Arts in New York City: Baruch College, Fall 2008, Professor Roslyn Bernstein

Portraying a passionate subject about a passionate war, “In Conflict” puts the Iraq War into perspective in this Off-Broadway production. Yvonne Latty, the brains behind this play, captures the personal accounts of seventeen soldiers who serve or have served in the war, and brings them to the public. There is much confusion and hidden information from the American people about the war. People do not know what to believe anymore. Are we winning? Are we losing? Are we doing the right thing? With its wonderful script, casting and setting, “In Conflict” succeeds at conveying the ambiguities of the war and exposing them to the public eye.
As the play starts off, images of the American flag can be seen on the stage and on the flat- screens around it. Truly, a sense of patriotism is evoked in the audience. A group of seventeen soldiers enters the scene, and throughout the two hours of the play, we listen to each of their accounts of their role in the Iraq War. As involved or not involved in politics and international affairs as you may be, the stories grip your interest immediately. A combination of deeply emotional and sad stories and ones that are courageous and uplifting create a great balance which really gives the play a good flow. In addition to the scripting, the music during the acts sets the mood as well. [Read more →]

What I thought to be a one-person play, was, in fact, not. In Dan Gordon’s new play, “Irena’s Vow”, Irena retells the true story of her hiding 12, or rather, 13, lives in the cellar of a German major’s house, as well as endangering her own. Centered around life and death, she devises a plan to help them and lives to tell the story. At first exposed to the script, I thought Irena would be playing the voices of several different characters, with photographs projected on the panel behind her, but it was a one-person play in that she retold her story through herself, with the help of the supporting cast invented from her memories. [Read more →]

If you want to experience romance forbidden by society’s morals and ideals, then South Pacific tells the story and draws you in it. The irresistible new revival of Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein’s South Pacific since 1949 brought to attention the theme of love and racial tolerance, a concept still relevant today. Held at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, South Pacific captivated its audience with its dreamy setting, blast-from-the-past costumes, catchy melodies, and adept cast. [Read more →]

I was born in a small town near city Wen Zhou, China. Opportunity was limited. People were expected to work in the fields or seek minimum payment jobs in the city. My mother was the exception. She, dropped out of middle school in order to support her family, started a successful door knob manufacturing business when I was three years old. By the time I reach eight years old I was rebellious. I was fascinated with the city life and envied those that who attended elementary school in the city —their parents would bring them to KFC. I begged my mother to let me go to school in the city and promised her I would behave. She finally succumbed, “promise me you will study hard.” It was my mother’s determination to provide the best learning environment for me that I entered the most prestigious elementary school in the city at the age of eight. [Read more →]

images.theglobeandmail.com/ archives/RTGAM/ima

I went to see the show, In Conflict, in Greenwich Village. I was looking forward to seeing this play, especially because I was never in the area before. I expected the play to be a little bit depressing but to mostly portray the war in Iraq as necessary and its veterans as heroes. However, this is not at all what I actually watched, it was something of a completely different nature.
The play is based on the book that a journalist wrote about the stories of Iraqi war veterans. She interviewed about 12 people and asked them about their experiences in the war and their life when they came back home to the United States. Most of the people she interviewed, tell her all of the negative experiences they have had in the war. Some suffered from horrible injuries, while others spoke about the loss of a relative or friend. Students from Temple University acted out the veterans in the book. [Read more →]

South Pacific is the classic romance tale. It is both triumphant and tragic. It seamlessly blends cultural differences, the stresses of war, and racism into a boundless love story. The main characters, Nellie and Emile, face the trials and tribulations of every relationship, while Lieutenant Joe Cable struggles to accept and understand the feelings in his heart. [Read more →]

Rome was like no place that I’d ever seen and even though it sounds cliché it really was more striking than any pictures or descriptions that anyone could imagine. It is not at all what people imagine it to be. There are no people running around in togas singing “O Sole Mio”. Each day was filled with endless amazement and jaw-dropping wonders of the ancient world. I was stunned by the shear volume of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel and Last Judgment. [Read more →]

In Conflict is Yvonne Latty’s depiction of the Iraqi War’s untold stories. It is filled with compelling and heartbreaking accounts of real Iraqi War veteran’s experiences. The monologues that are delivered by the actors are a highlight of the show. The set was a distraction and did not enhance the play whatsoever. The play was highlighted by a very poignant moment at the end that brings the show full circle and is touching and emotional. [Read more →]

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 →]

Lincoln Center Theater

            On some enchanted evening, you find a musical that simply steals your heart. Its story touches upon the harsh truths of today’s society and yet it offers the hope that people can change and that true love is possible. Its music moves you emotionally to the extent that you leave the theatre singing “If you’ll excuse an expression I use. I’m in love. I’m in love. I’m in love.” This is the magic of South Pacific. [Read more →]