Pass It On

“Here you don’t wait for death, you expect it.”

The chugging of a train. Women, one by one enter the theater, hover over a portrait and precede to hang it on the back stage wall.

With the tweet of a whistle, I jump back in my seat. The girls gasp for air, the fluster of clothes as the ladies rush to change into their new garbs--gray dresses resembling potato sack and white kerchiefs enveloping their heads. They march into file as if they’re being herded by a Border Collie.

I couldn’t help but cringe every time I heard that whistle.

A couple weeks ago I watched one of the most mesmerizing theater experiences I’ve ever seen (yes, yes, I’m delayed in my post. My apologies).

“Who Will Carry the Word,” is a heart wrenching portrayal of the life woman endured during World War II, at Auschwitz. Based on the experiences of author, Charlotte Delbo, a holocaust survivor, the story follows the struggle of 20 women living in a real hell-on-Earth. Under the direction of Tony Hostetter, “Who Will Carry the Word” was performed at The Adrienne Theatre in Philadelphia.

I don’t believe I can put into words how emotionally resounding this story is. I know there were tears in my eyes for the 75 minutes I sat watching. But to think that this is a true story, and only one of millions of similar true stories, is mind boggling and beyond any horror I could ever imagine. And there were survivors.

There were many good moments between the girls. Overall, most had a grasp for the content and message. I could have used a little more emotion from some characters every now and again, considering the rich content. Whitney Nielsen, playing Fancoise, in particular, was spellbinding, and the heroine to boot. I sobbed with her when their party of three was diminished to two by a guards’ gunshot. Nielsen's character also had an intriguing progression; from attempting to strangle herself at the beginning, then transitioning into a beacon of hope for her comrades. She became a source of strength as they passed on one by one. The bare stage helped emphasize the impact of lives lost. Slowly, the stage became less crowded. You witnessed the decimation of life before your eyes.

The chilling truth is that this tale, this staged saga, is real. It happened. It’s in history books around the world. But no textbook or history lesson can portray the emotions like live people. The story feels real; it shows you the feelings and struggle in a way that’s incomparable by any other medium. It’s like I’m there, crying in the corner for these girls because I know I can’t do anything for them. I can’t change what happened or their fate.

Perhaps this is why I love theater.