Good
PTP/NYC
Atlantic Stage 2
Written by C.P. Taylor
Directed by Richard Jim Petosa
Production website
💉💉💉 out of 5.

Good by C.P. Taylor is a wonderful exploration into justification taken to its extreme. Set against World War II, John Halder, a German college professor is played upon to leave his family and cozy teaching job and join the Nazi party. The play is wildly theatrical as Hitler dances himself in and out of this semi-expressionistic play. John’s mother cries to go the bathroom over and over. John’s wife moans and moans with self-pity. John’s life is clearly and literally going to hell.

I loved the play. I loved the theatrical elements that lift it beyond a realistic history play. I loved the staging; the director used a piano as a wonderful metaphor to John’s love of music. At times it became a macabre piano bar.  Wow! But, my reservation with the show was the humanity of John. I just wanted to see more behind the mask. I wanted to feel for him. I wanted to be more intimate with him as made these choices – – but I was not.

I did find the play play out a very interesting definition of Good. Here is what I found.

• You can justify leaving your wife and children because to do so might help our wife move on. You can make it good.
• You can betray your best friend because to do so will help them be more independent. You can make it good.
• You can join the Nazi party because it is the popular choice and it will likely advance your career. You can make it good.
• Although you are a university professor, you can organize the local book burning – – I guess – – because colleges rely too much on books and if we had no books then perhaps free thought might prevail. – perhaps. You can make it good.
• You can help out with a euthanasia program at the local hospital because that will “reduce unnecessary suffering”. You can make it good.
• You can take this program to the camps, you can turn your back, you can watch others kill, you can kill others.  You can make it good.