REVIEW: The Berlin Diaries (Theater J)

My grandfather is big into the genealogy stuff, only more so as he ages. Every now and then I get an email from him about the latest cousin he’s discovered in Toldeo or Phoenix. I’m pretty sure this is a big trend among elder Jews — a sentiment validated in Andrea Stolowitz’s The Berlin Diaries, now closing out Theater J’s season. Though familiar if not piquing in its premise, it nonetheless fails to develop an identity of its own beyond that of a passionate memoir.

Book

In Berlin Diaries, a package of personal effects from the Holocaust is discovered, and an academic embarks on a journey to discover its origins via interviews with obscure relatives and researchers. If this sounds familiar to you, you might be thinking of Here There Are Blueberries, another recent entry into the “History Essays Put to Stage” genre of playwrighting. Stolowitz doesn’t do too badly, though; this is a true story of her own research, told via two actors playing her and several others. As such, there is a personal element that Blueberries lacked and that lent some authenticity to the piece. Yet, Blueberries was much more sure of itself in the stakes and seismic impact of its findings than Diaries. The play, one act, follows the Stolowitz duo as she/they decipher(s) the 1939-era diaries of her great-grandfather, who lived in Berlin during the peak of the Third Reich. There are several gaps in his writings, though: mystery cousins, unknown aunts, and relatives seemingly of great importance that are unknown by her living kin. So the play then delves into her subsequent life, including a move to Germany to meet these people and locations in person, but when the narrative shifts here the excitement flatlines. It’s not until the revelatory final third that this labor of love tries to provide narrative satisfaction, but even when you start to get the author’s purpose it still never feels grand. She’s done all this, for what? The broader implications are suggested, but it doesn’t feel like an earth-shaking finale. 6/10

Acting

Both Lawrence Richmond and Dina Thomas are brightly charismatic as the storytellers. Though initially, I had concerns that the way they bounced characters around—some even mid-line—would be confusing. I was disproven quickly: it was an easy effort to visualize the narrative helix, and their efforts to bring the book to life are great. 8/10

Production

Elizabeth Dinkova’s bubbly direction tied things together when it needed it most. In periods of lull, the use of each performer’s (who are in the same, cozy greenish-gray outfit by Johnna Presby) ricocheting personalities was enough to keep things interesting dialectically. Similarly, much of the visual intrigue comes from Deja Collins’ projections of the Diaries’ text and other miscellaneous effects over a comparatively drab libraric set; but my favorite part was the use of a live overhead projector (when’s the last time you’ve seen one of those?!). 7/10

Viz

The scrim is studious and plain, though projected with lovely natural light and a map that adds a hint of worldliness. The program art is less clear, other than the scratched writing that indicates there’s “something” involving writing. 4/10

Verdict

Diaries is a near-polished adaptation of the playwright’s journey into her family history, but lacks a narrative oomph to set itself apart from similar tales. 25/40