Asher
Jane Rohling as Fiona
Presley Vogt as Rosemary
Sue Mouttet as Larissa
Ree Davis-Stone as Chief Elder
Tyson Bentley, Callahan Hernandez, Alexander Mezger, Benjamin Rohling, Joshua Shapiro, & Rowan Snyder as Everworld Crew

Photo by Colin Conces Photography

Love it Like a ‘Rock of Ages’

Will Drew & Sherrie realize their dreams and find true love with each other?  Will the Bourbon Club survive?  Will the 80s live again?  Find out by watching Rock of Ages currently playing at the Waiting Room Lounge under the auspices of Rave On Productions.

Rave On’s sophomore season of The Omaha Series picks up right where the freshman season left off with another rollicking, rocking extravaganza that will have you hoppin’ and boppin’ in your seats before the night is through.  If you’re an aspiring actor, then my assignment to you is to watch this show as this is what acting is all about.  Each and every performer is totally committed to her or his role and tosses caution to the wind which will cause you to lose yourself in the roller coaster ride of this production.

You don’t have to be a child of the 80s to enjoy this show, but it certainly helps.  Mullets, cutoffs, jean shorts, big hair, lightsabers, and a telephone so big and heavy that I could use it to lay out a rhino were just some of the many throwbacks prevalent in the show.  Toss in a score featuring some of the hottest acts of the 80s including Styx, David Lee Roth, Poison, Pat Benatar, Jefferson Starship, Steve Perry, and Bon Jovi and people of my era will rocket back to a more carefree era where we spun these records for hours on end.

Kimberly Faith Hickman pulls double duty as director and choreographer and excels in both categories.  As director, she keeps the pace brisk and the energy high.  She balances the multiple storylines well and has coached her actors to tight performances with colorful characters who can be incredibly realistic or amusingly over the top.  Her staging was a work of art and utilized the entire lounge allowing multiple moments to play out simultaneously.  As choreographer, she provides some really entertaining numbers from an 80s exercise rendition of “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” to lap dances at a gentleman’s club to a jamming Gospel choir to a jazzy dance segment in “Shadows of the Night”. 

The ensemble cast more than holds up their end of the bargain in this show.  Each and every one always remained in character even when off stage and not a direct part of the action.  Kimberly Faith Hickman and Carly Frolio give a master class in how to be present in a scene as waitresses and exotic dancers. Jonathan Berger generates some laughs as the constantly stoned hippie owner of the Bourbon Club.  Evelyn Hill is a scream as the former city planner bound and determined to save the Bourbon Club from destruction at all costs.  Aaron Slagle is delightfully over the top as Franz, an effeminate German hoping to open a candy store.  Eric Perlstein matches Slagle step for step as his ruthless businessman father obsessed with wiping out the “sex, drugs, and rock n roll” lifestyle.  Brittney Thompson is motherly as the kindly owner of the gentleman’s club who once had dreams of disco glory.  Billy McGuigan is a self-absorbed, arrogant prick of a rock star as the obnoxious Stacee Jaxx.

Jesse White never fails to disappoint on stage and adds another A+ performance to his legacy.  As Drew Boley, White projects the right amount of youthful exuberance needed for a hungry young man trying to make it as a rock star.  He is believably shy in the early stages of new love with Sherrie and his disappointment and frustration when he feels betrayed by her are spot on.  White can sing a song like few others and can be incredibly tender such as when he’s “Waiting For a Girl Like You” or match Steve Perry belt for belt on “Oh, Sherrie”.

Courtney Cairncross is perfection as Sherrie Christian.  I completely bought into her as the bright-eyed, innocent Kansas girl who was certain she could make it as an actress in Hollywood.  That innocence is critical to the role as it gives her a height to fall from (which she does so beautifully) due to the struggles she endures trying to make it as an actress along with the personal disappointments she experiences in love and life.  And what a pretty voice!  She can capture a wide range of emotion such as confusion when learning how to dance sexy while singing “Any Way You Want It” or boiling lividity when giving Stacee Jaxx a lap dance in “I Hate Myself for Loving You”.

Ryan McGuigan is one of the most believable and natural actors who has ever graced a stage.  As Lonny Barnett, McGuigan is both the show’s narrator as well as a character in the show.  So extemporaneous is his delivery that I sometimes wondered if his dialogue was scripted or improv.  This man knows no fear as he boldly runs around the lounge in his briefs in a drugged-up stupor or cheerfully relates the woes of the other characters as he revels in the fact that he’s fully aware he’s in a work of fiction.  And that dynamite raw tenor of his will have you enraptured as he outPerrys Steve Perry in “Don’t Stop Believin’” and rocks out in “Cum On Feel the Noize”.

Matthew McGuigan’s gift for musical direction is in rare form as he and his band rock the house with the night’s numbers and I was especially impressed with how they melded and transitioned the songs in the various medleys.  Ben Stratton’s lights not only made me feel like I was in a constant rock concert, but were also used well comedically in a slow-motion lightsaber duel.  Carly Frolio’s costumes will yank you into the 80s with shredded shirts, short jean shorts, and bandanas.  Kate Whitecotton’s set has the feel of a rock n roll bar with a screen projecting images to transport you out of the Bourbon Club and into other locales.

It’s a freeing night of theatre that will chase your stresses away.  Sit down, have a cold one, and indulge in 80s excess with Rock of Ages.

Rock of Ages plays at the Waiting Room Lounge through April 16.  Remaining showtimes are at 7:30pm Fri-Sat.  General admission tickets are still available for $35 and can be purchased at https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/4730764/rave-on-productions-presentsrock-of-ages-omaha-the-waiting-room.  Due to mature themes and language, the show is not suitable for children.  The Waiting Room Lounge is located at 6212 Maple St in Omaha, NE.

Photos Provided by Rave On Productions

J’accuse la Divinite

A group of Auschwitz prisoners, waiting for their potential call to death, decide to put God on Trial to determine if He is guilty of breaking His covenant with His chosen people.  The show is playing at First Central Congregational Church under the auspices of the Brigit St Brigit Theatre Company.

Frank Cottrell-Boyce’s script doesn’t just tug at your heartstrings.  It drives a knife into your chest and gouges a hole in your heart.  It paints a brutally realistic picture of life in a death camp as the prisoners look starved and beaten and you can feel them desperately clinging to their last thread of self-control as they constantly dread the summons to the gas chamber that hangs over their heads like the Sword of Damocles.  Cottrell-Boyce’s taut and crisp dialogue really sells the trial as the prisoners argue over all facets of God.  Does He exist?  Is He just and loving?  Is He not all powerful?  Why would He allow His chosen people to suffer such an abomination?  Is He no longer on their side?  This show is really going to make you think and the utter silence I heard at the play’s end is the best tribute to its power which I can conceive.

Murphy Scott Wulfgar provides an immersive piece of direction.  The staging will make you feel like a fellow prisoner as the actors weave between audience members and perform inches from your face.  The coaching is sterling.  His performers shine in a series of monologues that will leave you feeling raw and wrung out.  The reactions of the prisoners are precise and exact.  In fact, one of the play’s strongest scenes is a moment of about two minutes of silence except for the sounds of a new group of prisoners being indoctrinated into Auschwitz (courtesy of Eric Griffith’s soundscape work).  The far-off sounds of heads being sheared combined with the fearful and haunted looks of the prisoners make it one of the best ensemble scenes of the season.

This play totally eschews the typical form for a show as there is no leading character.  Nearly everyone gets a moment to shine and provide a vital piece of the puzzle.  Some of the sensational performances you see come from Jack Zerbe who sizzles as Kuhn, a man who retains his childlike faith even in these dire circumstances and understands the true meaning of sacrifice.  Jeremy Earl gives the most honest and gut-wrenching performance of his career as Jacques, a French Jew whose use of logic leads him to a dark and hopeless place.  Michael Lyon stirs as the judge for the trial who hides a secret of his own.  Thomas Lowe pulverizes your soul as a father who watched his children taken away from him by the Nazis.

Scott Working is thoroughly believable as Schmidt, a rabbi who assumes the role of God’s defense counselor.  Always maintaining his calm, Working’s Schmidt elucidates the history of God with His chosen people and points out how serious blows to the Jewish people led to greater good for them and this period could simply be a test for them or even a purification ushering in the arrival of the longed for Messiah.  His defense of God centers around His mysterious nature and how His ways are not our ways and man’s misuse of free will.

On the other side of the table is the prosecutor, Mordechai, as essayed by Murphy Scott Wulfgar.  What I liked best about Wulfgar’s portrayal was that he ignored the obvious choice of anger.  Instead, he infuses Mordechai with an interesting blend of frustration, weariness, and logical induction.  Unlike Schmidt, Mordechai doesn’t use scripture to back his arguments.  Rather he uses the defense’s own words and examples and inverts them to prove that God is callous and doesn’t care for His special people.

Anthony Clark-Kaczmarek is spellbinding as Akiba.  Silent for most of the show, his one extended monologue manages to fuse the arguments of Mordechai and Schmidt into one combined entity.  A rabbi himself, Akiba is able to use scripture just as easily as Schmidt, but his arguments based off those scriptures support Mordechai as he argues God was never good, just merely on the side of the Jewish people.  Now, he argues, God is merely with someone else and they are suffering the fates of the Egyptians, the Amalekites, the Kenites, and others decimated by God.

Courtney Sidzyik’s simple set of wooden bunks and benches combined with a low, almost moonish, light bring a depressing reality to Auschwitz.  Charleen Willoughby’s costumes excel with the ill-fitting prison uniforms and cheaply made Star of Davids identifying the Jews and the green triangles signifying the criminals.

The church is not sound acoustically.  As such it was difficult to make out dialogue at certain points as the walls just sucked up the sound so the actors are really going to need to belt it in order to be understood, even with the audience so close.

This show is going to smack you across the face with its level of complexity.  It asks very difficult questions whose answers may be easy or hard depending on where you are on the spectrum of faith as well as shining a light on man’s hideous cruelty to his fellow man.  Yet even in all the evil and hardship, there is still the kernel of hope.  אנחנו עדיין כאן (We are still here).

God on Trial plays at First Central Congregational Church through April 17.  Showtimes are Thurs-Sat at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm.  Tickets start at $35 and can be obtained by visiting www.bsbtheatre.com or calling 402-502-4910.  First Central Congregational Church is located at 421 S 36^th St in Omaha, NE.