Primo

Antony Sher's one-man Primo is a marvel to behold but not aptly titled. The text is from Primo Levi's narrative of his stay at the Auschwitz concentration camp and is, of course, harrowing and amazing. Sher is perfectly natural on stage, huddling against the set's grey walls, highlighted by changing spotlights to depict the 9-months of existence before liberation.

Yet while the text and narration are first rate, there is very little sense of who Primo Levi was. Perhaps one shouldn't criticize "yet another" tale of the Holocaust, but I was drawn to the play by the sense that, while Auschwitz would of course be a major event in the character's life, we would be seeing a dramatic reincarnation of a whole human being.

For example, Primo Levi was educated as a chemist just after WWII broke out and he naively joined an Italian partisan group, being captured quite easily. I'd like to hear about that man's thoughts and actions. The play, however, strictly begins with his imprisonment and ends with his release.

Some few moments in the play give us a hint of the outside world and the character's other life -- he is selected as a "specialist" and sent to work in a laboratory where is longingly recalls the chemical smells of such places.

Saved by a wonderfully clear performance by Sher, "Primo" is not ambitious or broad enough to deal with anything outside it's chosen timeframe. That focus certainly make us pay attention to the historical details brought out in Levi's eloquent descriptions, but sadly limits our personal relationship to a fascinating story.