Review: 'Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library' Takes Liberties with Arendt's True Story
The play 'Mrs. Stern Wanders the Prussian State Library' dramatizes Hannah Arendt's 1933 arrest by the Gestapo, now running at 59e59 through October 25. Reviewer Jonathan Mandell finds the staging far-fetched and criticizes playwright Jenny Lyn Bader for taking liberties with Arendt's own account. The production features Brett Temple as the interrogating officer.
The play draws on Arendt's own 1964 televised interview with German journalist Günter Gaus, in which she described her eight-day imprisonment and the unexpected rapport she formed with the officer who arrested her. Arendt had been gathering documentation of institutional antisemitism on behalf of Dr. Karl Blumenfeld, head of the Zionist Organization of Germany, work that carried the threat of execution if proven treasonous. She later admitted lying to the officer with "fantastic stories" while he promised to secure her release.
Reviewer Jonathan Mandell questions the playwright's characterization of the interrogating officer, finding Brett Temple's portrayal of a young, polished, intellectually curious Nazi unlikely compared to the older, less ambitious figure he imagines from Arendt's account. The production continues at 59e59 through October 25, with Mandell arguing that Bader's creative liberties with the historical record undermine what could otherwise be a taut, intelligent work of theater.
This production may prompt theatergoers to reconsider how historical events are dramatized for the stage, particularly when real figures like Hannah Arendt are involved. Audiences familiar with her philosophical legacy might find themselves questioning the balance between dramatic invention and biographical fidelity. The play could also renew public interest in Arendt's early activism and the lesser-known circumstances of her escape from Nazi Germany, potentially deepening appreciation for her later political thought.