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‘Block 5’ shows Holocaust horror
YOUNGSTOWN — Writer- director J.E. Ballantyne has said the goal of his “Block 5” is to help the world remember the horror of the Holocaust.
By making an unforgettable piece of theater, he has succeeded.
“Block 5” is a character study set entirely in the see-no-daylight claustrophobia of a Nazi concentration camp. The specter of certain death hangs over the eight filthy, shivering men in the hovel, turning it into a pressure-cooker.
The current reincarnation of the play, which originally was presented to acclaim five years ago, must be every bit as powerful as its first go-round. Six members of the original cast have returned.
To mark the event, Mayor Jay Williams on Friday declared Jan. 15 to Feb. 7 (the run of the play) “Holocaust Awareness Weeks.”
“Block 5” is a serious and very dark piece. And at almost three hours long (with intermission), it is wordy.
Each character tells how he came to be a prisoner. In the process, each reveals how his reaction to Nazi terror has burned inconsolable regret and fear into his psyche.
Ballantyne also explores the greater themes of the Holocaust in crackling dialogue: defiance, courage, hope and broken spirits, the culture of hate and the reverence for life.
Though the themes are nothing new — any schoolboy would be familiar with them — they become more focused when seen through the prism of a doomed man’s eyes.
The experience of the ensemble cast, comprised of highly respected actors, was evident on opening night. Despite the expository nature of the play, it came off without a single flub.
The most riveting moments come when camp Commandant Franz Ziereis (Glenn Stevens) barges into the block, rousing the men from their bunks with his armed guards and the Kapo (Tim McGinley), a turncoat henchman.
In full dress uniform and exuding evil intent, the commandant glowers over his ragged prisoners with mock sympathy for a race he hates.
John Cox plays Lt. Josef Cartier, a British POW who is inexplicably thrown into Block 5 with seven Jews. Unlike his new neighbors, he is — at least initially — robust and hopeful. The original seven are bewildered by his presence. At first they think he’s a spy, but they soon befriend him.
The Jewish prisoners are played by Alan McCreary (Moshe Zuckerman, the most rational and respected of the group), John Pecano (starving and tightly wound, and looking every bit the part), C. Richard Haldi, Dylan White, Thomas Lee Ewen, Tom O’Donnell and Roger Wright.
It becomes apparent that the strange circumstances in Block 5 are nothing more than a sadistic whim of the captors. The men are chess pieces in a macabre game.
Shortly after Cartier’s arrival, the vicious Kapo, who bullies his brethren in exchange for preferential treatment, tells the seven Jewish men they are all to die in seven weeks — and they must decide who goes first.
A plan to escape is threaded into the plot, adding intrigue and a ticking-clock scenario.
“Block 5” is based on an actual event, and the producers take seriously its mission of keeping history alive.
A beautiful scale model of the Mauthausen concentration camp, where the story takes place, is set up in the lobby. It shows what the camp looks like on the outside, providing a you-are-here mental map for theatergoers. The stone quarry where the Jews labored 12 hours a day, seven days a week, is right outside the camp walls.
Also, photographs of Mauthausen and quotes from its inhabitants are displayed on the walls inside the Victorian Players Theater, bringing home the reality of the action on the stage.
X“Block 5” will be presented at 2 p.m. today, next Sunday and Jan. 31; and at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and Jan. 29-30, at Victorian Players Theater, 702 Mahoning Ave.; call (330) 746-5455. The play will also be shown at Main Street Theater in Columbiana Feb. 5-7; call (330) 482-9647.