What I liked
You’ve heard of the Night Witches, haven’t you? Die Nachthexen? Nein? Well then!
The incredible, inspiring, and stunning true story of the young Russian women who flew rickety plans with bombs barely strapped to the bottom of them over the Nazi lines in World War II, cutting their engines before crossing into enemy territory, gliding over the targets, manually dropping their bombs, and getting the hell out of there before getting killed, all while the rest of the soldiers slept.
Will McMichael’s description of his show is an accurate one: “less a history lesson and more a warrior-ballad come to life.” Night Witches sings the praises of the bravery, camaraderie, and valor of the young women of Night Bomber Regiment 588; women who were mocked and disrespected by many of their fellow soldiers but whose drive to fight against Nazi occupation and oppression was far too strong to break in the face of derision or death.
Heather Schmidt leads the incredible ensemble as Nina, turning out a heartbreaking performance filled with courage in the face of fear and insurmountable odds. Rowan Hall’s Xandra complexity enough to have made Tolstoy envious. And Curt Bonnem’s seamless transformations between his multiple characters (Russian, French, and German) are clear, distinct, and unique, never once bleeding one character into the next.
The stellar ensemble cast is supported by very effective technical effects and staging that help to give the audience some small taste of the adrenaline rush and terror that must have been ever-present. Utilizing blacklight puppetry for the airborne sequences was a particularly evocative choice.
One of my favorites this year and one not to miss.
What I didn't like
While most of the technical elements worked very well, some fell short of what they could have been. The limited options for movement of the airplane puppets themselves was at times distracting, which was unfortunate as the puppets themselves were wonderful. Similarly, many of the obviously clunky set and scenery changes were a detriment to the pace of the overall show. That said, c’est la Fringe; tech is tough in these turnarounds. Certainly these are the kinds of elements that could be ironed out.
My overall impression
This stunning true story of the young women who risked and gave their lives to fight the Nazis by the cover of night is an absolute must-see.
