(Saffran’s thoughts after a recent performance.)
We went yesterday and were extremely disappointed. The play lists two actors–Matthew Zajac and Aidan O'Rourke, but it's actually a one man show written by Matthew, with Aidan accompanying on the violin. It would have been better with another actor or actress involved. Matthew tells the story of how his father came to be a tailor in Inverness, and his struggle to survive in Poland during WWII. The script contains fascinating material and it's a true story of the brutality in the area among the Russians, Ukrainians, Poles and Nazis, but that doesn't mean that atrocities can be merely mentioned without an artful way to make them convey the moral depravity of the participants. There's also much unpleasant repetition about being chased by wolves, to no effect. In several sequences, Matthew attempts to dance and sing, and it's surprising that no one attempted to correct his clumsy waltz steps that are too big. What's amazing is that this play received rave reviews in the UK.