In Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library, Jenny Lyn Bader uses the brief imprisonment of Hannah Arendt as a vehicle for scrutinizing the rise of Fascism through a sharp political mind. The playwright puts the philosopher/historian into a cell with Karl, a dedicated German officer eager to make a good impression on his superiors. He has arrested Arendt and charged her with researching antisemitism and then passing on her findings to the Zionist community. Set in 1933 before the worst of the atrocities of WWII, the temperature of their encounters isn’t at the boiling point of most dramas featuring the Nazi party. In fact, Karl quickly grows sympathetic to his eloquent prisoner.
Those familiar with Arendt know she eventually made her way to the United States where she taught in a number of well-respected universities including New York’s own Bard College. But in the time leading up to her escape from Germany, her writings, social circle, and Jewish heritage unquestionably put her in danger. However, Bader fails to include many of the historical details that would give Mrs. Stern’s plot more heft. Instead, she has written a series of two-handers, with intriguing talk that transpires within a gauzy cushion of deep intellectualism. Director Ari Laura Kreith can do little to turn up the heat on the central duo and often leaves them, like the title says, to wander.
In some respects, it is understandable that Val Day, the Artistic Director of 59e59 Theaters, would decide to bring this piece back for an encore engagement in Theater A just 2 years after its initial run in the smaller Theater B. Within the play’s slight structure is the welcome concept that when two people on opposite sides of the political spectrum are forced together, they can eventually find and rationally explore common ground. A conversation involving Hannah’s lawyer about the consequences of the erosion of the Rule of Law reflects contemporary concerns over some Supreme Court decisions. There is also a casual exchange about what in 2026 is a minefield: whether the creation of a Jewish State is desirable. Such resonant material keeps the audience engaged even amid some lost potential.
The production has retained its two leads throughout its journey from New Jersey’s Luna Stage to New York through Scotland and back again. Ella Kaille gives Hannah elevated poise and elegance, dressed by costume designer Deborah Caney in a nicely tailored black suit and frilly blush-pink top. She mellifluously articulates the character’s positions on a range of esoteric topics. But every time she throws up her hands it’s as if she is not only being submissive to her interrogator but blocking out any approaching jeopardy. Brett Temple plays Karl with expected precision and rigidity. The third character of a lawyer provided to Mrs. Stern was performed by an authoritative Daniel Cantor at the press preview. He is to be replaced by Drew Hirshfield for the remainder of the run. Around them, the atmosphere certainly hits the right tone. Lauren Helpern evocatively bleak setting is enhanced by Zachary Connell dampened lighting streaming through barred windows.
Though there are echos of our own political plight within Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library, this meditative drama ultimately feels maddeningly tame. Performances continue through October 25 at 59E59, 59 east 59th Street between Park and Madison Avenues. Runtime is an hour and a half with no intermission. Tickets are $76-$96 and can be purchased at https://www.59e59.org/shows/show-detail/mrs-stern-wanders-the-prussian-state-library/. Theater A has excellent rake, though the view of the door within the set is obscured audience far left.
