01/12/2025
๐ง๐ผ๐บ ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ'๐ "๐๐ฒ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ฑ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฑ" - ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ข๐ต๐ฉ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐๐ป๐ฆ๐ค๐ฉ-๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฏ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐บ๐ธ๐ณ๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต ๐๐ฐ๐ฎ ๐๐ต๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ ๐ช๐ด ๐ฐ๐ค๐ค๐ข๐ด๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ท๐ช๐ด๐ช๐ต ๐ฉ๐ช๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ด๐ต ๐ฅ๐ช๐ด๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐ค๐ต๐ญ๐บ ๐๐ฆ๐ธ๐ช๐ด๐ฉ ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ข๐บ, "๐๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ด๐ต๐ข๐ฅ๐ต," ๐ด๐ฆ๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ณ๐ญ๐บ 20๐ต๐ฉ-๐ค๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐บ ๐๐ช๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ข. ๐๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐'๐ด 2024 ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฌ ๐๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด, ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ-๐ด๐ต๐ถ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ช๐ฏ๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฏ Hannah Shapiro ๐ฐ๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฐ๐ธ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ช๐ฏ๐ด๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ต๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ช๐ด ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ช๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐๐ต๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ข๐ณ๐ฅ'๐ด ๐ญ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ-๐ค๐ข๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฑ๐ช๐ฆ๐ค๐ฆ:
Tom Stoppardโs play, Leopoldstat, masterfully weaves together the stories of six generations of the Merz family in order to illuminate the complex emotional journey and harsh realities of Jewish existence in Vienna, between 1899 through 1955. The drama depicts the devolution of a once flourishing and vibrant Jewish community through the celebration of Jewish holidays. We witness key events in Jewish history occurring during these fifty years, from the Austrian Jewish encounter with modernity, to intermarriage and assimilation, through the World Wars and their tragic aftermaths. The audience is mindful that contemporary Jewish society continues to grapple with many of these events and ideas.
Leopoldstadt opens with an 1899 Christmas dinner, where we meet the Merz family, integrated into Viennese society, enjoying complete civil rights and liberties. We are introduced to Hermann and Eva Merz, children of matriarch Emilia Merz, both of whom have intermarried. The family discusses metropolitan ideas, ranging from Herzlโs theory of Zionism to Viennese art and culture.
Following this enlightened exchange of ideas, the play progresses to 1900, where the family reconvenes over a Passover Seder, during which it is revealed that Gretel, Hermannโs wife, has engaged in an affair with an Austrian officer. Hermann dismisses his wifeโs transgression and the family proceeds to celebrate the birth of Hermannโs niece. The scene reflects the duality of the Jewish experience, that fine-tuned ability to simultaneously live in joy and heartbreak.
Jumping ahead to 1924, we grieve the impacts of Bolshevism and World War I, alongside the bereaved Hermann and Gretel, whose son fell in battle. A second son, Jacob, lost an eye and functionality of one of his arms. The family convenes for a brit, and the juxtaposition of tragic loss and new life is poignant, calling us to contemplate that life and death are two sides of the same coin.
We then advance to 1938, to encounter the Anschluss through the eyes of the Merzes. The family gathers to contemplate their escape; their discussion is cut short by the arrival of N**i soldiers, who seize the familyโs belongings, requisition Hermannโs business, and expel the family from their home, to leave on transport the following day. It is revealed that Jacob was the product of Gretelโs affair and, as an A***n, retains legal ownership of Hermannโs company.
The play closes with a heart-wrenching scene in which the sole family members to survive the Holocaust, Leo, Rosa, and Nathan, convene to piece together their scarce and broken memories of the vibrant Jewish family of which they were once apart. The three painstakingly recall the tragic fates of their lost loved ones and attempt to cobble together the shards of painful memories they each managed to retain.
Leopoldstadt calls its audience to contemplate the dichotomy between personal Jewish identity and worldly perceptions, through the lens of one Viennese family, raising themes that continue to ring true nearly a century after its summation.
