Prayer for the French Republic at PTC

Last night I saw Prayer for the French Republic at PTC and it is incredibly powerful and thought-provoking. The narrative revolves around the Salomons, a Jewish family who have sold pianos in Paris for five generations. In 2016 Marcelle Salomon Benhamou (Judith Lightfoot Clarke) lives with her husband Charles (Alok Tewari) and her two adult children Daniel (Japhet Balaban) and Elodie (Kim Taff). While hosting their distant American cousin Molly (Maggie Goble), Daniel is severely beaten for wearing a yarmulke in an antisemitic attack. Charles, fearing for his family's safety at a time of growing antisemitism in France, believes that they should all move to Israel just as he was once forced to flee Algeria as a child for the same reason. The decision to leave is not an easy one for Marcelle because of the piano store currently managed by her ailing father Pierre (Joel Leffert) and the situation is exacerbated by Molly's opinions about Israel as a privileged American. Interspersed with this timeline is that of Marcelle's great-grandparents who live in the same apartment and manage the same piano store in 1944. Irma (Jayne Luke) and Adolphe (Joel Leffert, who also plays the older version of his son) stay in Paris during the war but the consequences of that decision become apparent when their son Lucien (Matthew McGloin) and grandson Pierre (True Leavitt) eventually return. The show is narrated by Marcelle's brother and Pierre's son Patrick (Robert Mammana) and he often speaks directly to the audience, posing complex questions about identity, assimilation, persecution, and fear. The narrative offers few answers to these questions, which is why it is sometimes difficult to watch, but I know that I will be thinking about them for a long time. The entire cast is outstanding but my favorite performance was from Taff, especially an incredible monologue where Elodie criticizes the people who post their strong opinions about Israel and the Middle East on social media without an understanding about the complex history of the region. I loved the minimal set, which features a large grand piano as a focal point with small groupings of furniture and sliding walls. This arrangement, and the clever use of darkness, allows for a seamless transition between the timelines. I also loved the the LED lights which outline the rectangular ceiling because they become the flag of France during the recitation of the prayer which gives the play its name. I can't say that I enjoyed this because it is really intense (and three hours long) but it is brilliant and I highly recommend it. There are only two performances left today at 2:00 and 7:30 (go here for tickets).