Review: JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG at MET's Warwick Theatre
by Alan Portner
- Jan 13, 2024
“Judgement at Nuremberg” at Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre’s (MET) Warwick Theatre is a fictional rendering of the 1947 Judge’s War Crime Trial held at Nuremberg, Bavaria, Germany. “Judgement at Nuremberg” is a painful remembrance of an attempt to both punish those accountable for the barbarisms committed in the name of the German state and to be consciously impartial in the administration of an accused’s trial rights.
Eighteen million people died at the hands of the Third Reich and its National Socialist (NAZI) leaders. Six and a half million of the dead comprised two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish population. It was a determined and deliberate stated goal of genocide of a people.
Post war, many of Europe’s surviving Jews fled places they had lived for millenniums in favor of reestablishing a sovereign state in their ancestral homeland where they could finally feel safe. It is ironic that this play opened in Kansas City on the very day that South Africa brought an accusation of genocide against the descendants of the survivors, today’s Israelis, at the International Court of Justice.
The play centers on three main characters. One is Dan Heyward, a retired American District Court Judge called to lead a panel of three non-biased jurists in the trial of three NAZI era judicial officials. The second is a renowned German Judge named Ernst Janning. Janning had once sat in the chair similar to America’s Attorney General during pre-NAZI days. The third character is a youngish defense attorney named Oscar Rolfe, a volunteer defender of the estimable Ernst Janning. Janning initially refuses to recognize the authority of the court.
It is two years since the end of the war in Europe. The scope of the evil that was done has become clear. The question facing the court is how far down into the German Bureaucracy must consequences for the German people reach?
Usual suspects have already been tried, convicted, jailed, executed, or committed suicide. What is left to adjudicate are those who have allowed the worst to happen and why they allowed it. Were they true believers? Were they people who went along in hopes the system would self-correct? Is there any defense for crimes against humanity? Judge Heyward is our eyes as we attempt to understand how this monstrosity that was the Third Reich could have ever happened.
“Judgement at Nuremberg” by Abby Mann is sixty-three years-old, yet it mirrors the Donald Trump era in exquisite detail. The arguments put forward in the staged court and from Judge Heyward’s investigation are heard in today’s legal briefs almost word for word. This makes “Judgement” frightening and important for 2024 audiences to see. When you see this play, you will recognize modern, living associates of the past administration mouthing dialog written before they reached their majority.
MET has done an excellent job of casting. Director Karen Paisley has choreographed an exquisite twenty-four scene, two-act play in precise detail using minimal, yet effective set pieces. The few conceits adopted for this production work exceptionally well. Most acting is restrained and understated; except for two or three explosions from wholly appropriate characters when needed. Ms. Paisley has incorporated vintage documentary film from the era and what almost seems like a motion picture score backing up the action.
“Judgement” is the third iteration of this story by Abby Mann, born Abraham Goodman, a son of Russian Jewish immigrants to the United States. The story first appeared as a television episode of Playhouse 90 in 1957, a feature film in 1961, and this version, a Broadway play in 2001. The Broadway version of “Judgement” was performed a total of fifty-six times. The expanded filmed version recently became available on “Prime Video.”
The leading cast members in the MET production are John Clancy as Judge Dan Heywood, Tim Ahlenius as Ernst Janning, and Michael Dragen as Oscar Rolfe. They are backed up by a fine supporting cast.
All the characters in this play are products of the playwright’s imagination. They are inspired by similar, real life people. True, historic situations influenced the plot and the legal arguments.
“Judgement at Nuremberg” continues at the Warwick Theatre through January 21. Tickets are available at https://www.warwickkc.org/ or by telephone at (816) 569-3226.
JUDGMENT AT NUREMBURG To Be Presented At Staten Island Third County Courthouse
by A.A. Cristi
- Mar 6, 2019
Based upon the Academy Award winning film and adapted to the Broadway Stage in 2001 by Abby Mann, Judgment at Nuremberg is set in the aftermath of World War II in 1947 and centers on a military tribunal convened in Nuremberg, Germany, in which four German judges and prosecutors stand accused of crimes against humanity for their involvement in atrocities committed under the Nazi regime.
Seamus Dever, Jane Kaczmarek, Marsha Mason and More Set for LATW's 2017-18 Season
by BWW
News Desk
- Sep 27, 2017
On the docket for L.A. Theatre Works in 2017-18: a season of seven audio theater productions, including an original commission of a 19th century novel about Zionism, a new docudrama about the BP oil spill, two recent Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, the revival of a cautionary tale against fascism, a romantic comedy, and a tribute to I Love Lucy - each featuring a star-studded cast. In addition, LATW will honor Woman in Gold attorney E. Randol Schoenberg and launch the company's 14th national tour.
Seamus Dever, Jane Kaczmarek, Marsha Mason and More Set for LATW's 2017-18 Season
by BWW News Desk
- Jul 5, 2017
On the docket for L.A. Theatre Works in 2017-18: a season of seven audio theater productions, including an original commission of a 19th century novel about Zionism, a new docudrama about the BP oil spill, two recent Pulitzer Prize-winning plays, the revival of a cautionary tale against fascism, a romantic comedy, and a tribute to I Love Lucy - each featuring a star-studded cast. In addition, LATW will honor Woman in Gold attorney E. Randol Schoenberg and launch the company's 14th national tour.
Kravis Center Guarantees Music, Music, Music Throughout April with Memorable Concerts and Broadway Hits
by A.A. Cristi
- Mar 1, 2017
The Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts continues its star-packed 25th anniversary season in April 2017 with an amazing array of musical performances from Broadway to Motown, from classy Nat King Cole to classic Cole Porter, from piano masterpieces to Pokemon. Also, a soul searing drama (Judgment at Nuremberg) and a side-splitting comedy (Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man).
L.A. Theatre Works JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG Presents Post- Show Discussion
by A.A. Cristi
- Nov 9, 2016
Abby Mann's stage adaptation of his Oscar-winning drama follows a US-led war crimes tribunal as it weighs the fate of German judges. Hans Rolfe is a defense attorney for a fiercely independent jurist who once called Hitler 'ill-mannered,' is he guilty of heinous crimes against humanity, or was he merely enforcing his country's sanctioned laws in the name of 'national security?' Judgment at Nuremberg is an absorbing probe of the ethics of personal responsibility versus public duty.
Dominican University Performing Arts Center Presents L.A. Theatre Works: JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG
by A.A. Cristi
- Nov 2, 2016
As the United States commemorates the 75th anniversary of our entry into World War II, and as politics continues to infiltrate human rights and social justice issues worldwide, L.A. Theatre Works tours one of the great courtroom dramas of the last century: Judgment at Nuremberg. Originally a riveting teleplay, Judgment at Nuremberg became an Academy Award winning film and a stage play that is both surprising and unsettling.
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