77%

(26 Ratings)

Positive

77%

Mixed

19%

Negative

Members say

Thought-provoking, Great acting, A little slow at times, A forgotten gem, Openended

About the Show

A Bavarian family’s loyalties shift amid rising fascism, written by novelist Sally Carson.

Set in Germany between December 1932 and June 1933, Crooked Cross follows the Klugers, a middle-class Bavarian family navigating the economic strain and political upheaval of the Weimar Republic’s final days. At the center is Lexa Kluger, a young woman engaged to Moritz Weissmann, a Jewish doctor. Her relationship is increasingly tested as her brothers, Helmy and Erich, are drawn into the Nazi party, attracted not only by ideology but by the promise of stability and purpose. The play traces the domestic and moral fractures that emerge as the family contends with the rapid rise of fascism.

The play is adapted from a 1934 novel by Sally Carson, who also wrote the stage version. Premiering in Birmingham in 1935, Carson’s work was recognized at the time for its restraint and clear-eyed empathy.

This new American production is directed by Jonathan Bank and produced by Mint Theater Company, a New York-based company known for reviving neglected plays with historical significance.

Critic Reviews (9)

"But this production succeeds precisely because no one onstage betrays any foresight, and in doing so, they hold a mirror up to us."
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"It uncannily captures the drip-drip-drip of fascism that, almost imperceptibly, stains her characters' lives, spreading division and, ultimately, death. The time is more than ripe for a revival."
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"Additionally, the play and production share a cinematic quality, which is used to varying degrees of effectiveness through musical underscoring... atmospheric lighting... and a scenic Alpine projection."
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"Let me frankly note at several points the acting was so painfully bad that I had to look away from the stage."
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"the play’s nine scenes still seem like chapters of a book with big gaps between the scenes"
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"The strength of the play for an audience of today is that it is not preachy and relies on the characters and what they are experiencing to tell its tale and unveil its warning."
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The play is, as usual for Mint productions, impressively performed and well designed. But, if the point in reviving Carson’s 90-year-old story is to offer a relevant lesson in the process and impact of an authoritarian takeover, there is something missing in the translation from novel to play.
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Crooked Cross makes more of an impression by its timeliness than by its dramatic art.
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