‘Here There Are Blueberries’ Off Broadway Review: Revisiting Another ‘Zone of Interest’

Through vintage photos shot at Auschwitz, Moises Kaufman and Amanda Gronich’s new play explores the joys of evil

Elizabeth Stahlmann, Nemuna Ceesay and Scott Barrow in HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES at New York Theatre Workshop, Photo by Matthew Murphy
Elizabeth Stahlmann, Nemuna Ceesay and Scott Barrow in "Here There Are Blueberries" at New York Theatre Workshop (Credit: Matthew Murphy)

It happens whenever a director decides to unspool a film or place blown-up photographs among live actors on stage. You can say all you want about the tremendous power of theater. When an audience is given the choice to follow the actors or a projection, the eye goes to the projection.

After its 2022 world premiere at La Jolla Playhouse, Moises Kaufman and Amanda Gronich’s play “Here There Are Blueberries” opened Monday at the New York Theatre Workshop, and the photographs projected on stage, taken at Auschwitz and its environs during World War II, are nothing short of unforgettable.

Late in “Here There Are Blueberries,” we see the more familiar photos.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.