The Flea Theater Presents The World Premiere of "The Place We Built" - Through May 23rd

(Caveat: Several weeks ago I underwent rotator cuff surgery, and my right shoulder, arm and hand have been immobilized in a sling until very recently. I just began several months of post-op physical therapy.  I had been severely hampered in my ability to type, so several worthy shows that I have seen recently have not been reviewed in a timely manner.  Beginning with today, I will work to clear up the backlog.  Please be aware that my reviews may be more limited than usual until I am up to date. Several excellent shows are no longer playing, but I will highlight them, offering the assurance that when it comes time to submit my suggestions for nominations for the 2016 IRNE Awards, these shows and the people involved with them, will receive the consideration they deserve. Thank you for your understanding and support.)

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Over the years, I have seen and enjoyed many shows at The Flea in SoHo.  The Bats, the resident acting troupe, always acquit themselves well with whatever material that have been given to work with.  In the case of the current World Premiere of "The Place We Built" by Sarah Gancher and Directed by Danya Taymor, they are doing their best work ever.  This play is deeply moving, both because of the writing and directing, but especially because of the emotional commitment each actor brings to the character he or she portrays.

The play is based on real events that took place in the spring of 2013 in post-communist Budapest.  A group of young Bohemians, many with Jewish roots, have taken over an abandoned building and turned it into a bar/cafe/music space they dubbed "Siraly" ("Seagull") where they could meet - for drinking, singing, partying, sharing stories and discussing the past and the future.  The increasingly oppressive and anti-Semitic government regime sees them as a threat, surrounds the building and gives them an ultimatum that they must vacate the building in 24 hours or face the dire consequences.

The action takes place as the clock ticks and they come ever closer to the deadline imposed by the police.  Each person must decide if she will stay or he will flee.  Votes are taken periodically to check the pulse of the group, and sentiment wavers back and forth throughout the siege.  Interspersed among the group action are moving vignettes in which an individual character stands in the spotlight and shares his or her life story. Ben (an outstanding Tom Costello) is one of the founders of "Seagull."  On the fifth floor of the abandoned building, his grandmother once had an apartment.  He discovers a trunk that had belonged to her that contains a collection of wigs and old love letters that she had written to an unknown paramour.  The denizens of "Seagull" develop a tradition of occasionally raiding the trunk, putting on the wigs, and reading or singing from the love letters.  It is a hauntingly poignant way of evoking the past while celebrating the present. They call such an evening "A Grandma Party"!

As the deadline approaches, tensions mount, old relational rifts are revealed and consensus becomes difficult to achieve. The sense of expectancy in the air when the group takes their final vote was electric.

I learned that some of the original "Seagull" group have left Budapest and settled in Brooklyn.  The cast was able to meet with them and use their first-hand accounts of what happened in 2013 as part of their preparation to play these roles.

This is very much an ensemble piece, so allow me to present the entire cast for your consideration:

CAST

Aniko.............................Leta Renée-Alan
Julia ..............................Cleo Gray
Kata ............................. Kristin Friedlander
Szuszanna......................Lydian Blossom
Aisha..............................Isabelle Pierre
Ilona..............................Tamara Del Rosso
Female Utility...............Brittany K. Allen
Ben................................Tom Costello
Zoltan........................... Ash McNair
Mihaly.......................... Brendan Dalton
Male Utility.................. Xavier Reminick

Mária (u/s Kata, Ilona, Szuszanna) ......Sonia Mena
Lacko (u/s Mihaly)................................Ben Lorenz
Kristián (u/s Ben, Male Utility)........... Phil Feldman
Szilvia (u/s Aisha).................................Rachel Ingram
Csilla (u/s Aniko, Julia) .......................Tessa Hope Slovis

I cannot help but talk about the undercurrent that I felt throughout the show.  Hungary, a country that had tasted freedom, was allowing old fears of xenophobia and anti-Semitism to creep in and create an atmosphere of oppression and distrust.  How similar is the current political ecosystem here at home, with the anti-Muslim sentiment (another Semite people) being spewed from the mouth of Mr. Trump. "The Place We Built" stands on its own as a tale of courage under duress, but it also stands as a cautionary tale for us to watch carefully what we allow to happen in our own land.

This show runs through this weekend, May 23rd.  You now have your own imposed deadline, so get tickets now!

The Flea Website

Enjoy!

Al