Hans Litten: The Jew Who Cross-Examined Hitler

By: Darryl Reilly

Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weil merrily pop up to sing “Alabama Song” briefly adding levity to playwright Douglas Lackey’s sober historical drama Hans Litten: The Jew Who Cross-Examined Hitler.

Adolf Hitler was subpoenaed in May 1931 to testify in a German court room where two of his SA (stormtrooper) officers were on trial for stabbing two workers at a nightclub frequented by Communists. This bold legal strategy was instigated by Hans Litten (1903-1938). Hitler and his Nazi Party were gaining popularity among the German people. Litten strove to expose Hitler’s authoritarianism and predilection for violence under oath. His aim was to inform the public that Hitler was a threat to democracy during his three-hour testimony. The SA officers were convicted and Litten earned Hitler’s enmity.

Litten was born to a wealthy family. His father was a distinguished law professor who was Jewish but had converted to Lutheranism, his Christian mother was a journalist. After considering a career as an art historian Litten became a lawyer. With a partner he set up a practice defending Communists and other controversial types.

Hitler became Germany’s chancellor in January 1933. In February the Nazis burned the Reichstag and blamed the Communists. That night, Litten was arrested and spent the next five years in several concentration camps being tortured. He eventually committed suicide after several such attempts at Dachau where he was interned with Jews. His mother Irmgard Litten visited him regularly during his incarceration, she also tried getting him released. She published a book in Paris about him; A Mother Fights Hitler was the title of the British edition. It appeared in the United States in September 1940 as Beyond Tears.

Mr. Lackey’s smart and witty dialogue smoothly imparts exposition and historical data. The play is structured as short punchy scenes which include Hitler on the stand. The harrowing second act is set at concentration camps where violence is implied. Hans Litten: The Jew Who Cross-Examined Hitler is a polished, erudite, and theatrical take on this now little-known event. It has been given an inspired presentation with much of the large cast in multiple roles.

The soulful Daniel Yaiullo is majestic as Hans Litten. Mr. Yaiullo’s expressive voice, lithe physicality, and animated presence, all accentuate his towering portrayal where youthful idealism devolves into aching despair. Yaiullo is supreme as this play’s centerpiece who early on declares “I believe in Mozart and Rilke!” He is heartbreaking and authentic as he shuttles from one concentration camp to another while visibly undergoing brutal physical hardships.

With that signature hairstyle and trademark mustache, Zack Calhoon’s chilling Hitler characterization is further enhanced by his cool and matter of fact vocal delivery. Sunny and gregarious Stan Buturla gives another of his grand veteran character actor turns as Litten’s sympathetic and out of touch father, and makes an impact in his subsidiary roles. The captivating Barbara McCulloh offers a resonant portrait of maternal protectiveness as Litten’s resolute and steely mother.

Whit K. Lee is marvelously playful as Kurt Weil. Marco Torriani’s Bertolt Brecht is jovially hard-edged. Dave Stishan is a blustery whirlwind as Litten’s law partner. Robert Ierardi’s concentration camp commandant is of brusque malevolence. Beaming Mark Eugene Vaughn is delightfully droll as a plummy English lord. This magnetic quintet also depicts an assortment of judges, troops, and prisoners with verve.

Director Alexander Harrington’s panoramic physical staging contains precise placement of the ensemble, entrances and exits through the auditorium, and arresting tableaus. Scenic designer Alex Roe’s strategic three-sectioned playing area is set with period-style furnishings and illustrative pieces, allowing the action in differing locales to proceed swiftly.

Alexander Bartenieff’s vivid lighting design creates a vintage and atmospheric sheen and has moody fadeouts for the numerous scene transitions. Music director Jessica Crandall’s shrewd selections are rendered by sound designer Abirami Senthil with flair as are the often-ominous effects. Lydon Thorpes’s projection design artfully conveys times and places. Anthony Paul-Cavaretta’s eclectic costume design realizes the look of the many characters with stylish realism. Wig designer Kevin S. Foster II’s lustrous creations are integral to an unsettling plot revelation.

Hans Litten: The Jew Who Cross-Examined Hitler is a searing dramatization of a long-ago hero’s bleak fate which grimly relates to the present.