THE HANGOVER REPORT – Ira Fuchs’ sturdy new play VILNA is workmanlike and ultimately quite affecting

The company of Ira Fuchs' "Vilna" at the Theatre at St. Clement's. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

The company of Ira Fuchs’ “Vilna” at the Theatre at St. Clement’s. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

Yesterday, I attended a matinee performance of Ira Fuchs’ new play Vilna Off-Broadway at the Theatre at St. Clement’s. Set in the Polish city of Vilna, the play depicts the turbulent two-and-a-half decades leading up to and during World War II. Particularly, it follows the harrowing true story of two childhood friends, Motke Zeidel and Yudi Farber, who are put in the painful position of having to make morally difficult decisions over the course of the Holocaust.

Mr. Fuchs’ new work is a sturdy, workmanlike piece of playwriting. Although I found the first half rather pedestrian, Vilna‘s second half comes together in rather powerful ways, culminating a series of authentically affecting scenes. Mr. Fuchs’ has a talent for drawing sharply-drawn characters and telling sprawling stories efficiently and clearly. Even if the overall effect is less exciting than other new plays I’ve seen this year, there’s no denying the play’s rock solid construction.

Joseph Discher has directed the play with an unfussy firmness that lends itself beautifully to Mr. Fuchs’ old school play. He handles the long, episodic play with a calm intensity that pays off in the long-run, if not initially. Vilna is led by the great Mark Jacoby (way back when, he played my first Phantom at the Majestic a few blocks away!), who plays two supporting characters with great care and conviction. However, the play largely falls on the shoulders of Sean Huddock and Seamus Mulcahy, the two young actor who play Motke and Yudi. Both give fine performances that moved me greatly.

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VILNA
Off-Broadway, Play
Theatre at St. Clement’s
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through April 14

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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