Irena’s Vow

The Holocaust, not again!

We groan when we hear yet another production of a Holocaust story has made its off Broadway debut. Schindler’s List, Sophie’s Choice, and everything ever written by Elie Weisel, exhausted the topic. In fact, many theatergoers might easily overlook this small-scale production merely due to its stale subject matter. However, Dan Gordon’s play about the Nazi occupation of Poland is anything but redundant; Tovah Feldshuh saves the day with her five star performance.
Irena’s Vow commemorates the poignant and heroic story of Irena, a young Polish girl working for the Nazis. The story is a flashback, and the audience is first introduced to Irena as she recounts her life to a group of high school students. She tells them of the horrible things she saw, how she was raped by the Russians, and how she ended up hiding 12 Jews in a distinguished German major’s villa.
Although Gordon tackles a somber topic, Irena’s Vow will not leave viewers despondent. This is, in part, due to the brilliant acting of Tovah Feldshuh and cast. A seasoned actor and Jewish History enthusiast, Feldshuh is certainly not an amateur. She dismisses the preconception that a Holocaust production must be humorless, and consistently delivers her lines with effervescence which both surprises and delights even the most disillusioned viewer. It is hard to sit through Irena’s Vow without chuckling at one of the powerfully delivered punch lines from its star performer. This, however, makes the dialog less believable, and thereby discredits the story’s narrative. While a mood of mournfulness is palpable, (it is a Holocaust production after all) one will be surprised to find that, for most of the play, the audience is smiling and lighthearted.
Feldshuh’s role as a heroin, comedian, and teacher is not an easy one. The props are scarce and somewhat unrealistic (eating off of empty plates, drinking out of empty tea cups) as is the set itself. A mere tangle of wooden beams, the set seemed to be a little irrelevant. At one point, the Jewish refugees climb through a passage only to end up in the same spot due to the limited space on the stage. Although it is distracting when Feldshuh hurriedly swaps out an apron for coat in the background, the audience is surely more captivated by dialog than attire.
The play ends with Irena’s warning to never forget or deny the atrocities of the Holocaust. With plays like Irena’s Vow that take a fresh look at the timeworn classic, I doubt that is likely. Whether or not this production will be easily forgotten is solely up to the viewer’s preference. Irena’s Vow is hit or miss. If one is able to look past the humble set and the tired subject of the play, they will surely enjoy the great performance by Feldshuh and cast.