By BRINTON WILKINS
Brinton@newsroom.byu.edu
Though aimed at elementary school children, 'Goodbye Marianne' offers enough food for thought that even adults are drawn into the 50-minute drama.
'Goodbye Marianne' is a children's theater production that investigates the irrationality of hate and the strength of love and humanity.
Presented by BYU's Young Company, this performance is designed to tour elementary schools in the area. It is also playing in the Nelke Theater in the Harris Fine Arts Center.
'Goodbye Marianne' is the story of Marianne Kohn, a young Jewish girl living in Germany at the beginning of World War II. She is forced to leave school, avoid Nazi youth and leave Germany as part of the Kindertransportes, a program initiated by the British government to relocate Jewish children in 1938.
This is not a typical children's theater production. There are no fairy-tale elements here, and the script does not sidestep difficult themes and issues.
For instance, Marianne experiences the dehumanizing effects of racism and is told about her father being forced to stand naked in a prison camp for 24 hours.
Cyndi Ball's portrayal of Marianne is the show's gem. From her straight-legged way of sitting on the floor to her ebullient energy, Ball convincingly plays a young girl struggling to cope with problems no child should have to face. It was difficult, however, to place an age on Ball's character. It is clear that she is an elementary school child, but her adult sense of sarcasm made it difficult at times to fully believe that Marianne was that young.
During the course of the play, Marianne befriends a Nazi boy named Ernst, played by Shane Bayles. Bayles' Ernst, though rarely on stage, is superb. Slurred pronunciation and childish awkwardness are delicately used, never becoming maudlin, to create a lovable and complex character.
The remaining three cast members add needed flesh to the conflict and themes. While not all of the acting is of the same quality as Ball's and Bayles', the ensemble works well together to create Marianne's world. However, the relationship between the mother and Marianne lacks depth and complexity. Difficult decisions are made quickly and without the expected conflicting emotions.
Scenery is minimal, functional and well-designed for touring elementary schools. Simple caster-mounted wall-panels and doors swung into various positions imply different settings.
Before the action starts, a short slideshow, accompanied by live piano and cello music, shows pictures of children saved by the Kindertransportes. The music and pictures combine to create a poignant mood for the show. It also reinforces in the audience's mind that this play, while fictionalized, is not fiction in the truest sense.
'Goodbye Marianne' is children's theater, but it moves beyond the fairy-tale stereotype of most children's theater. It takes audiences on a thoughtful journey through times and themes that cannot be forgotten, all the while encouraging audiences, young and old, to hope.
'Goodbye Marianne' is single-cast and will run through Feb. 26 in the Nelke Theatre in the HFAC, playing every night except Sunday and Monday. Tickets are $5 for the general public and $4 for students.