Category — Irena’s Vow

theatermania.com

        Ms. Feldshuh plays the role of Irena Gut Opdyke, a young Polish Catholic girl, who is cast with the tremendous responsibility of keeping twelve Jews hidden away from the Nazis during World War II. The deterioration of Ms. Feldshuh’s mighty presence during Irena’s emotional breakdowns, as she recounts her experiences during the war, is striking and powerful. It sends a clear message of the destruction caused by the war not only to physical property, but also to people’s spirits. Ms. Feldshuh’s masterful artistry is further exhibited during the small instants of dark humor that are interspersed throughout the show. In a play about a subject of this magnitude, humor is an unexpected surprise, but Ms. Feldshuh’s performance manages to be respectful, while accentuating the terrible circumstances under which this humor exists. Although, Ms. Feldshuh is clearly the star of the show, Thomas Ryan, Steven Hauck, Maja Wampuszyc, Gene Silvers, Tracee Chimo, and John Stanisci act as a great supporting cast for Ms. Feldshuh. [Read more →]

The dark stage and the even darker material make Irena’s vow a very serious portrayal of the true story of a young, courageous Polish woman. This play tells the real life story of Irena Gut Opdyke who made a daring decision to hide several Jewish people from the wrath of the Nazis. The play is told in unique fashion with Tovah Feldshuh introducing the story as an elderly Irena, and then she continues to narrate the story while pretending to be the youthful Irena. This unique way of telling the story gives you a more personal connection with the character. The story is told fluidly with the different characters all playing their roles quite well. The only character issue that I had was with Ms. Feldshuh herself, she sought to portray herself for most of the performance as the young Irena but the transition was not very visible.

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After reading the play and preparing myself to see Irena’s Vow at Baruch’s Performing Arts Center, I was utterly surprised to see the way it was produced. I mostly anticipated a one-woman show, but all of the unexpected actors played their parts admirably. [Read more →]

“Irena’s Vow” is an original play with a controversial theme and a grim tone.  The main character and protagonist of the play Irena, played by Tovah Feldshuh, does a spectacular job of both narrating and acting out her plight during the Holocaust.  Irena, already witnessing so much death as a young woman, makes a promise to herself to protect the lives of thirteen Jewish refugees.  She has the responsibility of preserving these lives as well as her own in the midst of the bloodiest slaughtering in world history.  Irena is mostly seen avoiding Strumbannfuher Rokita, played by John Stanisci, throughout the play, being that he could easily be mistaken for Adolf Hitler’s clone.  Although this personality was obvious because of his stereotypical Nazi upbringing, Stanisci could have done a better job bringing the character to life truly becoming the crazed lunatic Rokita was in real life.  Irena develops an odd relationship with the other main character of the play, Major Rugemer, played by Thomas Ryan.  Proud of his rank in the German military, Rugemer wouldn’t be caught dead helping the “Jew vermin” escape to freedom.  Ryan portrays the lonely, grief-stricken general to perfection depicting both the crazed Nazi side as well as a sensitive one.  The love-hate relationship between Irena and Major Rugemer proves to become very interesting as the course of the play develops raising many eyebrows. [Read more →]

Irena’s Vow is the compelling true story of a young woman who survived the horrors of Nazi Germany. The heroine of the story Irena Gut, is just a young girl when she has to suffer through the ordeal of the Hitler’s reign. The play blends comedy with a very grave and solemn topic to effectively relay a story that is both gripping and exciting. The story is enhanced by the set and the performance of the main character but, it is hindered by the performances of others. [Read more →]

As I descended to the BPAC theatre I was anticipating a great show. I loved the script of Irena’s Vow and I was anxious to see how the actors would bring it to life. The audience of the play was mostly students of Baruch College, and elderly people. I am wondering if this is because the middle aged generation are not interested in the Holocaust, or they just do not have time to attend performances like the elderly people do.
It is interesting how Irena goes from playing an old woman in her 70’s to playing a young woman around 20. She does this by first having her hair up in a bun, and then letting it loose. I might have thought that the director would want to have two different actors play her. However, Tova Feldshuh, who plays Irena, makes both parts seem plausible. [Read more →]