Delikatessen

The confident cast of “DeliKateSSen” serves a two-course feast of emotional soup at the Adobe Theater in this original play by Richard Atkins. Opening night was flawless and marked a triumph for the East Mountain writer and actor who ideated the plot in 2011 followed by its first public staged reading at Albuquerque’s Vortex in September 2013. Now a full production on the Adobe’s cozy stage, Atkins unleashes years of character development into a stellar and conscious performance as New York deli owner and Holocaust survivor David Shapiro.

The story takes place in 1972 at Shapiro’s in Midtown, where brothers David and Yossi (Scott Claunch) run a kosher eatery. Stressing about the lack of business, David’s pessimism and sour demeanor is contrasted by Yossi’s compassion and brightness for better days to come. But no amount of hopefulness can fix what’s ahead for these troubled siblings, especially in view of what they’ve endured in the past.

Atkins displays David’s revulsion of all things German with fervor. In a monologue detailing the unimaginable level of inhumanity he suffered, Atkins’ range dives so deep it leaves you wondering what personal well he’s pulling from. Claunch approaches Yossi with equal intelligence and moves expertly along the arc of his character’s path. The actor inspires us to root for Yossi and we are eager for his virtue to prevail.

Two lonely elderly patrons, Maria Schneider (Sharon Sprague) an unmarried German Jew and Franz Becker (Ray Orley) an Austrian accountant, represent the promise of détente as they encourage David to drop his Aryan hatred. Sprague is whimsically sharp and comfortable opposite Orley’s skillful depiction of Becker as a mysterious yet mild-mannered gent.

When Rabbi Weiss (Joel Miller) arrives to tell the Shapiro’s about Reinhardt’s, a German deli that’s opening across the street, David’s disdain turns into an obsessive vendetta. His wife Sarah (Georgia Athearn) attempts to break the spell over him. Athearn, who over projects at times, presents the matriarch as uninterested in rehashing old atrocities. Their teenaged daughter Rachel (Marteena Bentley) develops her theology from David’s: Germans are unworthy of grace. Bentley evolves Rachel well and delivers a powerful and unanticipated metamorphosis.

Justin Raper as nemesis Klaus Reinhardt steals scenes, elevating the play to incredible heights. At one point, he enters a zone of autohypnotic intensity. Raper displays an acting ability beyond what is typically seen in community theater. Nazi hunter and TV personality Yaakov Zeiman (Eliot Stenzel) enters the fray as David’s allied hatemonger. Stenzel dons a heavy aura with his believable rendering of the plot’s shadowy figure through impeccable gestures and expressions.

Cheryl Atkins’ direction skillfully steers the effects of hatred through the narrative like a slow poison. She selected players guaranteed to deliver authentic accents and sentiments. All actors developed complete character backstories as one of her requirements. The dialogue as it stands couldn’t be better, but rest assured any improvisations would be just as good given the preparation. Her production team transforms the black box space into a set replete with dozens of realistic touches, right down to the Shapario’s logo created for the menus and aprons. The slick projected media scene introductions are also excellent additions.

New Mexico play fixer and Tony Award winner Mark Medoff—who collaborated with Atkins on the script—will be directing the play this fall in South Carolina. From there, the show is likely to continue receiving accolades and recognition.

On assignment for ABQToDo.