You gotta hand it to Nazi Germany: Hitler gave us the most culturally sophisticated engine of mass murder the world has ever seen. Even as millions of Jews, gypsies, homosexuals and other undesirables were being systematically erased, the great Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and the Berlin State Opera delivered magnificent performances to capacity audiences, while composers such as Beethoven, Bach, Mozart and Brahms were invaluable propaganda tools to Joseph Goebbels, who used them to prove the superiority of Teutonic culture. Now it’s high art, but for a few dark years, great classical music was nothing less than the soundtrack to the Holocaust.

Germany’s leading conductor, Wilhelm Furtwangler, stood at the center of this cultural storm. Many of his colleagues—Jewish and not—left Germany when the Nazis came to power. Furtwangler stayed, however, and his career flourished as he captained the Berlin Philharmonic during Hitler’s reign. On the not-so-reprehensible side of things, he never joined the Nazi Party, spoke out against some aspects of cultural cleansing, and saved hundreds of Jews from extermination by helping them gain safe passage out of Germany. But the taint of his association with the Nazis tarnishes the man’s reputation to this day.

Ronald Harwood’s Taking Sides, a 1996 drama about an investigation into Furtwangler’s involvement with the Nazi Party, tackles the was-he-or-wasn’t-he? dilemma with an appropriate ambiguity, leaving it to the audience to decide whether Furtwangler was a die-hard Nazi sympathizer who stayed in Germany for prestige and fame or an apolitical artist determined to save his country through his passion for his work. It’s a compelling play that pits a juicy intellectual conflict between one’s commitment to art and one’s commitment to humanity against deficiencies in action and character. Unfortunately, "tense psychological drama" is just another way of saying "Get ready for a whole lot of yammering."

Director Sharyn Case and her well-appointed cast do a good job of covering up the shallow spots in Harwood’s script, but at its heart, Sides is basically a TV cop show, a police station third degree complete with the bright circular light above the chair positioned stage center. Steve Arnold, the American major charged with investigating Furtwangler’s links to the Nazi Party, has an intellect as generic as his name. One skeptic pegs it as Archie Bunker cross-examining Albert Einstein. Even the always-strong Jay Michael Fraley can’t make Major Arnold less strident or laughably insensitive—although Fraley does make Arnold’s battering-ram personality believable. This is a man who can’t get the stench of the death camps out of his nostrils, and he’s determined to bust every Nazi—and every Nazi sympathizer—he can find. That’s a respectable motivation for any character, but it undermines the battle between the earnest if simple-minded American and the quasi-mystical Furtwangler, a man committed to a romantic idealization of art.

And it doesn’t help that the other characters onstage are just as one-dimensional. Only Joseph Hutcheson’s Helmuth Rode, a violinist in Furtwangler’s orchestra, manages to embody the incredibly complex moral struggle that anyone living in Nazi Germany had to face—or deny. The rest of the supporting cast is thinly written. Lieutenant David Willis (Brent Nowak), who is monitoring Arnold’s investigation, is an American Jew who lost both parents to Hitler’s reign of terror, yet his adoration of Furtwangler’s music is so pervasive that he’s willing to forgive and forget the conductor’s indiscretions. And Emmi Straube (Kelly Stark), Arnold’s secretary and the daughter of a man lionized by the Resistance for taking part in a plot against Hitler’s life, is just as captivated by Furtwangler. Stark adds remarkable depth with her physical portrayal: she shrinks and folds up on herself at every harsh word. She looks as if she’s about to literally be blown off the stage at any moment—which lends even more power to her character’s dark secret.

But then there’s the composer himself. Lloyd Botway’s Furtwangler comes off as a pompous ass, but as the play builds to its powerful climax, we gain a palpable sense of his confusion, guilt and deep sorrow. Ultimately, it’s that arc—a man of great vision and artistic conviction forced (or not) into a morally eviscerating dance with the devil—that elevates this production from its rather pedestrian structure into a work of insightful moral investigation. Just as history is written by the victors, truth is a construct devised by those who need to see life in black and white. This play is born out of the vast gray area between private morality and public good, between art and politics, between serving the individual and serving humanity. You’ll have to come to an answer on your own. But the central question—of how millions of tiny private concessions can culminate in a moral holocaust—is one that reverberates long after the curtain falls.

Taking Sides at the Empire Theater, 200 N. Broadway, Santa Ana, (714) 547-4688. Opens Fri. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m.; Thurs., March 14, 8 p.m. Through March 17. $12-$15.

The play gave the audience a chance to see that there were Germans who not only disagreed with Hitler but who were also disgusted and just as terrified of opposing him as the Jews were. The play surrounds the moral dilemma that one German, Dr. Wilhelm Furtwangler, had to battle with until the point in which it made him physically sick. Furtwangler was a composer who considered himself an artist above all else. "I am a musician and I believe in music. I am an artist and I believe in art. You could say art is my religion," Furtwangler said. Although standing firm in personal beliefs is admired, controversy arose when Furtwangler continued to make beautiful music during a time that was anything but beautiful. He was accused of being allies with Hitler because all other composers left Germany when Hitler took over. Furtwangler stayed in Germany with one defense. "I love my country, body, mind, and soul. I could not leave it in its darkest hour of 1933 or 1934." It clustered emotional thoughts and ideas. Actor Lloyd Botway who played Furtwangler was strong and focused. Botway brought empathy and vulnerability to his character.

Actor Jay Michael Fraley played Major Steve Arnold, the American claims assessor who interrogated Furtwangler as to his affiliation with "The Party." Fraley was perfect as the seemingly heartless, all-business uncultured American. He showed moments of real caring and compassion. His character's relentlessness is due to the sickening things he had witnessed to innocent human life. After someone made a comment in defense of Furtwangler, Fraley's character said, "It's tough to smell sweet when you've crawled through raw sewage." It was unsure if Fraley's character believed Furtwangler was guilty or if he simply wanted to punish someone. Fraley showed this well because there times when it seemed as though his character didn't know either.

Actor Joseph Hutcheson played Helmuth Rode, a German musician who played under Furtwangler. "This is an honest man we are talking about and the greatest conductor alive," Rode said. Hutcheson had amazing stage presence. He showed fear, submissiveness, and desperation, thoroughly understanding his character. Hutcheson also added some much-appreciated comic relief. Actor Brent Nowak played Lt. David Wills, Major Arnold's assistant. Nowak's character had some obvious strong opinions about Furtwangler. He played a respectful, polite, honest man but needed to make his presence more known. Actress Marnelle Ross played Tamara Sachs, a widow whose husband was a musician and eventually killed because he was Jewish. Ross's performance seemed a little forced and detached; despite the real tears she produced on stage. It was hard to believe she was thinking about her husband the whole time. Finally, Actress Kelly Stark played Emmi Straube. Straube was Major Arnold's secretary. Stark played a fragile, innocent, wide-eyed little thing. Overall, "Taking Sides" is a fascinating play about human suffering, moral dilemmas, truth and strength of convictions.

Director Sharyn Case appeared to understand the meaning and importance of this play.


© 2002 Daily Titan
28 February 2002

Taking Sides

Reviewed By Kristina Mannion

Taking Sides, presented by Rude Guerrilla Theater Company at the Empire Theater, 200 N. Broadway, Santa Ana. Fri.-Sat. 8 p.m., Sun. 2:30 p.m. Feb. 22-Mar. 17. $12-15. (714) 547-4688.

This Ronald Harwood drama, set in post-WWII Germany, makes a compelling case for the supposition that the line between art and politics is often obscure. Here the art is that of Wilhelm Furtwangler, a German composer and conductor who gained notoriety during the first half of the 20th century. The politics, of course, comes from the Nazi regime. Harwood's ultimate intent is to explore the ambiguous relationship between Furtwangler and Hitler's dominion: Was the composer a Nazi Party member? Was he in reality loyal to Hitler, despite his secret support of several Jewish colleagues and proteges? Or was Furtwangler merely a dedicated artist intent on upholding his country's musical culture in the face of its spiral into evil? Of course Harwood never conclusively lays out any answers, so in raising such questions he triggers an intriguing debate. And though we never learn the truth, we can speculate on the dilemmas that others in Furtwangler's position might have faced.

Managing to underscore the major themes of Harwood's work, this staging is mostly a successful telling of Furtwangler's story, which unfolds through a 1946 American military interrogation in post-war Berlin. Director Sharyn Case maintains as crisp a pace as the script allows. In some scenes Harwood's blocks of dialogue bog down the momentum. But Case and her cast power through, highlighting the smattering of humorous lines while maintaining a balance that throws the play's sobering elements into relief.

The few trouble spots show up in the performances, namely those of Jay Michael Fraley, who plays Furtwangler's unlikable interrogator Major Steve Arnold, and Brent Nowak, who plays Arnold's new colleague, Lt. David Wills. While Fraley easily conveys his character's righteous if overzealous dedication to ferreting out the truth, he later is defeated by doing this just too well. We are no doubt meant to both relate to and be repulsed by Arnold's ugly-American attitude and overbearing tactics, but at times Fraley steps up the histrionics to a level that becomes too distracting. Still, his overall portrayal is strong. In his more aggressive interrogation scenes--with Furtwangler (Lloyd Botway) and Helmuth Rode (Joseph Hutcheson), a jittery violinist and former Nazi loyalist--we sense Arnold's frustration at being unable to discover Furtwangler's rationale.

Nowak unfortunately understates his role as Wills, who tempers Arnold's bombastic approach with his own mild demeanor. Though soft in comparison to Fraley, Nowak is too bland to provide a memorable contrast. The rest of the players hold up well, however. Botway is particularly sympathetic as Furtwangler, a man clearly tortured at having to choose between his country and his music. Both Hutcheson and Kelly Stark, as Arnold's timid German secretary, add dimension and convincingly portray their characters' awe of Furtwangler--which holds up despite the complications of unpopular politics.

In This Script I Would Rather be a Nazi

Is it difficult to take a side in the current production of Taking Sides,
brought to us by Rude Guerrilla Theater Company? Not at all. As an
audience member, it is easy to take the side against anyone wearing a uniform in this
script. This position is not taken for any political or religious reasons as the script would suggest, but rather it is taken because it is too difficult to find any respect for the character with the most stripes on his sleeves.

This is unfortunate, because the premise of this script is fascinating in its unique approach at post-war Nazism. The story centers on the inquisition of composer/conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler (played by Lloyd Botway) by Major Steve Arnold (played by Jay Michael Fraley). Botway, is convincing as the composer, both aloof and dignified, yet maintaining an air of mystery about himself that is vital to show's unfolding.

The script makes it clear that Furtwangler's interrogator is chosen because he is nothing close to being an aficionado of classical music, and therefore is the right man for the job because he will be unmoved by Furtwangler's reknowned genius. What the command who appointed him did not consider, is that the Major is also an officer of sub-par intelligence. In the company of everyone around him, the man-in-charge seems to be the man-most-unaware. He comes across more as a paper-pushing ego maniac, who in the presence of others is nothing more than giddy-little-tattle-tale. The nature of this
character really undermines the script. Unable to respect the inquisitor, it is difficult to find the other characters&Mac226;Äô interactions with him as convincing or even necessary. Consequently, the severity of the situation is diffused.

It seems plausible that the playwright was aware of this, and for that reason developed the terrifying questioning technique embraced by Major Arnold. This consisted of saying nothing at all, as to allow the person in question ample opportunity to furnish an uninterrupted tell-all while sitting below the single-bulb ceiling lamp that is customary to any well-equipped interrogation chamber.

The most striking performance given from the lone wooden chair, was that of Joseph Hutcheson, who really makes the character of Helmuth Rode, the most memorable character in the show. In both language and gesture, he is refreshing as the anxiety stricken second-violinist.

Although it is certainly a feat that each German in the show really did seem German through the show&Mac226;Äôs entirety, the show simply short-changes itself by involving characters that simply do not belong on the same playing field.

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The first act of "Taking Sides" culminates in Arnold's first interrogation of Furtwangler (Lloyd Botway), on a freezing February morning. The play climaxes on a sweltering summer day. Between, the major obsessively builds his case on scraps of circumstance. While we understand the moral imperative that drives him, Harwood paints Arnold as a martinet and a bully more bent on "nailing" Furtwangler than in learning the truth - even if it means character smears in place of evidence. The conductor, especially as portrayed by Botway, is an almost forlorn figure of quiet dignity outraged by the major's cavalier treatment of him.

Within the small confines of the Empire Theater, director Sharyn Case has a strong handle on a script that unlike wholly fictionalized accounts of similar cases doesn't depend on an explosive final scene to deliver the goods. Harwood is content to confine himself to history's truths, and Case and company hold to this, giving us something that's like a fascinating, documentary-style study in contrasting personalities.

Though not as physically imposing or as frightening as one might picture Maj. Arnold, Fraley compensates through a forceful performance that communicates the officer's relentlessness and the stark cynicism driving it. His skeptical, head-shaking posture, sneering demeanor and sarcasm-dripped voice say it all.

He's well-balanced by Botway's weighty turn as the maestro. The often-pained expressions on Botway's face belie the character's stoicism, as does Furtwangler's impassioned defense of himself, his career, his life and his very existence.

Joseph Hutcheson's mincing Helmuth Rode offers welcome comic relief. Brent Nowak is likable as the earnest, fair-minded Lt. Wills. Marnelle Ross delivers a powerful turn as Tamara Sachs, the frail, prematurely aged, emotionally broken young widow desperate to clear Furtwangler's name, andKelly Stark's Emmi is credible as the deceptively naive young "good German."

David Jacobi's set is spare yet rings of authenticity thanks to its cast-iron stove, field telephone, Victrola, and various office furnishings and props right out of the '40s. Molly Dewane's four-star costuming puts the major and his lieutenant in crisp tan and olive khakis, Furtwangler and Emmi in tastefully comfortable clothing, and, in stark contrast, Helmuth and Tamara in torn and worn-out garments.

For all of the staging's musical selections, accuracy-minded Case wisely uses original recordings conducted by Furtwangler himself.