You
would think that any play about the Holocaust would have a lot going for it,
since the subject matter is so compelling. However, that isn’t entirely true
when it comes to The Revisionist by
Jesse Eisenberg, now at Dobama Theatre. The script, written by the young
Hollywood star and Broadway actor/playwright, frequently veers away from
dealing with serious issues.
But
there is one overwhelming reason to see this interesting if sometimes flawed
script, and that is the presence of Dorothy Silver. Ms. Silver has been lauded
over the decades for her theatrical accomplishments in Cleveland, and rightly
so. But her performance as Maria, in this tale of an old woman trying to make a
connection with one shred of her distant family, is truly a gem that must be
seen and treasured. From the moment David, Maria’s young American cousin,
arrives in her flat in Poland, Silver is in full command of the story and the
stage.
And
that’s a good thing, because in lesser hands this shaky effort might topple
over. Callow David is trying to rework his second book of science fiction, and
he’s come to Poland to find a quiet refuge at the home of his much older
cousin, where he can concentrate on his task. But Maria thinks he has come to
visit with her and share family stories. She is desperate for this kind of
connection since, as we learn during the span of the 105-minute play, her
immediate family was killed by the Nazis during in Germany during World War II.
It’s
a potentially intriguing mixture of cultures and generations, and the playwright
has a deft way with humorous jibes. But he often steers the conversations into
shallower waters. Relying on easy comedy set-ups—Maria and David sharing some
cut-up cubes of tofu, David sneaking puffs of his bedroom stash of ganja—the
play continually dodges around more significant discussions. And that’s too
bad, since the subjects at hand, including the importance of family and the
need to make human contact, are powerful indeed.
In
this production, the talented director Leighann DeLorenzo clearly wants to make
the autobiographical David (a role the playwright played in New York) an
unsympathetic creep who is also somehow endearing. And Andrew Gombas as David
works diligently to find the right balance for his character, somewhere between
sweetness and snark. John Busser, in the small role of Maria’s Polish-speaking
friend Zenon, also brings some lightness to the proceedings.
But
after Maria reveals her guilty secret, there are some wrenching and non-credible
switcheroos at the conclusion of the play. This includes David’s reaction to
Maria’s big secret, a response that feels completely tone-deaf, even for a
self-centered writer twit such as David. Any author with even the slightest bit
of imagination—or just a human being with a scrap of soul—would be shocked and
riveted by Maria’s revelation. Instead, he just reverts back to his petty
concerns.
In
addition, the very last scene feels clumsily constructed by the playwright to
generate surprise and confusion in the audience. A good play should always end
with questions, but those should not be questions that seem unsupported by the
characters.
Despite
those glitches, the play does the great favor of shaping the delicious role of
Maria. And fortunately for the audience, DeLorenzo enables Silver to do her
thing, crafting every word and gesture with the specificity, intelligence and
wit that have long been the trademark of her performances.
You
must see The Revisionist for that
reason, since any other reasons pale in comparison.
The
Revisionist
Through
April 3 at Dobama Theatre, 2340 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, 216-932-3396.
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