When I received the playbill for My Parsifal Conductor I was a little confused. I heard this play was discussing controversial issues and yet it proclaims itself to be a comedy. I checked the playbill again to make sure I read it correctly. Yes- “A Wagnerian Comedy”. I was very intrigued to see how this show went down. How can you tackle a serious issue in a comedic style? Would it end up being offensive?

 

To say I was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. The play masterfully depicts the deep anti-Semitism that can exist within people. The premise of the play is that Cosima, nearing the end of her life, must convince the angels (the audience) that she should go to heaven. The only problem? She was a vehement anti-Semite. Cosima and Richard Wagner were abhorred at King Ludwig’s demands that Hermann Levi conduct Richard’s Parsifal. The Wagners admitted that Levi was the most talented conductor, yet they did not want him to conduct Parsifal because of his Jewish identity.

 

You might be wondering how this could be presented as a comedy. Well, the comedy was interspersed in the dialogue and storyline. And to my surprise, the fact that it was presented like this made the case against anti-Semitism even stronger. Let me explain.

 

Richard was portrayed as a hilariously nonsensical, loud, silly character. He had tantrums and outbursts and acted like a child for a large part of the play. He came up with the “brilliant” idea to baptize Levi so that he could conduct Parsifal. This idea was laughably absurd.  It wasn’t like Cosima was any better though… She tried to flirt with Levi to get him to agree to be baptized! They both tried to bribe him with an expensive cross (to which Levi wittily replied that a cross was the only gift he didn’t receive for his Bar Mitzvah). Clearly they felt Levi was gifted and should conduct Parsifal so why didn’t they just let him? What was sprinkling water on him against his will actually going to do? These humorous actions showed the audience how baseless yet strong the anti-Semitism of the time was- the only thing stopping Levi from having Richard and Cosima’s approval was that he was Jewish!

 

Levi was also given many funny and witty lines. The humor helped portray Levi as a “normal” person. He wasn’t different or inferior in any way because he was Jewish. His calm and wise nature made the Wagners look even crazier to a point that you couldn’t hold back your laughter. The fact that Levi was just a good, funny person helped the case against anti-Semitism by putting the audience, so to speak, on Levi’s “side”.

 

A comedy portraying that there truly was (and is) no reason for anti-Semitism? A comedy showing how prejudices cloud judgement? A comedy that makes the audience laugh, feel bad, and think deeply? Is that possible? Yes, it is. I witnessed it with my own eyes.

-Sarah Weissman