THEATRE
The Wrestling Patient 
Presented by
SpeakEasy Stage Company
at
Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA
March 27-April 11, 2009
Avg. Event Rating (3.6 Stars):
Add Review/Comment
|
Read Reviews/Comments
Comment on Facebook
By Kirk Lynn in collaboration with Anne Gottlieb and Katie Pearl; Directed by Katie Pearl March 27 - April 11, 2009
A Season Bonus! A World Premiere! This extraordinary new play is based on the true story of Dutch Jewish writer, Etty Hillesum. As WWII engulfs her native Amsterdam, Etty is confronted with a remarkable choice: to hold onto a kind of integrity, or to save her own life. With the help of a charismatic teacher, she enters into the emerging science of psychology and wrestles to answer the demons of her time by looking within herself. The Wrestling Patient brings to light Etty's secret history of musical evenings, therapeutic wrestling matches, black-market strawberries, and midnight prayers. Her story is one of an amazing transformation during one of the darkest hours in history.
-
At-a-
Glance
-
Venue Info
Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA
527 Tremont Street
Boston, MA 02116
Full map and directions
-
Admission Info
Tickets: Reg Adult tickets: $47 Tuesday-Friday
Reg Adult tickets: $50 Saturday & Sunday
Students/Seniors: $5 off at all times
Flat rate $30 gallery seats (row K)
Student rush: $14, 1 hour before curtain with a valid student ID
Info Phone: 617.933.8600
Email
Buy Tickets
-
Dates & Times
Dates:
March 27-April 11, 2009
Times:
Wednesday & Thursday : 7:30p
Friday : 8:00p
Saturday : 4:00p and 8:00p
Sunday : 3:00p
**Tuesday, April 7, 2009 at 7:30p**
-
Accessibility Info
Our theater contains stadium seating, with accessible seating in rows AA and K. Please be sure to advise the box office of any accessibility concerns prior to purchasing your tickets.
-
Video & Image Gallery
Video
|
Images
Images
-
Member Reviews
Add review/comment
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"Fine acting of weak material"
Review
posted by:
Chris
from Boston,
Apr 15, 2009
This is the sort of play that should have been really terrific. The actors did a first-rate job; the problem, I think, is with the play itself. The main character goes from being a spoiled...
Expand
This is the sort of play that should have been really terrific. The actors did a first-rate job; the problem, I think, is with the play itself. The main character goes from being a spoiled self-absorbed brat in the first act to something like a saint in the second, with no explanation or transition. The audience is simply asked to swallow this transformation whole. The whole thing ran way too long and was too predictable--I spent most of the second act waiting for the inevitable deportation to get over with so that the play could finally end.
Oh well.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"spirit is missing"
Comment
posted by:
bill himelhoch
from jamaica plain,
Apr 14, 2009
The playwrights' decision to de-emphasize Hillesum's prayer life is unfortunate. Her conversations with God were, after all, the source of her astonishing strength as the Jews of Amsterdam were...
Expand
The playwrights' decision to de-emphasize Hillesum's prayer life is unfortunate. Her conversations with God were, after all, the source of her astonishing strength as the Jews of Amsterdam were exterminated. No wonder Act 3 was lacking. Just imagine George Bernard Shaw omitting any reference to Joan of Arc's communications with the archangel because they would not be good theatre. Quite the opposite. What could be more riveting than Etty whispering to her brother amid the chaos of the detention camp, "God has made me so rich. Oh how can I share all that beauty. Can you tell that the beat of my heart has grown deeper, as if I were all the time storing up an inner treasure?
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"Challenging"
Review
posted by:
John & Helaine Carroll
from Cambridge, MA,
Apr 14, 2009
This is a challenging story portrayed by a fine cast. The writing and staging have turned a diary into a wonderful theatre event. It's a harrowing tale but the characters grow visibly on stage,...
Expand
This is a challenging story portrayed by a fine cast. The writing and staging have turned a diary into a wonderful theatre event. It's a harrowing tale but the characters grow visibly on stage, particularly the lead. We wish we had seen it earlier in the run so that we could have sent friends to see it.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"Too Plot-ing"
Review
posted by:
Meghan
from Boston, MA,
Apr 14, 2009
The acting was powerful. However, the first act was much stronger than the second and third because it was much more attentive to Etty's internal growth. In comparison, the second and third acts...
Expand
The acting was powerful. However, the first act was much stronger than the second and third because it was much more attentive to Etty's internal growth. In comparison, the second and third acts seemed almost shallow and too focused on plot and action at the expense of highlighting Etty's internal theological and philosophical reflections and development, which are why she's a captivating person and writer. Nevertheless, there were some powerful moments in the latter acts.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"Unheard"
Comment
posted by:
JoAnn from Jamaica Plain
from Jamaica Plain, MA,
Apr 08, 2009
This is a very fine play. However, our experience
was marred by the fact my friend, who is deaf,
could not hear because the listening device offered
at the theater is useless to those who wear...
Expand
This is a very fine play. However, our experience
was marred by the fact my friend, who is deaf,
could not hear because the listening device offered
at the theater is useless to those who wear hearing
aids. What a disappointment; a state-of-the-art
theater should know better than to advertise what it
does not have.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"Riveting"
Review
posted by:
Elaine
from Jamaica Plain,
Apr 07, 2009
Superlative in most ways! The set conveys the hardness and the ugliness of the times; each cast member shines, all portraying very difficult persona; the phonograph music at times haunting and raspy....
Expand
Superlative in most ways! The set conveys the hardness and the ugliness of the times; each cast member shines, all portraying very difficult persona; the phonograph music at times haunting and raspy. All add up to a major (future) theater event. But, before that can happen, it must be edited. Though the relationship between Etty and her therapist is so important to her very existence (and therefore, of the play), and though he is such as important and strong character, there is room for consolidation of some of their scenes. I would consider that a sacrifice, but the play is too long. Nevertheless, I would encourage most to see this.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"agony"
Review
posted by:
anne
from Hopkinton, MA,
Apr 04, 2009
I appreciate the merits of this story and the
importance to bring it to life on the stage but this
play needs some serious editing- first ITS TOO
LONG! I nearly died during the second and third...
Expand
I appreciate the merits of this story and the
importance to bring it to life on the stage but this
play needs some serious editing- first ITS TOO
LONG! I nearly died during the second and third
act. Please send it back to the editing room and
tighten the play to bring us the force of the story
behind it- It totally lost my interest and my
compassion during the 2nd and 3rd acts. It was all
over the place. Loved the Wrecking Ball
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"Amazing grace"
Review
posted by:
al
from San Antonio, TX USA,
Apr 01, 2009
This is an extremely intense play. While many of
my favorite lines from the text on which it was
based did not find their way to the stage, I still was
amazed at how the story flowed. The actors...
Expand
This is an extremely intense play. While many of
my favorite lines from the text on which it was
based did not find their way to the stage, I still was
amazed at how the story flowed. The actors did
an incredible job of portraying people who refused
to give in to the horrors surrounding them. I
continue to be in awe of their ability to join hands
and sing in the face of certain death. Kudos to the
set designer for being able to build a set that
worked on so many different levels for the variety
of places it needed to cover. I would travel from
Texas to see it again!
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"an unwieldly text"
Review
posted by:
polyphemus
from Cambridge, MA,
Apr 01, 2009
I appreciate the work and time that went into this world premiere: the material is inherently fascinating (and powerful) and the production is obviously positioning itself as a sort of 21st century...
Expand
I appreciate the work and time that went into this world premiere: the material is inherently fascinating (and powerful) and the production is obviously positioning itself as a sort of 21st century DIARY OF ANNE FRANK.
The problem is that THE WRESTLING PATIENT is two different, competing plays: one, of Etty's (to be frank, kind of icky) affair with her much older Jungian psychiatrist and partner-in-oversoul, and two, of her family's eventual transportation to a 'transit' camp and subsequent annihilation in the holocaust. It's mostly a character-driven piece, with the machinations of the plot driven by a character named (I kid you not) The Wrecking Ball, a sort of Nazi version of Father Time. The acting was accomplished--it's a talky play, and the rehearsal period must have been extensive--but at nearly three hours, not a very tight or focused piece.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"Think about it"
Review
posted by:
MBowles
from Cambridge, Massachusetts,
Mar 31, 2009
Do not take at face value what appears and sounds on the Calderwood Stage. While death personified walks in and out of the play, the stellar quality of Etty Hillesum and the brilliant cast that...
Expand
Do not take at face value what appears and sounds on the Calderwood Stage. While death personified walks in and out of the play, the stellar quality of Etty Hillesum and the brilliant cast that brings us her story leaves you satisfied to have spent a little time in her short, diverse life. Do not take each line for only words, but for a bit of philosophy from a woman who long knew her fate and still insisted on enjoying the everyday challenges leading to all of our inevitable ends.
Not only the actors, but the writing and direction convince the audience that you are in Amsterdam and you too are savoring the last days.
While the Hillesum family is portrayed as dysfunctional, how different is it from each of ours? Come prepared to leave with a new attitude about the mundane travails of everyday life in our own homes.
Only a show this good could convince us of the genius of the lady we have never even heard of before "The Wrestling Patient".
Run, not walk to this great show.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"Wrestling with the Play"
Review
posted by:
njm
from boston mass,
Mar 30, 2009
Fascinating subject matter and a most talented cast
cannot rescue this play. Although workshopped
before this opening, it drifts in different directions
and seems to lack focus and not sure of what...
Expand
Fascinating subject matter and a most talented cast
cannot rescue this play. Although workshopped
before this opening, it drifts in different directions
and seems to lack focus and not sure of what it
wants to say thematically. At time the characters
seem disconnected from the audience and unable to
convey the tragedy and inevitability of this family's
fate at the hands of the Nazi holocaust.
Collapse
-
Media
Gallery
-
All Media Gallery
Video
|
Images
Images
-
Member
Reviews
-
Member Reviews
Add review/comment
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"Fine acting of weak material"
Review
posted by:
Chris
from Boston,
Apr 15, 2009
This is the sort of play that should have been really terrific. The actors did a first-rate job; the problem, I think, is with the play itself. The main character goes from being a spoiled...
Expand
This is the sort of play that should have been really terrific. The actors did a first-rate job; the problem, I think, is with the play itself. The main character goes from being a spoiled self-absorbed brat in the first act to something like a saint in the second, with no explanation or transition. The audience is simply asked to swallow this transformation whole. The whole thing ran way too long and was too predictable--I spent most of the second act waiting for the inevitable deportation to get over with so that the play could finally end.
Oh well.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"spirit is missing"
Comment
posted by:
bill himelhoch
from jamaica plain,
Apr 14, 2009
The playwrights' decision to de-emphasize Hillesum's prayer life is unfortunate. Her conversations with God were, after all, the source of her astonishing strength as the Jews of Amsterdam were...
Expand
The playwrights' decision to de-emphasize Hillesum's prayer life is unfortunate. Her conversations with God were, after all, the source of her astonishing strength as the Jews of Amsterdam were exterminated. No wonder Act 3 was lacking. Just imagine George Bernard Shaw omitting any reference to Joan of Arc's communications with the archangel because they would not be good theatre. Quite the opposite. What could be more riveting than Etty whispering to her brother amid the chaos of the detention camp, "God has made me so rich. Oh how can I share all that beauty. Can you tell that the beat of my heart has grown deeper, as if I were all the time storing up an inner treasure?
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"Challenging"
Review
posted by:
John & Helaine Carroll
from Cambridge, MA,
Apr 14, 2009
This is a challenging story portrayed by a fine cast. The writing and staging have turned a diary into a wonderful theatre event. It's a harrowing tale but the characters grow visibly on stage,...
Expand
This is a challenging story portrayed by a fine cast. The writing and staging have turned a diary into a wonderful theatre event. It's a harrowing tale but the characters grow visibly on stage, particularly the lead. We wish we had seen it earlier in the run so that we could have sent friends to see it.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"Too Plot-ing"
Review
posted by:
Meghan
from Boston, MA,
Apr 14, 2009
The acting was powerful. However, the first act was much stronger than the second and third because it was much more attentive to Etty's internal growth. In comparison, the second and third acts...
Expand
The acting was powerful. However, the first act was much stronger than the second and third because it was much more attentive to Etty's internal growth. In comparison, the second and third acts seemed almost shallow and too focused on plot and action at the expense of highlighting Etty's internal theological and philosophical reflections and development, which are why she's a captivating person and writer. Nevertheless, there were some powerful moments in the latter acts.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"Unheard"
Comment
posted by:
JoAnn from Jamaica Plain
from Jamaica Plain, MA,
Apr 08, 2009
This is a very fine play. However, our experience
was marred by the fact my friend, who is deaf,
could not hear because the listening device offered
at the theater is useless to those who wear...
Expand
This is a very fine play. However, our experience
was marred by the fact my friend, who is deaf,
could not hear because the listening device offered
at the theater is useless to those who wear hearing
aids. What a disappointment; a state-of-the-art
theater should know better than to advertise what it
does not have.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"Riveting"
Review
posted by:
Elaine
from Jamaica Plain,
Apr 07, 2009
Superlative in most ways! The set conveys the hardness and the ugliness of the times; each cast member shines, all portraying very difficult persona; the phonograph music at times haunting and raspy....
Expand
Superlative in most ways! The set conveys the hardness and the ugliness of the times; each cast member shines, all portraying very difficult persona; the phonograph music at times haunting and raspy. All add up to a major (future) theater event. But, before that can happen, it must be edited. Though the relationship between Etty and her therapist is so important to her very existence (and therefore, of the play), and though he is such as important and strong character, there is room for consolidation of some of their scenes. I would consider that a sacrifice, but the play is too long. Nevertheless, I would encourage most to see this.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"agony"
Review
posted by:
anne
from Hopkinton, MA,
Apr 04, 2009
I appreciate the merits of this story and the
importance to bring it to life on the stage but this
play needs some serious editing- first ITS TOO
LONG! I nearly died during the second and third...
Expand
I appreciate the merits of this story and the
importance to bring it to life on the stage but this
play needs some serious editing- first ITS TOO
LONG! I nearly died during the second and third
act. Please send it back to the editing room and
tighten the play to bring us the force of the story
behind it- It totally lost my interest and my
compassion during the 2nd and 3rd acts. It was all
over the place. Loved the Wrecking Ball
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"Amazing grace"
Review
posted by:
al
from San Antonio, TX USA,
Apr 01, 2009
This is an extremely intense play. While many of
my favorite lines from the text on which it was
based did not find their way to the stage, I still was
amazed at how the story flowed. The actors...
Expand
This is an extremely intense play. While many of
my favorite lines from the text on which it was
based did not find their way to the stage, I still was
amazed at how the story flowed. The actors did
an incredible job of portraying people who refused
to give in to the horrors surrounding them. I
continue to be in awe of their ability to join hands
and sing in the face of certain death. Kudos to the
set designer for being able to build a set that
worked on so many different levels for the variety
of places it needed to cover. I would travel from
Texas to see it again!
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"an unwieldly text"
Review
posted by:
polyphemus
from Cambridge, MA,
Apr 01, 2009
I appreciate the work and time that went into this world premiere: the material is inherently fascinating (and powerful) and the production is obviously positioning itself as a sort of 21st century...
Expand
I appreciate the work and time that went into this world premiere: the material is inherently fascinating (and powerful) and the production is obviously positioning itself as a sort of 21st century DIARY OF ANNE FRANK.
The problem is that THE WRESTLING PATIENT is two different, competing plays: one, of Etty's (to be frank, kind of icky) affair with her much older Jungian psychiatrist and partner-in-oversoul, and two, of her family's eventual transportation to a 'transit' camp and subsequent annihilation in the holocaust. It's mostly a character-driven piece, with the machinations of the plot driven by a character named (I kid you not) The Wrecking Ball, a sort of Nazi version of Father Time. The acting was accomplished--it's a talky play, and the rehearsal period must have been extensive--but at nearly three hours, not a very tight or focused piece.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"Think about it"
Review
posted by:
MBowles
from Cambridge, Massachusetts,
Mar 31, 2009
Do not take at face value what appears and sounds on the Calderwood Stage. While death personified walks in and out of the play, the stellar quality of Etty Hillesum and the brilliant cast that...
Expand
Do not take at face value what appears and sounds on the Calderwood Stage. While death personified walks in and out of the play, the stellar quality of Etty Hillesum and the brilliant cast that brings us her story leaves you satisfied to have spent a little time in her short, diverse life. Do not take each line for only words, but for a bit of philosophy from a woman who long knew her fate and still insisted on enjoying the everyday challenges leading to all of our inevitable ends.
Not only the actors, but the writing and direction convince the audience that you are in Amsterdam and you too are savoring the last days.
While the Hillesum family is portrayed as dysfunctional, how different is it from each of ours? Come prepared to leave with a new attitude about the mundane travails of everyday life in our own homes.
Only a show this good could convince us of the genius of the lady we have never even heard of before "The Wrestling Patient".
Run, not walk to this great show.
Collapse
-
Event Name: The Wrestling Patient
"Wrestling with the Play"
Review
posted by:
njm
from boston mass,
Mar 30, 2009
Fascinating subject matter and a most talented cast
cannot rescue this play. Although workshopped
before this opening, it drifts in different directions
and seems to lack focus and not sure of what...
Expand
Fascinating subject matter and a most talented cast
cannot rescue this play. Although workshopped
before this opening, it drifts in different directions
and seems to lack focus and not sure of what it
wants to say thematically. At time the characters
seem disconnected from the audience and unable to
convey the tragedy and inevitability of this family's
fate at the hands of the Nazi holocaust.
Collapse
-
Media
Reviews
