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Wiesenthraled ‘Theater … with a capital T’ … at its Best! By Lynn Wexler
W
ere “history” to repeat itself, many of its most venerated figures might resemble Tom Dugan-inspired performances. After all, the actor and his minions have elucidated a passel of characters, who emerge from the mists of time to recount and reveal luminous, sometimes surprising pasts. With more than 25 years of stage and screen experience, Dugan
has appeared in 50-plus films and TV shows. Now he celebrates a full decade of national acclaim as actor, playwright and director of one-person shows, performances that have provided insight into some of history’s most heroic figures. His plays have been produced in more than two dozen North American cities, with four under way now simultaneously.
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The Jewish Repertory Theatre of Nevada brings one of them, Wiesenthal, to the Smith Center’s Troesh Studio Theater on Nov. 9 and 10. Norma Morrow-Zuckerman, JRTN’s co-founder with Charlene Sher, and now JRTN’s sole principal, strives to bring Equity theater productions that otherwise would be unavailable to Las Vegas audiences. “In founding JRTN, I felt a responsibility to bring quality performance and content to Las Vegas that is timely and relevant to a post9/11 world,” she says. “We need to know about and hear from history’s heroes, to remind us of who we are and from whence we came … and to inspire us to reach for the courage within. Wiesenthal is one of those productions. And Tom Dugan’s work here is simply outstanding.” Dugan portrays Simon Wiesenthal circa 2003, near the end of the Nazi hunter’s 94th year (Wiesenthal died in Vienna in 2005, at age 96). As he packs up materials from his Jewish Documentation Center in Vienna for shipment to the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, the audience serves as one final student group eager to hear the stories of “the Jewish James Bond.” The play recounts how Wiesenthal cheated death at the hands of Hitler’s brutal S.S., and devoted his life to bringing history’s most notorious war criminals to justice. “Wiesenthal,” as portrayed by Dugan, tells the audience in accented English how he and his wife Cyla together lost 89 family members in the Holocaust. And he details his role in the capture of nearly 1,100 fugitive Nazi war criminals, including: Adolf Eichmann, the architect of the “Final Solution”; Franz Murer, the “Butcher of Vilna”; and Karl Silberbauer, the S.S. officer who arrested Anne Frank and her family. Dugan was the 2011 recipient of the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Solo Performance for his work in Wiesenthal. He received three 2011 Los Angeles Ovation Award nominations for the role. Backstage hailed Wiesenthal as “ … masterful.” LA Weekly deemed it “… most eloquent.” The Los Angeles Times said: “… there are righteous stories told here that you will not forget.” Perhaps Wiesenthal’s most riveting review came from Variety’s Bob Verini, who wrote: “That Sunday afternoon taught me things about a historical figure and event I thought I was already familiar with … touching me in a way I had not thought possible. To this day I get a chill up my spine when recalling the final heartbreaking gesture as Dugan retired from the stage. Now that is what Theater, with a capital T, can do at its best.” In a telephone interview with DAVID, Dugan talked about shifting the focus of his theatrical career to this particular genre (writing, directing and acting), and the transcendence that occurs when talent and know-how merge seamlessly. DAVID: Are you Jewish? TOM: No… I was raised Catholic. In fact, I’m from what was at the time the smallest town in New Jersey: Winfield. It was all white and there were no Jews … very sheltered. My parents, however, raised me in an environment of tolerance. My father is a decorated WWII veteran. He liberated a concentration camp in Germany, where he witnessed the evils of prejudice, and (he) understood the values of tolerance. I grew up hearing his stories. I did marry a Jewish girl, though; and our two sons are being raised Jewish. DAVID: What prompted your decision to write, perform in and direct one-person shows? TOM: It was a practical decision … I wanted to ensure future roles for myself! www.davidlv.com | NOVEMBER 2013
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DAVID: Why historical figures? TOM: Ah … that’s an interesting answer. First, I wanted to have an audience. I did lots of great theatrical work. But all too often, no one came. So I researched online what the most popular subjects are. Take a guess what number one is … surprise … porn. Next was religion, followed by the Civil War. DAVID: I see … so that’s why your first play is about Civil War General Robert E. Lee? TOM: Yes. The play is called Robert E. Lee – Shades of Gray. It’s set on the day Lee is to surrender to U.S. General Ulysses S. Grant. Unlike history’s popular view, Lee was a commander who was against slavery and secession, and repulsed by war. Why did he reject Lincoln’s offer to lead the Union Army and agree to fight for The Confederacy? It’s fascinating. DAVID: Critics have called the show “a script for the ages.” How so? TOM: Lee came from a poor and disgraced family to rise above his struggles. He went to West Point and eventually became the most respected figure from the South in the post-Civil War era. He was a leader by all accounts. One story tells of his attending a church in Virginia after the war. Communion was offered to the whites in the front of the church and blacks in the back. Suddenly, a black man walked to the front and knelt to receive his communion. All present froze. Lee stood up and knelt beside the man, next in line to receive. Lee had courage and was a leader by example … a script for the ages. DAVID: You next wrote Frederick Douglass – In the Shadow of Slavery. Tell me about that choice. TOM: Douglass is another example of courage and triumph in the face of great adversity. He began in chains as a slave, and through his own initiative went on to become adviser to seven U.S. presidents. Lincoln counted him amongst his dearest of friends. DAVID: Your newest work is about Mary Lincoln. Congratulations on its October premiere at West Georgia University. TOM: Thank you. I wanted to write about Mary because she has been unfairly vilified through the lessons of history, often dismissed as a nasty, crazy lady who tormented her husband. What I reveal in the piece is an exceptional woman who suffered from bipolar disease, which was unknown at the time. Throughout her life and her marriage to Abe Lincoln, she never gave up, even in the face of her own emotional turmoil. She never quit. She never stopped trying to do good and to help her husband. As a result, their marriage was strong despite the abuse she hurled at him; and despite the unthinkable loss of three of their children. DAVID: What are you working on now? TOM: I’m in the midst of researching Jackie Kennedy Onassis. DAVID: How does that factor in with your theme? She came from great wealth and privilege. TOM: Jackie came from a highly dysfunctional family. Her father was a philanderer; her parents got divorced. She was without emotional security growing up. Good luck with the rest of your life without that. She nonetheless came out of it with her head squarely 30 NOVEMBER 2013 | www.davidlv.com
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DAVID: The historical characters you chose are exemplary, for sure. Critics have lauded your performances. To what do you attribute the success of your scripts? TOM: I research and write the plays the way I would like to see them presented. I uncover the untold story, revealing what I would like to know, and thought I already knew. My intention is to clear up misunderstandings about relevant historical characters and to highlight their magnificence and contributions. They are all heroes, each in their way. Lee, Douglas, Wiesenthal, Mary and Jackie lived their lives with optimism in the face of the opposite. They each worked incessantly to improve the lives of others, setting example after example on how to lead humanity to higher ground. Through these characters’ lives, we can better understand the grander themes of life. Audiences leave each play feeling energized and uplifted from having spent an evening with the figure on stage that they have now come to know and understand. DAVID: You love to play to youth audiences, correct? TOM: I can sum it up by the following … Of all the positive reviews I have been fortunate to receive, my best by far came from a teenage boy during the Q&A after one of my shows. He approached the microphone with confidence and enthusiasm. Without missing a beat, he said: ‘WOW! And I thought this was going to suck!’ Boy, did I laugh! If the kids like this stuff then they’ll understand it and learn the lessons. What more can I ask for?
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