Echoes of the Holocaust

 

Beatrix is currently in a show called Echoes of the Holocaust. It's a professional theater credit, a world premiere, playing this weekend because today is Holocaust Remembrance Day — the day Auschwitz was freed in 1945. 

Side note: when I visited Auschwitz, the only day that worked with our travel plans was my birthday and the day before Pope John Paul II was to visit — a very strange way to "celebrate"...

It's playing in a small theatre space in a church basement at 26th and Blaisdell. It's a small space (so at least no microphones are needed), and a little inaccessible (a lot of steps and such), with a big dose of "let's put on a show."

So in our household we talk a lot about human rights, and with that, a lot about the Holocaust. It's made  big impression on Beatrix, starting when she was 9 and we went to the Holocaust Museum in DC. The entrance to the museum is overwhelming; you are crammed into the elevator and given the smallest sense of what it must have been like to be loaded on the cattle cars. You clutch the identity card they give you for one of the millions who was murdered. Beatrix was small, and scared, and as we walked in she didn't want to do it, and we told her there was no choice, and that this was an important thing to know about. It's been the source of much discussion since then.

Which is to say that none of the material in the show was new knowledge to us. But in the "art always does its job" category, it was often striking, particularly the shorter poems. It's a large cast, all very earnest, and there were some strong performances. Beatrix's part is small, but (of course) I found her particularly compelling.

All this is to say that, with a low budget and limited rehearsal time, I was happy to see my kid perform but not expecting that much from the show, and it exceeded those expectations in many ways. It's not going to transfer to Broadway or anything (and honestly the ticket prices are a little steep). But if you are thinking that you might need a little reminder right now about why this is all so important, and why indeed we must never forget, I would recommend it. Performances tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday at 7. Tickets here, or at the door.