(Reviewed by Heidi A. Swan)
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Primo Levi was a writer, chemist, and a survivor of the Holocaust.
This tightly written one act play is a fictional account of the last day of his life. As he goes through his day, Primo remembers times in his life from the year he spent in Auschwitz. Primo Levi’s writing about the time in the camp is known for stark and unsentimental depictions. Similarly, the play illustrates cruelties with the same dispassionate eye. They are difficult to hear: a young man has a filling dug out of his mouth with a knife, a man must pick up rocks with his teeth.
There are prisoners of the Auschwitz who are also cruel—doing what they need to do to survive the day. It was surprising to hear how some would barter and trade for favors and goods.
The playwright, Ed Davidson, has some nice touches sewing the two time periods together. For instance, when Primo is in a restaurant and bread is being eaten, crumbs fall. We are transported back in time with the prisoners of Auschwitz who eat their bread over their bowls, so the crumbs fall into their soup to preserve every morsel of food.
There were a couple of poignant moments in “present” day with Primo. In one, he says he says he thinks genocide may be a part of humanity. His assertion took me aback and it felt true. In another moment, he recounts his time speaking about the Holocaust to a high school. One student asked why he didn’t just run away. The question makes clear the need for a story like this to be told again and again.
The music is sad and moving. Overall, the acting was good. A little more could have been made of Primo’s death. Primo: A Stage Play accomplishes a lot in a short amount of time and it’s painful telling is worthy.
