[NEohioPAL] BLOCK 5 review

[John Ballantyne]

YOUNGSTOWN — Writer- director J.E. Ballantyne has said the goal of
his “Block 5” is to help the world remember the horror of the Holocaust.
By making an unforgettable piece of theater, he has succeeded.
“Block 5” is a character study set entirely in the see-no-daylight
claustrophobia of a Nazi concentration camp. The specter of certain
death hangs over the eight filthy, shivering men in the hovel, turning
it into a pressure-cooker.
The current reincarnation of the play, which originally was
presented to acclaim five years ago, must be every bit as powerful as
its first go-round. Six members of the original cast have returned.
To mark the event, Mayor Jay Williams on Friday declared Jan. 15 to Feb. 7 (the run of the play) “Holocaust Awareness Weeks.”
“Block 5” is a serious and very dark piece. And at almost three hours long (with intermission), it is wordy.
Each character tells how he came to be a prisoner. In the process,
each reveals how his reaction to Nazi terror has burned inconsolable
regret and fear into his psyche.
Ballantyne also explores the greater themes of the Holocaust in
crackling dialogue: defiance, courage, hope and broken spirits, the
culture of hate and the reverence for life.
Though the themes are nothing new — any schoolboy would be familiar
with them — they become more focused when seen through the prism of a
doomed man’s eyes.
The experience of the ensemble cast, comprised of highly respected
actors, was evident on opening night. Despite the expository nature of
the play, it came off without a single flub.
The most riveting moments come when camp Commandant Franz Ziereis
(Glenn Stevens) barges into the block, rousing the men from their bunks
with his armed guards and the Kapo (Tim McGinley), a turncoat henchman.
In full dress uniform and exuding evil intent, the commandant
glowers over his ragged prisoners with mock sympathy for a race he
hates.
John Cox plays Lt. Josef Cartier, a British POW who is inexplicably
thrown into Block 5 with seven Jews. Unlike his new neighbors, he is —
at least initially — robust and hopeful. The original seven are
bewildered by his presence. At first they think he’s a spy, but they
soon befriend him.
The Jewish prisoners are played by Alan McCreary (Moshe Zuckerman,
the most rational and respected of the group), John Pecano (starving
and tightly wound, and looking every bit the part), C. Richard Haldi,
Dylan White, Thomas Lee Ewen, Tom O’Donnell and Roger Wright.
It becomes apparent that the strange circumstances in Block 5 are
nothing more than a sadistic whim of the captors. The men are chess
pieces in a macabre game.
Shortly after Cartier’s arrival, the vicious Kapo, who bullies his
brethren in exchange for preferential treatment, tells the seven Jewish
men they are all to die in seven weeks — and they must decide who goes
first.
A plan to escape is threaded into the plot, adding intrigue and a ticking-clock scenario.
“Block 5” is based on an actual event, and the producers take seriously its mission of keeping history alive.
A beautiful scale model of the Mauthausen concentration camp, where
the story takes place, is set up in the lobby. It shows what the camp
looks like on the outside, providing a you-are-here mental map for
theatergoers. The stone quarry where the Jews labored 12 hours a day,
seven days a week, is right outside the camp walls.
Also, photographs of Mauthausen and quotes from its inhabitants are
displayed on the walls inside the Victorian Players Theater, bringing
home the reality of the action on the stage.
X“Block 5” will be presented at 2 p.m. today, next Sunday and Jan.
31; and at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and Jan. 29-30, at Victorian
Players Theater, 702 Mahoning Ave.; call (330) 746-5455. The play will
also be shown at Main Street Theater in Columbiana Feb. 5-7; call (330)
482-9647.


      
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