Incident at Vichy

I had read ABOUT Arthur Miller's Incident at Vichy but never actually read or seen the play before when I went last night to see director Michael Wilson's production of it at the Signature Theatre Company.

Much like the Signature's production of Leslie Lee's The First Breeze of Summer, this show reminded me of how impoverished the contemporary American stage has become. It seems impossible that anyone today would write a piece like Incident at Vichy and have the slightest hope it would ever be produced.

This production has an all-male cast of 17. That's right--17! And all men! Not only that, some of those men double at the end, as Miller throws in a few extra characters right at the last moment. A script like that would find a home nowhere today in a theater's literary office (other than in the recycling bin).

Fortunately, because Incident at Vichy has Arthur Miller's name attached to it, the signature has revived the play. There is one set, and the action is relentless for about 90 minutes. During that time, Miller barrages us with questions about what it means to be a decent human being. The Vichy in question is the capital of the Nazi's puppet government in the southern half of France during World War II, so being a decent human being is becoming increasingly complicated.

A group of rounded up prisoners wait. One by one they are called into a room to be examined. Some of them are released. Most are not. Trains are rolling off to camps in the east, and rumors about those camps are spreading. In the midst of all this, the aristocratic Von Berg (played wonderfully by Richard Thomas) finds himself mistakenly taken into custody. A Catholic Austrian from one of the oldest families in Europe, Von Berg is almost certainly going to be set free. But what will his freedom mean when others are whisked away for no reason?

Miller gives us an interesting moral dilemma, but no easy answers. Like in The Crucible, he shows that sacrifice might not even have practical value. The final moments of the play make us wonder if any action an individual took in that situation could make a difference in the world. In the end, though, what is important is not changing the world, but staying true to ourselves. By refusing to go along with barbarities, individuals save their souls, even if they can save no one else.

The play is running through December 13th. For more information, go here:

Incident at Vichy

Remembering Leslie Lee

Earlier this year, the American theatre lost an amazing playwright when Leslie Lee passed away at the age of 83.

I remember seeing Mr. Lee at the back of the audience when I went to see the Signature Theatre Company's production of The First Breeze of Summer. I wanted to go up to him and tell him how much I liked the play, but I was too shy. It was my loss.

The First Breeze of Summer premiered on Broadway in 1975. I missed it, as I was busy being born that year, but it was nominated for a Tony that season, losing out only to Tom Stoppard's Travesties, itself no shabby piece of work.

The play tells the story of a typical African-American family, but instead of revolving around race, it focuses on family relationships and and the disillusionment of youth. Racial issues are certainly in the play, and that is one of the things it is about, but it isn't the only thing it is about. Lee proved that African-American playwrights could speak eloquently about a number of issues, while still not losing sight of fundamental injustices in society.

I bring up Lee now because the Signature will be hosting a memorial service for him on Monday. I won't be able to make it, but if you want to go, the celebration of his life and career will be at 3:00. That evening, there will also be a reading of his play Legends to benefit The Leslie Lee Legacy Foundation.

For more information, go here:

Negro Ensemble Company

http://www.necinc.org/