Vexing Hitler
Rating: 4
Hexing Hitler
KC Fringe Festival
I wasn't too sure that a show about Hitler and voodoo was the way I wanted to spend a Sunday afternoon, but it turned out that it was time well spent.
"Hexing Hitler" is described as the true story of five people who gather in a remote Maryland cabin in 1941 to put a curse on Adolph Hitler. I wasn't sure whether to expect serious voodoo ritual or a campy sendup. What I saw was something in between.
The script, written by Bryan Colley and Tara Varney, is a well-crafted piece that offers a solid foundation for this quirky story. The cast of characters are all very interesting people and the playwrights offer some tasty bits about each one. The plot, working from a true story, has a nice dramatic curve to it (though the ending is a bit long and anticlimactic).
The actors do a servicable job but left me wanting a lot more depth. Though they played it realistically, the emotional transitions were too abrupt and thus came off as unbelievable. A case in point was Melody Butler who did a great job convincing me that she was socialite Ruth Birdseye but didn't sell me on her descent into ritual ecstasy.
In fact all the participants in this affair waffle between belief and unbelief in the effectiveness of their voodoo adventure which requires an artful portrayal of their inner conflict. This is not easy to do and requires time to allow the script to "breathe". It may be that the hour long time constraint is too limiting but this play certainly could support another 15 or 30 minutes of development that would make it quite a dramatic and compelling work.
Kudos to the cast. "Hexing Hitler" is worth seeing and I hope that the playwrights will continue to develop this script.
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