Discovery in Dachau

Press, 24 October 1984, Page 19

Discovery in Dachau

Martin Sherman’s play about the Nazi persecution of homosexuals, “Bent,” opens at the Court Theatre on Tuesday. The presentation of “Bent” in Christchurch has been delayed until a suitable cast was available. In Alistair Browning, Tony Mack, Mark Trezona, Geoffrey Wearing, Craig Hood, and newcomer Jeff Boyd, the court feels it has the

actors that will do the play justice. It is the story of Max, the black sheep of a wealthy family, who inadvertently falls foul of the S.S. on the Night of the Long Knives (1934). He is on the run with his friend Rudy, unable to escape from Germany for two years, before being captured and placed in a concentration camp. In Dachau, through suffering, he finds

not only an unexpected ability to love, but self knowledge and courage. The play has been successful in both London, where lan McKellan starred, and in New York, where Richard Gere played the leading character. Elric Hooper is the director of the play’s season in the Studio, which runs until November 11.