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A new company, The Actors Group, has appeared in Phoenix. This group, conceived, developed, and managed by local Valley theatrical artists, is "committed to provide creative, enlightened, and socially relevant theatre." It's one thing to make a statement like this, but another to put it into action. As if to forcefully drive home the meaning of their statement, the group's first play is the gut wrenching, controversial and very socially relevant play, "Bent."
Set in Nazi Germany, the play follows the life of a homosexual from his reckless days in Berlin to his confinement in a concentration camp. The play explores the increasing paranoia and cruelty against homosexuality that followed the gay purge of the military in 1934, and shows the brutality used to rid Germany of its homosexual population.
When first performed on Broadway, the play caused an uproar. It portrays homosexuals (called "puffs" or "bent" by the Nazis), who were forced to wear pink triangles to segregate them from the other prisoners, as having had an even worse time in the camps than the Jews. Another cause for dispute is the frank and open way that homosexuality is dealt with. The play has full male frontal nudity, and there is a scene where two homosexual prisoners, no longer allowed to touch or even look at each other, perform sex vocally, using blatant descriptions to reach their solo- simultaneous climaxes. The play, though, realistically portrays a believably unbelievable situation, and has a lot to say not just about homosexuals, but about humanity.
The cast is generally very solid, and have the unique ability of underplaying their roles and letting the situation, rather than their reactions, create the horror. The standout in this solid cast is Rusty Ferracane, who plays Max, the central character whom we see go from the heights to the depths through the three years we follow him. He never overplays the situation, and builds his emotions well until the two inevitable climax scenes that end act one and act two. The rest of the cast is great, although Robert L. Harper's performance of Rudy, the first of Max's lovers, seems a little too forced and uneven: the show really seems to take off upon his untimely demise.
Matthew Mazuroski's direction is the glue that holds this piece together. The actors at first seemed to be out of sync, but there was a magical moment more than halfway through the first act that set the tone for the rest of the evening. After fleeing from the authorities, Max and Rudy are caught and taken aboard one of the infamous trains to Dachau. The audience's seats shook with the rumbling sounds of the train. The lighting was dimmed, what little light there was coming from a constantly swaying dim light. The stage became barren, overwhelmed with the tension from the actors on-stage awaiting their fate. For that one moment, the audience was transported directly into that situation. The result was breathtaking. It's potent moments like these that make risky theatre worth the effort.
T.J. Weltzien's set used the spare space very effectively, as did Kimberly Hadfield's lighting design. Their talents were especially appreciated during the above-noted train sequence, as well as Timothy Butterfield's sometimes haunting, sometimes frightening sound design.
Kudos go to The Actors Group for such a powerful start. "Bent" is not an easy play to perform or to watch. The brutality and basic truths about humanity and sexuality can make even the strongest actor and audience member squirm. With the rising rate of anti-homosexual hate crimes in America and especially in the Phoenix area, it is productions like these that can remind everyone of the natural progression of such thoughtless, ignorant acts and help shed light on commonalties that we, as humans, share.
Production Details:
"Bent" by Martin Sherman
The Actors Group
Planet Earth Multi-Cultrual Theatre, Phoenix
241-1828
February 21, 1996-March 14, 1996
Monday through Thursday-8 pm, Sunday Matinee-2 pm
Contains Nudity and Adult Themes.
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