In 1942, 15 officials were ordered to meet in Wannsee, Nazi Berlin, and two hours later that group had decided the fate of millions. “Conspiracy,” Riverwalk Theatre’s most recent production, tells their story, one that was almost never told, letting viewers inside a rare moment in history.
As soon as the play begins, there is an eerie quiet on the stage as the maid (Sarah Hauck), butler (Mark Mandenberg), cook (Nathan Wood), cook’s assistant (Heath Sartorius) and busboy (William Cruitt) set up for the lunch that would soon begin. Then enters the soul-sucking Lt. Colonel Adolf Eichmann, played with a steely coldness throughout by Evan Pinsonnault.
Pinsonnault is an immediate standout, showing how conniving Eichmann was, with a cocky smirk that very rarely leaves his face, adding an element to him that makes you want listen to him and smack that smirk right off his face at the same time.
While Eichmann continues his instructions to the staff he is most strict with the stenographer (Mike Sobocinski), the man that would record the entire meeting. Sobocinski speaks very little but the look of sheer horror on his face says it all, representing what I can only imagine the audition’s looked like at times, recording every detail of the best way to answer the “Jewish Question” without uttering so much as a sigh.
The other members then begin to enter the room, showing the wide variety of men this group consists of. Even though some are slightly forgettable, three really leave their mark on the audience, starting with Michael Hays as General Reinhard Heydrich.
Hays is a powerhouse on the stage, with the ability to almost be seen as a nice man even though viewers learn quickly he is anything but. He rarely raises his voice but there is something in the tone that he uses that lets viewers know that he is the one in charge of this meeting. The moments when he shows his cool demeanor are the most horrifying, only because you know there is so much behind the words that he says with such ease and grace.
Next would be Erik Grill, who plays Wilhelm Stuckart. Grill has a very important speech towards the end of the first act and it’s where he shines. The speech contains so much hate and anger that if you hadn’t noticed his character before you do the minute he stands up and begins, hearing each word with a fiery passion that can’t be described with justice.
Last would be Jeff Boerger, playing the only man out of the group that seems to have a soul, Wilhelm Kritizinger. Boerger, much like Sobocinski, has moments where he says nothing at all but he doesn’t have to, the pain and suffering with what he is about to agree to can be read all over his face, making some of his loudest moments the ones where he says nothing at all. It’s as if he’s Henry Fonda’s character in the film 12 Angry Men, questioning it all but not able to do anything about what was to come.
Writer Loring Mandel doesn’t hide anything in his screenplay and theatrical adaptation, as brought to the Riverwalk stage by director James Houska.. He takes a look inside these men’s minds and creates so much from only a single document, a copy of the recording of the meeting, with no dialogue, just facts. Mandel brought alive a moment of history that few had known about and thankfully Houska had the good sense to take a chance emailing Mandel in order to make this show possible, since it has never been done on the stage before. As important in history as this meeting was this play is also an important one, with a story that will horrify viewers with its stark realism and one that won’t be forgotten anytime soon, hopefully to be seen on many more stages across the country.
“Conspiracy” is playing from Oct. 27-30. Check out Riverwalk Theatre’s website for details.
