FASCIST LOGIC CAUSES US TO LOOK HARD IN THE MIRROR
When we think of all the Nazi monsters, Adolf Hitler’s name reigns supreme. But it’s only a short step down the ladder to be revolted by men like Heinrich Himmler, Joseph Goebbels, and Hermann Göring. Many such key figures committed suicide before they could stand trial in Nuremberg, but the world anticipated the trial of the heavily-guarded Göring, which would give the world their chance to publicly charge him with the atrocities of the Holocaust and hear what he had to say. In the weeks before the trial, the U.S. flew psychiatrist Douglas McGlashan Kelley into Nuremberg to be sure the Reichsmarschall was deemed competent to stand trial. Kelley also planned to write a book about their encounters, which he told Göring he was intending.
Lucy Davenport, Brendan Ford
Based on Jack El-Hai’s book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, Jake Broder’s World Premiere drama at North Coast Rep, Sense of Decency is a 100-minute one-act dramatization of the times before, during, and after those true-life meetings in the war criminal’s cell. Effectively divided into three sections, the first focuses on Kelley (Brendan Ford) and his new bride Dukie (Lucy Davenport), taking place in the U.S. in 1946, as he breaks the news to her that he’ll be flying off to Nuremberg for a while to take on this exciting opportunity that could be career-breaking for him. Besides knowing that she’ll miss him, Dukie is uncomfortable with the task he’ll be taking on, but has full confidence that he’ll ace the job.
Brendan Ford, Frank Corrado
The second and largest section is the fascinating mental showdown between the well-meaning doctor and the charismatic and cunning Göring (Frank Corrado). While Kelley is a doctor, not a reporter, it is hard not to flash back to Silence of the Lambs as we watch two bright minds try to outdo one another — often feeling that the darker force plays the cards better — made all-the-creepier by the fact that this is based on reality.
Frank Corrado, Brendan Ford
Section III has Kelley back in the states with Dukie, but dealing with the ramifications of Göring’s voice in his mind. And given what we have heard as well, he’s not alone in that struggle. Among other shocking revelations (like the fact that he claimed never to have disliked the Jews, but that there was no stopping Hitler on that issue and their demise merely served as an effective unifying strategy), Göring reveals that the Nazis studied American history to learn how to pull off their intentions. Hitler was apparently fascinated by the mechanisms of American racism. Starting with how the early American settlers oppressed the natives here, but even more so in seeing how southern states pulled off such successful oppression of Black Americans. Göring laughs at Kelley’s defense of America as a land of freedom, saying, “You actually had a war fighting for the right to keep slavery going!” We also learn, to this Jewish writer’s surprise, that Göring’s brother was a thorn in his side as a vocal advocate for German Jews.
Frank Corrado
This program has terrific potential with such fascinating subject matter. Mr. Corrado pulls us in as he dances on the line between chilling and empathetic, the latter being something one might not expect from Hermann Göring. Mr. Ford is at his best in the scenes with Mr. Corrado, but the weakness of the current productions is in Section I where he and Ms. Davenport talk more like characters in a 1940s drama than how actual people would speak to one another. This may be due, in part, to the fact that acclaimed director David Ellenstein took ill early in the production (he’s doing much better now, it was announced before the show) and Mr. Broder himself had to make the bold choice to step in as co-director of his own script. Had the show continued with Mr. Ellenstein, perhaps the cutesy repartee tone of that section might have rung just a bit truer. Happily, in the more serious drama of the third section, some of that realism is better portrayed between them. Ms. Davenport is also stronger in the second section in her secondary role as Goring’s wife, another interesting interview that Kelley undertakes.
Brendan Ford, Lucy Davenport
Despite the critique above, this bold show is likely to tighten with more time and ongoing feedback. The underlying material of this show is fascinating; plan on deep discussion on the way home. The script also serves as a powerful spotlight on the ease with which the masses can be coaxed into feeling better about themselves for the gain of the few; an eye-opening perspective, in light of the methods of Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, and, well, let’s just say “others.”
photos by Aaron Rumley
Sense of Decency
North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive in Solana Beach
Wed and Thurs at 7; Fri at 8; Sat at 2 & 8; Sun at 2 & 7
ends on May 12, 2024
for tickets, call 858.481.1055 or visit North Coast Rep