Meeting of the (evil) minds

As director James W. Houska said in his welcome lastSaturday night, “Conspiracy” is not a show to be enjoyed. It is,however, an important event in history that people should experienceand talk about, and Riverwalk Theatre’s production provides thatopportunity.

Based on a true event, “Conspiracy” recreates the secretWannsee Conference held in Berlin in 1942, at which the “question”about what to do with the Jews in Europe was answered.  Chairedby Gen. Reinhard Heydrich (Michael Hays), the meeting brought together15 major players from various agencies, departments and affiliates ofthe Nazi regime to essentially get everyone on the same page — afterwhich all the pages detailing the meeting were to be destroyed. (Onecopy survived.)

Director Houska designed the stage, a wonderfully opulentroom in a mansion overlooking a frozen German lake. Bob Nees designedthe enormous conference table at which the party sits, and its symbolicshape should be part of any post-show conversation. 

The meeting is coordinated by Heydrich’s right hand man, Lt. Col. Adolf Eichmann (Evan Pinsonnault).  Eichmannorchestrates a meeting of manners, with fine wines and liquors, cigars,savory appetizers and a buffet lunch, all served at the appropriatetime.

The beauty of the setting and the luxuriousness of theamenities offer a stark contrast to the absolute barbarism of thepurpose of the meeting itself.  

Emmy winner Loring Mandel’s script does not attempt tomake these characters sympathetic; neither are they all painted asmustache-twisting evildoers.

Instead, the author has created a complex cast ofcharacters whose levels of competency and commitment vary as much astheir backgrounds and motivations.  Somecharacters are fleshed out more thoroughly, likely based on theirimpact on historical events. Even the most minor of these players aregiven unique personas, even if the essence of that persona is myopicincompetence.

Among the cast, four stand out in particular.  The first and most obvious is Hays as Heydrich.  Hayshas the necessary physical presence and authority to pull off thisrole. At one point, he seems about this close to using the Force tocrush the throat of a simpering Joseph Buhler (Mark Zussman). 

As Heydrich’s second, Pinsonnault delivers a solid performance as Eichmann.  Pinsonnaulthas previously trod the boards of Riverwalk as simpletons in“Fortinbras” and “Into the Woods.” As Eichmann, Pinsonnault isefficient and meticulous, obviously ambitious and as cold as the frozenlake that is ever-present just over his shoulder. 

Sparks fly when Erik Grill raises his voice of relativereason as legal authority Wilhelm Stuckart. Grill has a commandingpresence, even when going toe-to-toe with Hays. While still as racistas any of the others, he pushes for a more humane solution that couldbe defended using the letter of the law.

Arguably the only sympathetic character is Wilhelm Kritzinger (Jeff Boerger).  Thecharacter could be played as weak or whiny, but Boerger instead imbuesKritzinger with a nuanced blend of emotions. Kritzinger may be the onlyone who recognizes that the war against the Jews is spiraling out ofcontrol, that the decisions being made in that room will spell ruin forthe nation that he loves and that he is in over his head.

With its large cast, “Conspiracy” is a complex story tofollow at first. However, as the predetermined outcome of the meetingbecomes clearer, keeping track of the characters matters less thanwitnessing their complacency or commitment to the “Final Solution ofthe Jewish question.”

‘Conspiracy’

Riverwalk Theatre

228 Museum Dr., Lansing

7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27; 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28 and Saturday, Oct. 29; 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30

$14 adults; $12 seniors and students

(517) 482-5700

www.riverwalktheatre.com