Theater critic provided just the right words for a fan to describe ‘Here There Are Blueberries'
To the editor: Upon leaving the production of 'Here There Are Blueberries' at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, I remained stunned at the extraordinary writing and performance itself, the message of the banality of the Nazis who ran Auschwitz, and the startling staging with the display of found photographs.
The detailed images and the voices onstage offered deepened historical lessons and questions about the mysterious twins of banal and evil. I wondered how I might possibly describe this play to friends and found myself stymied. Then the next day I read Charles McNulty's excellent article ('How a photo of Nazis eating blueberries inspired Moisés Kaufman and Amanda Gronich's Holocaust play,' March 14). Now I am making copies to share, while sending thanks to McNulty for his measured thoughts and words.
Nancy Levinson, Los Angeles
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
5 days ago
- Newsweek
Scream Queen Mia Goth Cast in 'Star Wars' Sequel
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek's network of contributors You may know her best as a scream queen from movies like "X" and "Pearl", but now Mia Goth is graduating to a galaxy far, far away. Variety reports that the "MaXXXine" star has signed on to join Ryan Gosling in the upcoming "Star Wars: Starfighter". Read More: 'Predator: Killer of Killers' Is Now Available to Watch - Here's How to Stream No details yet have been released about Goth's role in the film, though presumably it's the same part that Oscar winner Mikey Madison reportedly turned down in April. Reports emerged about the "Anora" star saying no to "Starfighter" just before the kick-off of Star Wars Celebration. Mia Goth attends the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 02, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. Mia Goth attends the 2025 Vanity Fair Oscar Party Hosted By Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 02, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic Very little overall is known about "Star Wars: Starfighter". Shawn Levy of "Deadpool & Wolverine" fame is directing from a script by Jonathan Tropper, who previously worked with Levy on "The Adam Project" and "This Is Where I Leave You". "Starfighter" is set roughly five years after the events of "Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker" and is a standalone film disconnected from the larger Skywalker Saga. "Star Wars: Starfighter" is scheduled to hit theaters May 28, 2027. Originally, this would've placed its bowing pretty close to another big Disney film, "Avengers: Secret Wars", but the latter event film has since been delayed to December 17, 2027. "Starfighter" is part of Disney's attempt to once more capitalize on "Star Wars" at the box office. The franchise hasn't released a feature since 2019 and numerous projects have been reported to have stalled along the way. Next for Star Wars in theaters is "The Mandalorian & Grogu", which is set for release May 22, 2026. The film will continue the adventures of the heroes introduced in Disney+'s "The Mandalorian". Among other projects is Daisy Ridley's return as Rey in a film set 15 years after "The Rise of Skywalker", and James Mangold's ambitious "Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi". Goth won't be sitting on her hands waiting for "Star Wars" to come around, of course. Fans can next see her this November in Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein". Goth plays Elizabeth in the Netflix original, the fiancée of Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac). Goth is also starring in Christopher Nolan's "The Odyssey" in an as-of-yet undisclosed role. She is rumored to be playing the powerful witch Circe, but this has not been confirmed. More Movies: Jonas Brother Cast as Paul Stanley of KISS in New Biopic Original 'Harry Potter' Actor to Join Hit 'Cursed Child' Broadway Play
Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Boston Globe
Climate activist Thunberg joins aid ship sailing to Gaza aimed at breaking Israel's blockade
'We are doing this because, no matter what odds we are against, we have to keep trying,' Thunberg said, bursting into tears during her speech. 'Because the moment we stop trying is when we lose our humanity. And no matter how dangerous this mission is, it's not even near as dangerous as the silence of the entire world in the face of the live-streamed genocide,' she added. Israel, which was founded in the aftermath of the Holocaust, has adamantly rejected genocide allegations against it as an antisemitic 'blood libel.' Advertisement In mid-May, Israel slightly eased its blockade of Gaza after nearly three months, allowing a limited amount of humanitarian aid into the territory. Experts have warned Gaza is at risk of famine if more aid is not brought in. U.N. agencies and major aid groups say Israeli restrictions, the breakdown of law and order, and widespread looting make it extremely difficult to deliver aid to Gaza's roughly 2 million Palestinians. Among those joining the crew of the Madleen are 'Game of Thrones' actor Liam Cunningham and Rima Hassan, a French member of the European Parliament who is of Palestinian descent. She has been barred from entering Israel due to her active opposition to the Israeli assault on Gaza. Advertisement The activists expect to take seven days to get to their destination, if they are not stopped. Thunberg, who became an internationally famous climate activist after organizing massive teen protests in her native Sweden, had been due to board a previous Freedom Flotilla ship last month. That attempt to reach Gaza by sea, in early May, failed after another of the group's vessels, the 'Conscience', was attacked by two alleged drones while sailing in international waters off the coast of Malta. The group blamed Israel for the attack, which damaged the front section of the ship, in the latest confrontation over efforts to send assistance to the Palestinian territory devastated by nearly 19 months of war. The Israeli government says the blockade is an attempt to pressure Hamas to release hostages it took during the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the conflict. Hamas-led militants assaulted southern Israel that day, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting 251. Hamas is still holding 58 hostages, 23 of whom are believed to be alive. In response, Israel launched an offensive that has killed over 52,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians. Israel's bombardment and ground operations have destroyed vast areas of the territory and left most of its population homeless. The Flotilla group was only the latest among a growing number of critics to accuse Israel of genocidal acts in its war in Gaza. Israel vehemently denies the allegations, saying its war is directed at Hamas militants, not Gaza's civilians. Advertisement 'We are breaking the siege of Gaza by sea, but that's part of a broader strategy of mobilizations that will also attempt to break the siege by land,' said activist Thiago Avila. Avila cited the upcoming Global March to Gaza — an international initiative also open to doctors, lawyers and media — which is set to leave Egypt and reach the Rafah crossing in mid-June to stage a protest there, asking Israel to stop the Gaza offensive and reopen the border.
New York Times
6 days ago
- New York Times
‘The Last Twins' Review: A Rare Holocaust Story
The documentary 'The Last Twins' tells the harrowing true story of Erno Spiegel, a Jewish man who was sent to Auschwitz concentration camp, but was spared for one reason: He was a twin. Dr. Josef Mengele, the Nazi physician, considered twins to be the ideal subjects because they allowed him to conduct what he believed were controlled genetic studies. He made Spiegel preside over a group of around 60 twin boys — many of whose lives Spiegel would save. Directed by Perri Peltz and Matthew O'Neill, 'The Last Twins' is a conventional documentary made up of talking heads, archival materials and somber narration by Liev Schreiber. The speakers are mostly Holocaust survivors — some of the very boys whom Spiegel protected by forging documents or keeping crucial information secret. After the camps were liberated, Spiegel ended up leading his group of twins on a brutal winter trek through Poland and back home to Hungary. Hearing these survivors, now well into their 90s, talk about their experiences is devastating and poignant. But a cynical part of me wonders to what extent a documentary like 'The Last Twins' simply scratches the same itch, allowing viewers to indulge a kind of morbid (if sympathetic) curiosity in the Holocaust. Should every unique survival story be packaged into the same kind of storytelling blueprint? One answer might be that real heroes — in the Holocaust and other histories of genocide — are often the stuff of fiction. Here, heroism is presented less as a feat of preternatural bravery than a series of choices made by someone who simply refused to give up his humanity. The Last TwinsNot rated. Running time: 1 hour 25 minutes. In theaters.
