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The New Jewish Theatre

Sabina - Mark Bretz, Ladue News

'Sabina'
By Mark Bretz for LADUE NEWS

Story: Based on an incredible true story, St. Louis native Willy Holtzman's two-act drama is set in 1906 at the Burgholzli Hospital in Zurich, Switzerland. There, young psychoanalyst Carl Jung is using the controversial "talking cure" ideas of psychoanalytical pioneer Sigmund Freud to treat a 19-year-old schizophrenic patient named Sabina Spielrein. The Russian Jewish granddaughter of a rabbi had been traumatized in a pogrom in her native Russia, but also by an unspeakable act from her childhood. Gradually, under the observant eyes of his colleague Dr. Ludwig Binswanger, Jung cures Sabina and then uses her as a tool to win the admiration of Freud. The married Jung also flirts with disaster by having an adulterous affair with Sabina, who subsequently stirs the passions of Freud himself. Sabina goes on to earn a doctorate in psychoanalysis, an uncommon feat for a woman of that era, much less one who has to overcome her own demons.

Highlights: First performed in 1996, Holtzman's play is riveting material all the more remarkable for its non-fiction basis. Director Annamaria Pileggi shrewdly marshals the forces of two veteran area performers, Kevin Beyer as Freud and John Pierson as Jung, as well as two newcomers, Justin Rincker as Binswanger and Leslie Zang in the title role, to tell the tale.

Zang essentially carries the dramatic tension of the production, particularly in the first act. Her scenes as the mentally troubled young woman are sobering, alarming stuff. They're given eerie and ironic substance with the impetus of the music of one of the titans of anti-Semitism, Richard Wagner, whose Ring cycle is integral to Sabina's psychological entrapment in a world of fantastical mythology that Jung slowly uncovers. Zang's waiflike physical appearance makes her illness seem even more overwhelming.

Pierson shows us the opportunistic side of Jung, eager to please and impress Freud while also using Sabina for both physical and intellectual pursuits, although he never effectively shows any romance for Sabina. His best scene, though, is late in the second act when he realizes he has forever alienated Freud and also lost his chance at love, scurrying to the safety of his unhappy marriage. Beyer, who bears a startling resemblance to Freud, smoothly demonstrates the brilliant scientist's superiority as well as his own Jewish self-loathing, and pulls it all off with aplomb.

Other Info: Rincker is satisfactory as Binswanger, kind of a voice of reason amidst all the scientific hoopla, but always as an observer. There's fine technical work, notably the handsome period costumes by Michele Friedman Siler, who differentiates Freud's elegant suits with the more modest attire of Jung; a rousing and at times poignant sound design by Robin Weatherall; some gentle lighting contributed by Glenn Dunn; and a quaint set designed by Dunsi Dai, utilizing a terrazzo floor with a stark black and white background for a therapy room, complemented by some fine props from Valleri Dillard, including a pivotal Victrola.

While the story is fascinating, in truth Pileggi's direction is too often stolid and static, particularly when Zang is off stage. The show's true power, however, is evident when the title character commands our attention, revealing an amazing piece of history that paints a human face on the development of the science of the mind.

Rating: A 4.5 on a scale of 1-to-5.