Mixed Emotions
Edith Stein struggles with a hatred that goes against her Catholic theology in Open Window Theatre's production.
Image credit: Arthur Giron/Open Window Theatre
The World War II era gave birth to a cast of attention-grabbing villains, heroes and martyrs. Edith Stein comes from that tumultuous time, but there’s a good chance you’ve never heard of her. Still, there is a fascination and drama about her story that makes hers a story worth retelling.
Which is where the Open Window Theatre comes in. Their staging of Stein's story, appropriately titled Edith Stein, recounts her life as a Jewish-born woman who converts to Catholicism after World War I and takes the name Teresia Benedicta of the Cross, much to the dismay of her Jewish mother.
The audience is introduced to Stein, played by Kendall Thompson, through her interactions with Karl-Heinz, an SS officer whose path intersects with Stein’s while she is at a convent. Karl-Heinz falls in love with her even though he’s unable to interact with her face-to-face (the grille at the nunnery’s gate withholds the vow of solitude and humble simplicity).
The affinity goes just one way, and Stein struggles with a hatred that goes against her Catholic theology.
In 1942, Stein is arrested and killed in the gas chambers at the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Since then, she has been beatified as a martyr and named a Saint by Pope John Paul II – accolades that have led to much controversy.
As compelling as Stein’s life story is, playwright Arthur Giron says his work is “not a documentary depiction of her life, but an attempt to dramatize the conflict she faced.” While Giron assures that “every care has been taken to select key moments in her life and to fathom her essential nature in theatrical terms,” the play is still a creative non-fiction account that attempts to construct a succinct and gripping storyline by filling in history with fiction as needed.
It may go too far. The relationship between Stein and Karl-Heinz comes off as exploitive rather than impactful, and there is something inherently morose about fabricating a “love” between a Nazi and nun. Stein’s life is far more complex than play actors on a stage can portray.
The timeline is also perplexing, jumping from past to present, presenting a confusing mix of storylines told by actors playing dual rules. It is difficult to leave the theatre and resist the urge to Google just what exactly is fact and fiction.
And while Director Joshua James Campbell’s stark set – little more than a black, cross-shaped stage – makes one feel as though they’re reading a textbook rather than watching a play this is still and inspiring work.
There are countless theologies that deal with the existence of God in light of the Holocaust. How can people still have any kind of faith after the Holocaust? In a time when pure evil roamed the earth, the fact that many people had faith and hope is itself a miracle. And Stein’s personal plight during her “greatest test of all” is put in words best by her friend Hannah (Kathryn Fumie): “I can’t tell if you’re the most selfish or selfless person ever.”
It’s a big play, and a heavy topic, for Open Window’s third play of their inaugural season. But whatever its shortcomings, this is still a show worth seeing, if only to support local theater and leave with a bit more empathy for those who endured.
+ Edith Stein runs through Sunday, Feb. 26 at Open Window Theatre. For showtimes and more information visit openwindowtheatre.org.
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