Only two more performances of this extraordinary production of an original play, Paper Walls, by Elliott Shoenman, about a family suddenly faced with having to liquidate their holdings in an effort to travel to the U.S. With the recent scare-tactics toward immigrants exhibited by our present government, accompanied by stories of the thuggery of ICE, there is no more immediate play than Shoenman’s historically important depiction of his own family’s effort to escape Germany as the Nazis tightened their oppressive grip on the populace.
Herman (Warren Davis), head of the Goldman family, already escaped World War One to create his own business in Berlin. Along with his wife, Sara (Dana Schwartz), they have raised two young boys: Walter (played by Casey J. Adler) and Albert (Derek Manson). Ultimately, only one of them will escape. Told in a diary style, beginning in August 1934 and continuing through 1939, the story unfolds with the help of historical documentary footage (assembled by Ben Rock), offset by pin-pointed scenic lighting ( Nita Mendoza) and sound (Marc Antonio Pritchett). Aiding the veracity of the piece, costumer Sarah Curran Ice has assembled historically accurate costuming.
The story, if told in a traditional way, would be affecting enough. But Moving Arts Artistic Director Darin Anthony has pulled out all the stops to make this a most important rendition. Beginning with the “walls” of movable flats isolating each character, the production values (designed by Justin Huen) immerse the audience in the terrifying tightening of German society’s gradual grip. At the end of the play, audiences are wrenched back into the present, with a sense of déjà vu. We may well ask: is this story a harbinger of things to come?
Inkwell Theater Company presents Paper Walls, continuing this weekend, on Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 3 pm through November 9, 2025, at The Broadwater Studio, 1076 Lillian Way, Los Angeles, 90038. All tickets, $35.00; for reservations and information call 310-551091, or go online at: http://www.inkwelltheater.com.
