Leni & Joseph

Leni & Joseph

The Shelter / Threshold

New Ohio Theatre

August 19, 2017

 

Photo courtesy of The Shelter

The Shelter is showcasing three emerging playwrights as part of their Threshold Fellowship at the New Ohio Theatre in the West Village.  I saw Leni & Joseph written by Jacob Marx Rice.  The play is very well produced.  Director Anna Strasser keeps the action focused and allows Mr. Rice’s well-crafted dialogue to beautifully tell this captivating story.

The play begins during the rise of the Nazi Party in Germany.  Filmmaker Leni Reifenstahl (played by Jessica Afton) is being recruited by the Minister of Propaganda, Joseph Goebbels (played by Samuel Adams) to create propaganda films for the Nazi Party.  She accepts the work, but not a position or title, which keeps her clear of political involvement, even though her high quality work affects million.  Mr. Rice brilliantly puts these two well drawn characters in constant conflict, ranging from the firing of a cameraman for a bad attitude to powerful political points of view.  This keeps the audience engaged while developing distinct characters driven by strong personal beliefs, one in art and the other in the greatness of a country.

Jessica Afton portrays Leni as a strong minded woman determined to achieve her goals as an artist.  Her self-awareness keeps her moving, creating, and surviving during one of the most tumultuous times in world history.  Her character lives until 2003.  Samuel Adams fully develops the character of Joseph Goebbels.  We see him as a compassionate individual, fully capable of betraying his own children for the cause.  That is a strong statement, yet one the character makes during the play.  The relationship these two actors create is based on mutual respect and understanding.  It is both warm and cunning.  Mr. Rice has written a truly complex and compelling relationship, and these two actors make it genuine and engaging.

Playwrights Jacob Marx Rice, Maiken Wiese,
& Morgan McGuire
Photo courtesy of The Shelter

The additional two plays in The Shelter’s Threshold Fellowship are The Other Kids Ran Away by Maiken Wiese and tselem by Morgan McGuire.  Performances run through August 26.  Check their website (www.theshelternyc.org) for tickets.  You need to get to know this company and hear the voice of these playwrights.

Domenick Danza