As soon as my eyes dried and I could see clearly, I began this review. I also had to clear my mind from the phenomenon that is Tom Stoppard’s masterpiece, and its magnificent staging at Main Street Theater. This production is another jewel in the crown for Main Street, which seems to have an uncanny affinity for the works of the finest playwright in the western world.

The Genius of Tom Stoppard

Tom Stoppard’s works baffle, seduce, and charm. He writes for adults – he writes up – and his plays swirl with intellect and knotty word play, witty banter not heard since Shaw and Wilde, and a concrete sense of style and construction. He is a master of irony and deep-dish thinking.

You can’t turn your head away during a Stoppard play because you might miss something. His plays, as intricate and delicately wrought as origami, are puzzles to be solved, and by curtain fall all is made clear. Sometimes not, for the sheer weight of words and ideas can be heavy, but the gist is always there.

A Multi-Generational Saga

Leopoldstadt revisits the family pageant of the Merz and Jacobovicz families in Vienna from 1900 through 1955. They are upper-middle class Jews: factory owners, university mathematics professors, prominent physicians, budding musicians. Some are Zionists, some have assimilated – patriarch Hermann has renounced his Jewishness and married Catholic Gretl – but all consider themselves “Austrians.”

These intertwined families enjoy a life of art, culture, and intellectual pursuits, loving Mahler and Klimt, and being learned in philosophy and psychoanalysis. Their world is replete with heated political discourse, warm humor, illicit love affairs, and a growing sense of impending doom as antisemitism creeps into their lives.

The Descent into Darkness

During the 1938 pogrom of Kristallnacht, the family faces brutal dehumanization. Nazi civilians bark at them, reducing them to “a nest of Yids…spawn.” Terrified, they are ordered to pack one suitcase each and leave their home, which is requisitioned by the Reich. The chilling sounds of smashing glass, police sirens, and screams accompany their expulsion.

A Haunting Climax and Lasting Impact

By play’s end, three survivors – Rosa, Leo, and Nathan – meet in the empty Merz home. Leo, raised as British, knows nothing of his Jewish heritage and breaks down when confronted by Rosa and Nathan. In one of Stoppard’s most memorable lines: “You live as if without history, as if you throw no shadow behind you.”

Nostalgia, grief, and regret coalesce as the entire family from 1899 promenades before us as Rosa recites their fates. It is a wrenching ending to a most remarkable drama. History marches on, but memory preserves their stories.

A Stellar Production

This Main Street production is Houston theater at its finest. Director Rebecca Greene Udden has surpassed herself with Stoppard’s surging tale. The pacing, mise en scène, and shifting perspectives roll like great waves.

The immense cast is superb, with notable performances by Karen Ross, Laura Kaldis, Zack Varela, Joel Grothe, Nadia Diamond, James Cardwell, Julia Strug, and Ian Lewis, as well as the perfectly coached child actors.

Afsaneh Aayani’s unit living room set undergoes subtle changes as the years pass, while Amber Stepanik’s costumes swish with Edwardian excess. Shawn W. St. John’s sound design and Eric L. Marsh’s lighting further enhance the production.

Performance Details

  • Dates: Through May 3
  • Times: 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays
  • Location: Main Street Theater, 2540 Rice Boulevard
  • Tickets: $45-$64
  • Information: 713-524-6706 or mainstreettheater.com

With the insidious rise of antisemitism in today’s world, this remembrance of things past is more relevant than ever. Leopoldstadt is the show of the season, and an unforgettable night in the theater. Never forget.