Dominique Fatu
Reviewed by Katy Kragel
Little Fish Theatre
Through March 1
RECOMMENDED
As playwright, Amy Tofte, explains in the world premiere of her show, Righteous Among Us, the term “Righteous Among the Nations” is a title awarded to non-Jewish people who risked their own lives to save Jewish people during the Holocaust. There has to be proof that they both risked their lives and received no financial benefits for their heroism. With these two requirements, the list of people awarded this honor is sadly quite minimal. And throughout Tofte’s play, the audience grapples with the question of whether or not we are truly capable of being the righteous among us in the seemingly never-ending chaotic, tragic political sphere of 2026.
Directed by Sabra Williams, the play follows a young research volunteer, Mila Stevens (a charming, exuberant Dominique Fatu). Stevens interviews descendants of a country town in Poland who all share a similar heroic tale of escaping the Nazis through a hospital aided by a non-Jewish couple who worked there. We watch as Stevens interviews the granddaughter of the non-Jewish couple, Natalie Carlton (Austin Highsmith Garces) as well as the daughter of one of the survivors, Ruthie Bergen (Rachel Levy.) As she hears the detailed account of this historic moment, something isn’t adding up and her responsibility to the truth takes center stage.
From the moment the show begins, it’s clear that Tofte intends to put the spotlight on the audience. The set is relatively simple — two chairs, a table, and some cardboard office boxes in the corners. Stevens enters the playing space, formatted as a three quarter thrust, and begins speaking directly to the audience, asking questions about a tweet that Donald Trump had posted less than 48 hours prior to the performance. Doing this — integrating the narrative of this play with what is happening in American politics today — creates the opportunity for the audience to think about the big questions of truth, how we tell our history, and the implications of those things in heated political spheres or discussions.
Righteous Among Us is filled with incredible timeliness and passion, and the three actresses mostly meet the challenge. Unfortunately, for all its focus on heavy emotional and political topics, Carlton’s character feels a little one note, edging on satirical rather than authentic. Compared with the phenomenal emotional arc achieved by Levy in her beautiful and graceful portrayal of Bergen’s character, Carlton’s performance is regrettably limited in range.
Not all the lighting and/or sound design elements support the production. But continually turning up the house lights during the performance proved a brilliant choice for this poignant, political piece as it forces audience members into eye contact with both Stevens and each other. It also helped — and was in keeping with the theme — to experience the show in a small intimate space. Keeping lights on is an ideal way to underscore the theme of a play that truly wants us to examine the roles we play — or rather choose not to play — in the horrific politics of 2026. And with some polishing, Righteous Among Us could effectively act as an ever-so-important bridge between the stage and politics.
Little Fish Theatre ,514 N. Prospect Ave Ste. L-1, Redondo Beach. Fri.-Sat., 8 pm, Sun., 2:30 pm; thru March 1. www.littlefishtheatre.org Running time: approximately two hours and 15 minutes with an intermission.
