My thoughts on IRENA'S VOW

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 5:44pm

Tovah Feldshuh is a true chameleon, losing herself in every part she plays. Her performance in IRENA'S VOW, Dan Gordon's oft-engrossing screenplay-on-stage, is so effortless that it wouldn't surprise me if the Tony voters look over her because they don't see her "acting."

She's magnetic, she's incandescent and so on and so forth. And the rest of the ensemble is, as well, especially Thomas Ryan as Major Rugemer.

But the play isn't much of a play. It's a movie that's being acted out on stage. You can almost even write it yourself.

"INT. High School - Day
The intimidating school bell rings. IRENA GUT OPDYKE slowly enters, looks out into the crowd, sizes it up. Begins to speak, unleashing a slew of memories."

It's a flashback, narrated by Irena through direct-address, and that's fine. But it's like watching your standard Holocaust movie. Only this time, the outcome is hopeful. It certainly is moving, even more so with the Q&A with Irena's daughter afterwards (they should keep that going), but ultimately, we've seen this story of the Good Gentile before. There's no new ground covered.

Bottom Line: Feldshuh shines, as usual, in hopeful Holocaust story. Better movie than a play.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 7:16pm

Sorry you didn't love it Yankee.

I agree, it's not perfect but I found the material to be a great example of how sometimes less is more and how sometimes the most straightforward stories told in the simplest way can be immensely effective.

[scott68]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 7:27pm

I agree with every word, Yankee.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 10:43pm

Lot of disruptions this afternoon, as well. Surprisingly, none from the plethora of schoolgroups that were present.

During the opening monologue, a hearing aid started tweeting; Feldshuh stopped and waited until it was finished.

I counted 4 cell phones that went off, one that went on forever. Feldshuh called them out during the Q&A - "We love you for coming, but we heard every one of your cell phones, so the next show you see, turn them off." Then one went off during the Q&A and she just glared out.

Then, a hearing aid went off during the Q&A, prompting her to say "oh, another hearing aid went off - either that or someone's making tea."

Everyone lost it.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 10:51pm

I respectfully disagree with your review, YankeeFan. I thought IRENA'S VOW was one of the most moving pieces of theater I've ever seen in my entire life (and I hope the reviews reflect this on Sunday night).

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 10:56pm

Noted, and I don't think anything less of you because you disagree.

I wish the show the best. It's CERTAINLY better than IMPRESSIONISM. By leaps and bounds.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 11:01pm

"It's CERTAINLY better than IMPRESSIONISM. By leaps and bounds."

We agree on this 100%.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 11:07pm

A lot f the scenes are very short, and you can certainly tell this started its life as a screenplay (and the daughter explained this in our Q&A), but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the play at all, nor did it hinder the riveting suspense of the story.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 11:10pm

...and the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play goes to...Tovah Feldshuh!

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 3/25/09 at 11:33pm

Saw the show tonight. If only there was a way to make Tovah and Irena's real-life daughter a two person show, I swear it would be the most amazing night of theatre ever. Tovah is so astonishing in this role, so real and breathtaking it borders on uncomfortable. And her daughter coming on for a moving and surprising Q&A left us gasping and in tears.

The show itself? I agree with Yankee on most points. In the end, the writing just didn't match the caliber of performance by Tovah, as there were rare points where the effort showed to make the material work. It was an evening where telling us would have been better than showing us, because the dramatization led to trite movie-of-the-week exchanges of dialogue.

Along with Tovah, the women were uniformly fine; regrettably the men were just lacking in almost every respect, save the gent who played Schultz.

Tovah will absolutely get nominated and had better win, the performance was a thing of beauty.

[MiracleElixir]

Posted: 3/26/09 at 4:19am

Updated On: 3/26/09 at 04:19 AM