A woman's struggle for hope against despair and the rarely-told story of Sobibor death camp meet in Next Act Theatre's production, "Dear Esther."
Incorporating the past and the present, the story follows Esther Raab (portrayed by Flora Coker) as she shares her story with school children. Laura Gray portrays Esther as she was during World War II and provides a conscience presence to the adult version of herself.
The story follows Esther and her family from their normal life in Helm, Poland, to the ghettos, work camps and death camps that populated Eastern Europe at that time. Esther made much of the journey herself — her father was shot, her mother committed suicide and her brother was taken for dead after an attempted escape.
The stage is small and close to the audience. The three-tier moveable platform setting and sparse props breathe life into the scenes that dictated their environment. The dim lighting presents an intimate view of each movement and their emotions.
As the adult Esther decides what memories to share, the younger Esther interjects with details she feels are being left out, forgotten or misrepresented. Only the audience can see this interaction, and one has to wonder what it would have been like to hear the real Esther talk without hearing her younger self's comments.
The internal arguments are the meat of the show, as theatergoers see the ghosts of the past fight to get closure, air and truth. Coker and Gray portray realistically different versions of one person, each taking turns playing devil's advocate and portraying a calm, sane serenity.
The show takes breaks from some of the more intense moments by incorporating letters from many of the children that the real Esther talked to over the years. The ages, topics and questions vary from silly ("Did you have a boyfriend in the camp?") to serious ("Would you kill a Nazi today if you saw one?"). The answers each Esther presents show how their emotions have mutated with age.
Bo Johnson, Maureen Kilmurry, Chris Klopatek and Betsy Skowbo provide a strong supporting cast, each playing roles of fellow prisoners, Esther's family, and the children whose letters are read on stage. They bring Esther's story to life — from the fear of the Nazi commander at Sobibor and the anticipation of the planned murders of several Nazi soldiers to the sheer desire to be free that characterizes the Holocaust's greatest escape.
"Dear Esther" brings to life hope in despair. Esther shares how she never let herself picture herself dead, and how belief in God is the only way she can come to terms with why she is alive when others were not as lucky. The memory of her mother was also important to her survival as well as her struggle. She questions why her mother left her and why her mother had the courage she didn't have.
"Dear Esther" is a struggle against painful memories, a search for the truth and a quest to forgive those that left her and those that hurt her. In the end, Esther finds she is able to cry, and fulfills the promise the prisoners at Sobibor made: "If anyone survives, tell the world what went on here."
"Dear Esther" runs through Oct. 17 at Next Act's Off-Broadway Theatre, 342 N. Water St. More information is available by calling 278-7780.
Grade: AB