Review

From Antigone to student strikers in Beijing’s Tiananmen
Square, history remembers the conscientious objector who, though
misunderstood at the time, eventually becomes a symbol of
idealistic sacrifice.

Such is the case in the Center Theatre Group’s production
of “iWitness,” on stage at the Mark Taper Forum through
May 21, chronicling the story of Franz Jägerstätter, the
sole Austrian farmer to vote against the annexation of Austria to
Nazi Germany at the beginning of World War II.

Written by Israeli playwright Joshua Sobol,
“iWitness” effectively depicts the struggle of one man
to maintain his ideals in a world that has been turned upside down
by aggression, arrogance and lust for power. Director Barry
Edelstein’s adaptation of the work succeeds in painting a
complex portrait of Nazi Germany, making the decision of Franz
(played by Gareth Saxe) to oppose the Third Reich much more
difficult.

The entire play takes place in Franz’s cell on death row
in Berlin, depicting his interactions with prison guards,
psychiatrists, visiting friends and priests. Each of them in turn
attempts to persuade Franz to sign a letter of commitment to the
Third Reich, warning him that if he continues on in his idealistic
nonsense, he will soon face the guillotine and be separated from
his family forever.

Edelstein succeeds in directing each one of these characters
quite differently, creating a diverse array of plausible reasons to
join the army. Franz’s friend Martin (James Joseph
O’Neil), an anti-aircraft gunner for the army, argues that
his work shooting down Allied bombers saves thousands of civilian
lives ““ surely Franz could not look on him as part of the
enemy?

Conversely, Franz’s friend Hans (Seamus Dever), an Army
chauffeur, offers a far more cynical view of the war. He flat out
states his belief that Germany will lose the war and that he only
looks to save his own skin while enjoying his silly assignment as
much as possible. He enters into a disarmingly facetious, satirical
conversation with Franz, mocking Hitler and his ambitions. When
Martin accuses Hans of becoming totally corrupt, Hans corrects him:
“Human. I’m only human.”

But even Hans cannot convince Franz to abandon his ideals so
easily. When Franz tries on the Nazi uniform, he visibly trembles,
even beginning to whimper softly. As he explains to Dr. Raps (Joan
McMurtrey), the prison physician, “When a leader allows
himself to break the rules of humanity, it is the duty of every
citizen to break the leader’s rules,” thus establishing
himself not as anti-war but anti-Hitler.

Ironically, Sobol casts a Catholic priest as Franz’s most
potent devil’s advocate. Father Jochmann (Michael Rudko)
rebukes Franz for his arrogance and argues that Hitler’s
conquering of Poland is “Germany’s move to at long last
retrieve its plundered territories.” Their conversation
indicates the power of propaganda, even on formerly morally upright
individuals.

“iWitness” addresses Word War II specifically, never
lapsing into direct commentary on the current war in Iraq. But the
similarities are there, which makes Sobol’s play particularly
relevant. Edelstein wisely allows the audience to make their own
conclusions as to how much it may resemble our world today.

The play features a talented all-around cast, with Saxe as an
obvious standout. Most innovative is the play’s staging and
emphasis on symbolic props. Throughout “iWitness,”
video footage from World War II is projected onto the back wall of
the set, bringing greater weight to the play. Sounds of trains
frequently filled the theater, alluding to Franz’s abhorrence
of the way the Nazi government was transporting thousands of
minority groups to concentration camps.

In the play, Franz first appears to the audience tirelessly
shining the shoes of his fellow inmates and ends by polishing a
cast-iron pot just before he is summoned to the guillotine. Only in
doing this dirty work is he free to do whatever it is he wants to
do.

E-mail Tate at ntate@media.ucla.edu.

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