Indiana Repertory Theatre’s Playwright in Residence James Still wrote And Then They Came For Me in 1996, and its power is undiminished. The play is based on interviews with Eva Schloss and Ed Silverberg, friends of Anne Frank, and were caught up in the nightmare of the Holocaust but lived to tell of lives spent in hiding and the horrors of the concentration camps. When it was first produced, it created a tremendous amount of buzz, and has been performed throughout the world in the years that follow. And Then They Came For Me has come full circle, back to the IRT Upperstage until Feb. 15.
The play takes the audience from pre-Nazi Germany, through their various moves as a result of the anti-Jewish laws passed when Hitler came to power, then into hiding in order to survive, until they are captured and sent to concentration camps. We see the eyes of two young people, Eva and Ed, who are forced to grow up too fast in a world of hatred and madness. Video interviews play overhead, with dialogue from the real Eva and Ed picked up by the actors playing them below.
Live performance and videos of Schloss and Silverberg are woven together on stage to create a memorable theatre experience. The cast includes the outstanding student-actors Elizabeth Hutson as Eva, Weston LeCrone as Heinz and Hitler Youth, Zoe Turner as Anne Frank, and Joseph Mervis as Ed, who bring the young victims of the Holocaust to life on stage. Jennifer Johansen, who plays Ed’s mother, and Mutti, is a familiar face to regular theatre-goers, and brings a powerful presence to her scenes. Mark Goetzinger portrays Ed’s father and Pappy as pragmatic and protective.
Staging is simple and chilling, with barbed wire, rails, and lighting effects that enhance the terrifying story of teens facing the worst of humanity, yet remaining humane themselves.
And Then They Came For Me is an intense, painful reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust specifically, and what hatred can lead to in general. It is also a testament to the strength of Ed, Eva, and other concentration camp survivors, and the enduring spirit of Anne Frank.
And Then They Came For Me continues on Fridays and Saturdays (Saturday matinees at 3 p.m.) through Feb. 15 at the IRT Upperstage. Tickets are $25-$45 and are available by calling 635-5252 or visiting www.irtlive.com.
