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sherbertwells's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A riff on truth and censorship that ties a 1920 diary to the 2010 Smolensk plane crash, featuring Soviet writer Isaac Babel, NKVD chief Nikolai Yezhov and an enterprising KGB agent. It’s not as good as Guards at the Taj, but Joseph’s trademark interpersonal nuance and literary “breathing room” make this play glorious to stage.
“NIKOLAI: Behold, Young Vladimir: The Black Magic Marker: The most useful tool in all of communism” (59)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Murder
Moderate: Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Blood
Minor: Cancer, Homophobia, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
One prominent motif involves soup made with human blood and leeches.