Usually, when Houston audiences think of local theaters and new play development, the same names come up. These theaters typically have a new play festival or two to attend during the year. Their season announcements are sure to include one or two world premieres.
The programming of world premieres and new play development are vital to the continuing development of this art form. Committing to new plays nurtures the artistic growth of both emerging and established playwrights. These new plays, more informed by the contemporary moment, engage audiences in fresh, innovative and thought-provoking ways.
In the long history of theater, if someone said, “give me a list of plays play about the digitization of memory and the importance of storytelling in preserving history,” that list would be difficult to find. If someone said, “give me a list of plays about a dysfunctional family unit and a fragile patriarchal figure,” that list would be substantial.
Noga Flaishon, the British/Israeli playwright of this world premiere of Memoriam, is obviously influenced by this current moment of internet commerce and the commercialization of human data. She’s, also, responding to the 2019 West End production of Falsettos which received heavy criticism due to the lack of Jewish representation in the show’s production.
Memoriam is both of this current moment and contains timeless themes. Through various development opportunities, this new play has found the right support and has evolved into a story well worth putting on stages across the world. Luckily, Houston gets it first.
Over the last ten years, Main Street Theatre has had five world premieres. Three of which in the last two years. Last year’s, Stagolee and the Funeral of a Dangerous Word touched poignantly on racial reconciliation. This year’s now-closed and exciting, Seven Assassins Walk into a Bar, was a fun comedy with an interesting perspective on the ethical quandaries of killing for money. Recently, their world premieres have been entertaining and the now playing Memoriam is no exception.
Julia Oppenheim, the director, approaches this production with a clear interest in the family dynamics of this play. The strongest scenes are those shared by Rachel (Julia Krohn), David ( Dain Geist), and Rivka (Chesley Ann Santoro).
Rachel works for Memoriam, a company that buys memories and uploads it to a server where people rent the memory. What they do with the memory or why they want the memory is not of concern to Memoriam. When Rachel’s grandmother, Rivka, becomes the last Holocaust survivor, Rachel is tasked by her boss, Chris (Dillon Dewitt), to convince her grandmother to sell her memory of the Holocaust to Memoriam.
Both Rachel and Chris believe that it’s vital that a memory like that exists in the archives. However, her brother David disagrees, and her grandmother simply doesn’t want the memory to be saved. Rivka finds no worthwhile meaning in the hardship she endured in Auschwitz.
The characters engage in meaningful discussion about the importance of memory and remembering. Could anyone who didn’t live the Holocaust ever be able to witness a direct memory without some artistic license and editing? Should tragedies like the Holocaust be preserved in such a way where anyone can rent the memory? Are there some tragedies that are too sacred to be sold in such a way?
There are so many more ideas and questions in this play that should be witnessed rather than read. This production contains many jewels like the story and the projection design (Amelia Rico), but it’s the actors who shine the brightest.
Once Krohn finds her rhythm, she is self-possessed and self-assured. While her brother sees their grandmother as a woman in need of protection, Krohn speaks to her grandmother like she is the competent and capable 92 year old woman that she is.
While it’s easy to label a woman’s matter-of-fact expression of what she wants and why she wants it as emotionally distant or uncaring, it is clear that Krohn has a profound respect for her grandmother. It’s evident that Krohn loves and values her grandmother just as her brother does, but her emotionality is tempered through a professionalism and regard for her grandmother that her brother lacks.
Rivka is no longer just her grandmother; she’s, also, the last surviving member of the Holocaust. Doesn’t that create a certain responsibility?
Underneath Krohn’s performance is an unquestionable love and compassion for her grandmother. How she balances her fondness for her grandmother with the professional expectation to sell the opportunity to her along with her personal conviction of the importance of preserving the memory makes for a searingly realistic portrayal of a woman trying to stay true and consistent to everyone she loves and everything she believes.
Geist is the overprotective grandson who feels responsible for shielding his grandmother from having to relive or recount such a harsh memory. He questions his sister and implores her to let it go. His furrowed brows of concern for his grandmother quickly become overcast with forehead wrinkles as he grows more frustrated by his sister’s stubbornness.
The vehement spurning of any of his sister’s attempts to persuade their grandmother to provide her memory suggest that something happened to Grandma that he doesn’t want archived. While nothing unique about Rivka’s memory at Auschwitz is revealed, there is a profound sense of defense and protection that lays at the core of his actions.
His performance is centered on this sense of care and grandmother who he does not want to endure any type of suffering. The abrasiveness masks how kind and warmhearted his devotion toward his 92 year old grandmother is. Even in his more overzealous actions, there is never a sense of danger or malice in his actions.
As the grandmother, Santoro is a survivor who never wants to consciously think of what she survived. There’s always a distance both in her language and in her eyes when she has to talk about her time there. She finds no meaning in what happened to her, so she finds no point in revisiting or even selling the memory.
While Santoro and Krohn eventually come to a mutual understanding, even during their disagreement there was a clear sense that neither of them wanted to say anything to the other that would irreparably damage their relationship.
Though not explicitly or obviously a family drama, the family scenes contain its most fascinating moments.
Once again, Main Street delivers a captivating world premiere for Houston audiences. It is a two hour production that leaves much to discuss and ponder. During the 15 minute intermission, several people nearby spoke openly with their friends about how interesting and unnerving some of the ideas outlined in the first act were. Imagine how the post-play conversation went.
If Main Street continues to produce new plays and rely on its local partnerships and relationships to bring fresh and intriguing stories to Houston audiences, then it will be no surprise if ten years from now, they are one of those local theaters that immediately come to mind when Houston audiences think of new work and world premieres.
Performances continue through April 19 at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays at Main Street Theater – Rice Village, 2540 Times. For more information, call 713-524-6706 or visit mainstreettheater.com. $40-$63.
