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Fedunn
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Gottlieb, Holder
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By Dave DePino
Jews all over the world rejoiced in the formation of the state of Israel in the dark shadow of the Holocaust. In America, Jews, along with the rest of the civilized world, were reeling from the inconceivable atrocities. With his latest work, Fedunn, playwright Murray Mednick tells the story of how the event affected an extended Jewish/American family.
It is 1948. The three Silverman brothers, Ray (Michael Pasternak), a manager; Pinnie (Joel Polis), a work-horse; and Leon (William Bumiller), a rich playboy, own and operate a hotel in a very popular vacation spot for New York Jews, the Catskills. Everyone in the family has a job to do--- wives, brothers-in-law, you name it. The staff also includes a non-Jew, Al (Travis Michael Holder), who risked all to save Ray's wife, Tali (Maia Danziger), from the Nazis. Each and every character of this large cast has his or her own story, like Gina (Bari Hochwald) who stayed alive by trading favors for freedom and drugs in Morocco; Rosie (Dinah Lenney), bitter beyond her years; Eli (Matt Gottlieb) incessantly questioning things both religious and secular, Eve (Elizabeth Tobias), desperately wanting children, to mention a few, and a mysterious, gentile, blond boy who delivers the milk, Fedunn (Zoltan). It is this enigmatic boy whose presence snaps the comatose Tali to life, and, in doing so, becomes a target seen as some kind of a threat, a dangerous outsider to be harshly dealt with. A strange philosophy for a group who is licking its fresh wounds from being singled out for just being who they were.
So many sub plots are swimming around here that it would be impossible to do justice in a few words. The script is rich with emotionalism and familial bonding. The production is right on the button in making its points and performances are uniformly fine under Mitchell Ryan's meticulous direction, however, the symbolism of Fedunn lacks clarity in the mix of things that are happening with this family.
Gary Randall (set), Shon LeBlanc (costumes), Rand Ryan (lights) and Hugh Levick (original score) make up the technical dream team.
Performing at the Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd. (just south of Olympic) in West L.A.; Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 3 p.m.; through October 27. Tickets $25, call 310/477-2055.
--Dave DePino
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