The People in the Picture

        There have been many pieces of theater, and in fact many other forms of media as well, that have told the stories of the atrocities of The Holocaust. The latest of these artful endeavors is the new musical The People in the Picture currently being presented on Broadway by The Roundabout Theater company.

        The story revolves around Bubbi, who takes care of her Grand daughter (or is it the other way around?), and Bubbi's troubled relationship with her daughter Red. The action takes place is 1977, but frequently flashes back to Poland from 1938-1947. Donna Murphy plays Bubbi, and her younger self, Reisal.

       People starts with great promise, with a toe tapping opening number that introduces the characters, establishes relationships, and sets the tone for the first act. Toward the middle of the first act things start to go a bit awry. The character of Red is sorely underwritten, and deserves to be fleshed out a bit more. We learn that there is a secret to be told, and as the action goes back and forth we start to form a picture of our own of what that secret may be.

     Act I is for the most part very upbeat, with some very catchy songs and witty dialogue. Act II opens in the Warsaw Ghetto and gets very dark, very fast. There is very little transition into this darkness, and Act I and act II don't quite flow together naturally. Everything in Act II is much tighter, and fits together much more naturally than in Act I. The play has a very satisfying ending however, which marked with the great beginning, end of Act I, and all of Act II makes you forgive them their minor faults.

    The star of the show is Donna Murphy, who was recently Tony nominated for this performance. Her work is exquisite. With no make up, and very little costume change she completely transforms and transfers between there two women, and they do almost seem like two different women. On a lesser actress they might appear more so, but Ms. Murphy not only shows the differences between her younger and older selves, but also lets you see the similarities, and the journey of how she became who she is.

    The People in the Picture is not a great musical. It does what great musicals do though. It tells you a wonderful story. It delivers excellent choreography and has you humming when you leave the theater, and perhaps even opens your heart a little. It is definitely worth a trip to the theater! Playing through June 19th only so don't delay!