Ann Noble and Leo Marks (Photo by Matt Kamimura)
Reviewed by Lucinda Linklater
Son of Semele and Victory Theatre Center
Through Nov. 10
RECOMMENDED
This review is part of the Stage Raw/Unusual Suspects Youth Journalism Fellowship
In 1938, German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, traveled to Hollywood seeking an American distributor for her acclaimed film, Olympia. The film covered the Berlin Olympic games. Although Riefenstahl’s filmmaking was innovative and new, introducing cinematic techniques that would be utilized for years to come, her talents served as a powerful tool of propaganda for Nazi Germany.
Tom Jacobson’s play, Crevasse, opens in a small Berlin apartment where Ernst Jaeger, a film critic and editor, is in a loving debate with Lotte Jaeger, his Jewish wife. Lotte encourages him to travel to Hollywood with Riefenstahl, to secure much needed favor with the Nazi Regime. He subsequently accompanies Riefenstahl on her journey to meet with American studio-heads she hopes will agree to distribute her film. However, she arrives in Hollywood to a rude awakening. Because of the anti-Semitic Kristallnacht vandalism throughout Nazi Germany, Austria, and in the Free City of Danzig, and recently escalated anti-Nazi protests in Los Angeles, many of the studio heads refuse to meet with her. All but one: Walt Disney.
Most of Crevasse takes place in that very meeting between Disney (Leo Marks), and Riefenstahl (Ann Nobel). It is here that the tone shifts drastically. Disney’s swift movements, high pitched character voices, and enthusiasm, contradict Riefenstahl’s oblivious Nazi rhetoric, which makes this scene so hauntingly effective while still provoking laughs from the audience. Although this scene takes up most of the play, this is where Jacobson weaves in Riefenstahl’s nuance as a character for the first time, as well as Disney’s descent into moral ambiguity. This is largely why the scene doesn’t drag despite its length. The only downside in focusing solely on Disney and Riefenstahl, is that the other characters, specifically Jaeger, drift out of focus throughout the course of the play, a focus that is established at the start and is essential to an emotionally satisfying finale.
The Victory Theater stage is small, and yet the Evan Bartoletti’s set is a masterclass in design. Under Matthew McCray’s direction, the play seamlessly and swiftly switches between many different locations. This is something I haven’t seen in a show in quite some time, and it was because of this, I was able to remember what it is to feel completely immersed in an hour and a half production without having time to think about that production prematurely.
Noble’s and Marks’s masterful acting make this show all the more exquisite, as they play every character in the production. Their characterizations are so distinct (In addition to Disney and Jaeger, Marks also portrays Joseph Goebbels. Meanwhile, along with Riefenstahl, Noble also plays an FBI worker and Ernst’s Jewish wife, Lotte; even without the small costume differences, I could still identify one character from another.
Marks’s portrayal of Disney is completely uncanny, from his humble genius to his inability to make eye contact, he makes it difficult to look away. Noble is also addicting to watch, her presence and range are off the charts, she is loud and hilarious and fiercely intelligent. The two have wonderful chemistry and make a dynamic comedic team while also highlighting the darkness in the text.
The Victory Theatre Center, 3326 W. Victory Blvd., Burbank. Fri.-Sat., 8 pm, Sun., 4 pm; thru Nov. 10. https://thevictorytheatrecenter.org Running time: 90 minutes with no intermission.
