The cast, which created the show as an ensemble work for Ego Po's season of Jewish-themed theater, tells the classic tale of a golem who tried to protect Prague's Jews from attacks during Passover, when priests spread libels about Christian blood in the Jews' matzohs.The reviewer thinks the performance was a little too intense and was still a little rough around the edges, although both could improve with practice.
That tale is told, though, in a revealing new context. Eight Jews, on a deportation train to what will be a death camp in 1941, tell one another the story as they barrel through Prague. They progress to other golem tales and, as they take parts in each, you realize they are searching for their own golem, though it - like others - will not really be able to stem the tide against them.
It's a great idea for a piece of theater. The troupe, directed by Brenna Geffers, performs The Golem with marionette puppets (by Martina Plag) and to original music by Andrew Nelson, which cast members play. The Eastern European Jewish music is highly derivative, which is precisely why it works here.
Background to this production and to the Golem legend in general here and links.
