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Resort 76
By Shimon Wincelberg
Based on the novella A Cat in the Ghetto by Rachmil Bryks
Directed by Danielle Mari
Produced by Infamous Commonwealth Theatre
At Raven Theatre’s Studio
6157 N Clark
Chicago, IL
Call 312-458-9780, tickets $20
Thursdays thru Saturdays at 8:30 pm
Sundays at 3:30 pm
Running time is 2 hours, 10 minutes with intermission
Through September 2, 2007
Resort 76 is a dramatic lesson in morally justifiable behavior
One season, one topic for this season Infamous Commonwealth Theatre: Righteousness. Resort 76 is a Holocaust tragicomedy set in the Lodz ghetto during World War II at a resort (factory) where Jews lived and worked to stay away from the gas chamber. Living 5.8 people per room on bread and soup, the workers in a carpet factory (Resort 76) strive to keep their humanity amid increased hopelessness. We find unique characters each surviving in their own way.
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From the rag-tail beggar Yablonka (Paul Joseph) to the scholar Schnur (Eustace Allen), to the crazed Hauptmann (Stephen Dunn), to Beryl (Devin Leigh) the teen trying to be a man, to Hupert (Josh Summer) the moviemaker living in a dream world, to Blaustain (James Dunn) the factory foreman and leader of the factory; Resport 76 is a riveting and most compelling dramatic show. With an amazingly realistic set (by Diane Fairchild) aptly depicting the cramped quarters of the ghetto to Rachel M. Sypniewski’s costume design that vividly shows the rags those poor folks wore, Resort 76, under Danielle Mari’s tight direction, delivers a glimpse of the moral decay pitting survival against righteousness.
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We quickly empathize with all these folks as Wincelberg’s script is sprinkled with enough humanity allowing the humor to emerge. Macabre jokes, lunatic scenes and brutal ironies fuel the story. The quiet desperation of these folks is implied as they struggle to maintain an optimistic view of their lives. When a cat is presented by Madame Hershkovitch (Connie Anderko), it is viewed as a means to survival. The myth is that presenting a cat to the authorities will yield 4 pounds of bread and a job with the ration board for the presenter. Madame enlists the help of Blaustain since he is a leader and a person of integrity.
Arguments erupt over how to best use the cat. Blaustain get offers, bribes and deals that temp him but his sense of right and his personal strength prevail. The play smartly dramatizes the hard choices each of the residents of the resort must make as they struggle between selfishness and righteousness.
Resort 76 is an excellently acted ensemble piece led by the understated work of James Dunn. With nice help form Paul Joseph and Eustace Allen, Resort 76’s strength is in the immense humanity displayed by each resident. My faith in the basic goodness of man was reinforced by Resort 76. The play is touching without sentimentality. There in lies its power.
Highly Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: August 4, 2007
Jeff Recommended
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