This is the true story of a Polish Catholic woman, Irena Gut Opdyke (Tovah Feldshuh). It is a harrowing story, the events of which, arguably, not many of us could survive.
At the time of World War II, Gut (her maiden name) was studying to be a nurse. She was captured by Russian troops and forced to work for them in Eastern Poland. Managing to escape, she was captured by the Germans and put to work in a munitions factory. Later, coming to the attention of an important Nazi, Major Rugemer (Thomas Ryan), the chief SS officer in the region, Gut was appointed his chief housekeeper.
Twelve Jewish workers, who worked essentially as slave laborers in the laundry, were under Irena’s personal direction in the villa where the major lived. She and the workers develop a friendly relationship, and all goes placidly, until Irena learns that all Jews in the area are to be sent to a Nazi prison camp, or more specifically, a death camp.
A person of sympathy and compassion, Irena takes matters into her own hands. She hides the group in the major’s basement and the deception plays out for awhile. However, certain Nazis become suspicious; there have been informers in the area, and Major Rugemer eventually realizes that the suspicions are valid.
What happens next is astonishing. I don’t want to give it away, except to say that Irena is faced with an extraordinary decision, a decision that many of us could not, or would not, make.
Be that as it may, Irena manages to protect these 12 Jews by virtue of her faith, her resourcefulness, and her courage—and all manage to escape. It is a tremendously moving story.
The vow to which she refers is a dreadful act she’d witnessed, that of a Nazi soldier who threw a Jewish infant into the air and shot him dead. She vowed at that moment that if she ever had the opportunity to save a life, she would risk everything to do so.
Tovah Feldshuh’s performance is moving and powerful; she owns the role. In fact, in her blond wig she bears a remarkable resemblance to the actual Irena Gut. Others in the cast give good support, notably the aforementioned Thomas Ryan and John Stanisci, as Sturmbannfuhrer Rokita. Michael Parva has directed effectively.
A high point of the afternoon was the appearance of Irena Gut’s daughter, Jeannie, following the performance. She told the audience actual stories of her mother, which served to reinforce the humanity of the woman, and she also answered questions from the audience.
After her ordeal in the Holocaust, Irena Gut came to the U.S. and married William Opdyke. It was 25 years later, when Irena was asked to speak at her husband’s Rotary Club, that she decided to make her story as a participant and eyewitness known. We all can be grateful that she did. Irena Gut Opdyke died in 2003.
Irena’s Vow
Walter Kerr Theatre
219 West 48th St.
Tickets: (212) 239-6200 or www.telecharge.com
Open run
Diana Barth writes and publishes New Millennium, an arts newsletter. For information: diabarth@juno.com
