Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA
through September 11, 2016
by Stuart Gamble
Sotto Voce in Italian means in a soft voice. Indeed, this
new play, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Nilo Cruz is a quiet, chamber piece,
yet whose timeless themes of lost love, obsession, collective guilt, and the
immigrant experience scream out to the rafters. Featuring only three actors
(two of whom play two roles apiece), this is a bold and powerful drama
sprinkled with humor throughout.
The story begins in 1999 when an exhibition for the 60th
anniversary of the U.S. St. Louis (“the ship of indifference”) is being planned
in Miami. This particular ship set sail from Germany to Cuba in the spring of
1939. Some 900 Jews fled Nazi Germany aboard the St. Louis in hopes of a safe
future. Unfortunately, because most of the passengers didn’t have Cuban Visas, they
were denied entry. The same occurred when they attempted to enter the U.S. Much
to the horror of the passengers and the world, those onboard were forced to
return to Germany and an uncertain future.
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| Photo by Ava Lindenmaier |
This little known episode of 20th century, pre-Holocaust
history sadly remains a chapter in world history that should be brought to
light. Cruz’ drama, “Sotto Voce,” does precisely that. We first meet the rather
peculiar, black-clad Cuban student Saquiel Rafaeli (Jaime Carrillo) who is on
an obsessive search for the Garbo-like reclusive writer Bernadette Kahn
(Annette Miller). Saquiel finally locates Kahn and holds vigil across from her
apartment building; he has personal reasons for searching for Kahn, but she
suffers from agoraphobia and her only human contact is with her housekeeper
Lucila Pulpo (Evelyn Howe). Bernadette and Lucila are equally concerned and
fascinated by Saquiel’s stalking behavior. Soon, the play becomes a “virtual
affair of voices.”
The actors in this romantic triangle give memorable performances.
Miller is tough but tender as the disillusioned Bernadette who dreamily drifts
from the present to the past. Carrillo gives an eloquent performance as the
driven yet empathetic Saquiel and briefly as Bernadette’s lost Jewish lover
Ariel Strauss. Finally, Evelyn Howe makes both her earthy Lucila and Nina
Strauss (Ariel’s doomed sister) realistic and sympathetic.
Directed with assurance and emotional power by Daniel
Gidron, “Sotto Voce” is a relevant theatrical piece. In a year in which world
immigration has captured much attention, Cruz’ timeless play should be seen and
remembered for years to come as a testament to the lives of those who seek
freedom from oppression.
