The staging is clumsy, the set is a hindrance to the action, the script is sluggish, and the acting is hit and miss.

BUT NONE OF THAT MATTERS!

Let me repeat, NONE OF THAT MATTERS, and should not in the slightest keep you away from attending Hans Litten: The Jew that Cross-Examined Hitler.

Because what you will witness is a piece of history that will resonate with what we are presently living and eye-witnessing today in our country. It will give you pause.

It seems that history does indeed repeat itself. While watching this play, every time you hear the word Hitler and what he is doing in Germany in the ’30s, the name Trump will scream out at you. Every time you hear the words “storm troopers” or “SA” your thoughts will stop in their tracks because the word ICE will immediately take their place.

When Hitler was first solidifying his base, he was still under the rule of law (or pretended to be). He would tell falsehoods about his plans and what his organization was doing or planned to do. The first enemy he created to vilify was communists and with the help of Goebbels propaganda, he put all of the difficulties people were having squarely on them, that they would destroy what it meant to be German, and even though their support within the country was small, they became the scapegoat for everything. One day some of Hitler’s henchmen, his private army, the SA, purposely went into a communist meeting hall in order to create trouble. They were attacked and then subsequently held up by Hitler as victims. Lawyer Hans Litten, in defending the communists, subpoenaed Hitler and put him on the stand as ultimately responsible for what happened, purposely sending his men in to cause trouble. Hans won.

This isn’t just the story of the trial though, this is the story of Hans Litten’s life, how he came to be a lawyer, what he stood for, and what happened to him after Hitler did come to power (Think personal retribution for losing. Hmmm, do we know anyone else like that?). It’s a compelling story of a man standing by his convictions despite the full knowledge of where those convictions would lead him.

Today Germany honors Hans with buildings, streets, and a legal prize named after him.

Watching this story will personally challenge you about your convictions and what you stand for.

The factual subject matter of this play rises above everything in its prescience of what is happening right now in this country.

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Hans Litten: The Jew that Cross-Examined Hitler was written by Douglas Lackey and directed by Alexander Harrington.

Cast: Stan Buturla, Zack Calhoon, Robert Ierardi, Whit K. Lee, Barbara McCulloh, Dave Stishan, Marco Torriani, Mark Eugene Vaughn, Daniel Yaiullo

Creative: Scenic design, Alex Roe; Costume design, Anthony Paul-Cavaretta; Lighting design, Alexander Bartenieff; Sound design, Abirami Senthil; and Kevin S. Foster II, Wig design.

Now playing at Theatre Row, 410 West 42nd Street. Tickets can be bought HERE.