M&R Productions in association with Glenn Krutoff Present

THE RADICALIZATION OF ROLFE

Soho Playhouse
15 Vandam St.
NY NY
23, 26, and 29 October 2016


Anytime a myth gets seen in a new light, it enriches the original myth. The novel The Mists of Avalon tells the Arthurian legend from the point of view of the women. The television show Once Upon a Time takes fairy tales and mashes them up while giving backstories to the characters.

The Sound of Music, while not a myth per se, but a mythologizing of the Von Trapp Family story, gets a new look in THE RADICALIZATION OF ROLFE. As most anyone in the world can tell you, Rolfe is the 17 going on 18 young man who woos eldest Von Trapp daughter, Liesl, but betrays the family in the end. Delving deeper into Rolfe’s story is a terrific idea brought to very good fruition by playwright Andrew Bergh.

Following Rolfe’s development from an aimless young man and closeted homosexual to full blooded Nazi is seen as a chillingly natural progression. With no prospects, handsome and talented Rolfe Gruber is looking for a purpose in life. In today’s world, he might have been able to channel his talent into a singing career or worked his way up in the business world. However in 1930’s Austria, there weren’t many career choices for a young man with no money or family connections, especially when trying to hide his sexual proclivities. With all the arrogance of youth, Rolfe thinks he can join the Nazi party, marry the well-connected Liesl, spy on her father, and keep his budding romance with Johan Schmidt a secret.

Logan Sutherland is perfect as Rolfe. Sweetly handsome in a perfect Aryan mold (tall, athletic, blond), Sutherland exudes the innocent charm of young man who thinks he can have it all. Alex J. Gould is also excellent as Rolfe’s lover who is more aware of the dangers they face.

The story cleverly unfolds parallel to the structure of the musical. Some of the Sound of Music references are funny, others a bit heavy-handed, and some of the language is too modern, but this is still a smart, touching, and eventually heartbreaking play.

- Jean Tait -