Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Mint Theater unearths Sally Carson’s CROOKED CROSS, a lost play that sadly speaks directly to our troubled times

• By drediman
• October 21, 2025
• No Comments

Over at Off-Broadway’s Theatre Row, you’ll be able to find Mint Theater Company’s fall offering — the long time in coming American premiere of Crooked Cross by Sally Carson. Originally manifested in 1934 in the form of a novel, Carson subsequently adapted the her own book into a play, which premiered in 1935 at the Birmingham Rep and was subsequently seen in London in 1937, after which the play was not seen again. Until now, that is, thanks to the resuscitating efforts of the folks over at Mint, whose invaluable mission it is to uncover and newly “mint” plays that have been lost to time and forgotten.

Set in a quaint Bavarian village during the 1930s, the prescient play depicts the rise of the Nazi party sweeping through Germany, specifically via the lens of a middle class family grappling to find its identity and the star-crossed love affair caught in the middle of it all (the play’s title is a reference to the Nazi Swastika). That the play chillingly holds a mirror to our present times is a testament to the playwright’s uncanny sensitivity to how political forces can sway societal sentiment. Although there are moments of melodrama and heavy-handedness sprinkled throughout, the work is by and large sobering and clear-eyed in its endeavor to shed light on how fascism can quickly take hold of the public’s gullible imagination — even at the consequence of stripping rights from a subset of citizens. As such, Carson’s unearthed play speaks directly and potently to our troubled times.

For Crooked Cross, Mint Theater Company artistic director Jonathan Bank has once again put not the directing hat, staging a handsome and well-judged — if somewhat bland — production that fits cozily in one of Theatre Row’s subterranean stages (special mention goes to set designer Alexander Woodward for his ingenious use of space to effectively create multiple locales). The performances from the relatively young cast range from serviceable to very good, with particularly passionate turns delivered by Ella Stevens and Samuel Adams as siblings whose differing political views cause an irreparable rift in their once-close bond.

RECOMMENDED

CROOKED CROSS
Off-Broadway, Play
Mint Theater Company at Theatre Row
2 hours (including an intermission)
Through November 1