Angel: A Nightmare in Two Acts by Jo Davidsmeyer

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Synopsis

<i>Angel: A Nightmare in Two Acts</i> uses the setting of the Holocaust to explore contemporary values, the question of personal responsibility versus universal guilt, and the seductive appeal of evil. Controversial and thought-provoking, <i>Angel</i> offers strong roles for women and strong subject matter for theaters seeking to challenge themselves and their audiences. <p><i>Angel</i> is a drama based on the trial and execution of real-life Nazi war criminal Irma Grese. Grese became a concentration camp guard at the age of sixteen, was prosecuted by the British in the Belsen trials, and was executed at the age of 21 for her crimes against humanity. A strikingly beautiful woman, she was dubbed by the international press as The Blonde Angel of Auschwitz. During the play, Irmas prosecutor falls under her fatal charms. He is drawn, along with the audience, down into a private nightmare where the tables are turned and he becomes the accused. Also dragged into the nightmare is Olga Lengyel, a survivor of Auschwitz, who teaches the prosecutor a lesson about dignity and survival.