The Arts

"All Through the Night" offers, in less than two hours, a detailed history of World War II from the rise of Hitler to the war-crimes trials. If that sounds like too much, it is.

The horrors of Nazism are all here: schools becoming citadels of propaganda; neighbors encouraged to spy on one another and participate in the dehumanization of Jews, gypsies and homosexuals; ridding society of the misfits and disabled who cost too much to maintain; and, of course, the camps.

It's a well-meaning work offering important warnings to contemporary audiences: Beware of demonizing "the other" and be alert to the dangers of sitting quietly while the vital freedoms of democracy are eroded. Unfortunately it's overlong, and in this production, directed by Christopher Zinovitch, the messages come across as too shrill and heavy-handed.

The horror of Hitler is shown through five women of the Third Reich representing both compassionate subversives and rabid Nazis. Cindy Bradder (Ludmilla), Erin Stewart (Frederike) and Kate Witt (Angelika) play average German women victimized by the regime. They might be just as effective without the German accents that are sometimes hard to understand, especially when it comes to Stewart's high-pitched outbursts.

Bradder captures the angst of a simple village woman coping despite losses and disasters. Witt is affecting as a mother whose baby is deemed unfit for the new Reich. Jillian Vashro and Colleen Carey, the Nazis, offer sobering examples of the evil that true believers can do.

Josh Randall's lighting design enhances the action. His scene of the Dresden bombing is particularly effective. The sound of troops, bombs, forbidden radio programs and other elements of war are particularly important here. Kudos to Johanna Melamed for her sound design.

Overall, though, this is a case where less would have been more.

Nancy Worssam: nworssam@earthlink.net