THEATER REVIEW : ‘Relaxation’: Moving Tales That Just Sit

Amanda DeMaio’s “Unrelenting Relaxation,” at the Tribune Theatre, tells a frightening, little-known story about the tragic lot of female prisoners of the Axis during World War II.

Not all of them went into concentration camps. Many were deposited in “houses” and made to service the local military as prostitutes. If they were unable or unwilling to provide this service, they were sidetracked for medical experimentation. In either case, they were always sterilized.

As affecting as these stories are--presented in DeMaio’s drama as five survivors talking to a video interviewer later in life--they do not make up a play, or even a valid theater piece.

The Interviewer (Robert Shirreffs) is a cipher, sitting in shadow with his back to the audience. The women are seated in chairs placed about the stage. Their stories are fragmented, with lights coming up on each briefly as the Interviewer slowly weaves the five threads together into one final tale of German and Japanese infamy.

The result is five talking heads, following a written form that would be more effective as a radio broadcast. On stage, the play, like the women, just sits there. As startling as the stories are, and as good as the actresses are, it remains an untheatrical presentation.

Director Steven Lamprinos has tried to make up for the theatrical deficiencies by endowing his actresses with formidable authenticity. Their various accents are impeccable, they are young and dressed admirably in ‘30s and ‘40s European style, and their richness of emotional and physical detail is exemplary.

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They seem to be who they portray. Martina Paris is Dorothy Rothschild, a Polish concert pianist whose fingers were eventually crushed by a sadistic customer in her “house.” Lydia Dunn is Jane Burke, who suffered the indignities of imaginative sex in a Japanese house. Jennifer Bishton is Louisa-May Brockman, a Danish medical student forced to perform experimental surgery on other women. Cynthia Patel is Hanya Westola, who was raped by German soldiers while her children were nearby, and was afraid to return home after the shame of winding up in a house. Su Madrinan is the touching Parisian ballerina Ariela Solis, who would not dance again after her experiences.

They and their director deserve a more practical and stage-worthy frame for their art.

* “Unrelenting Relaxation,” Tribune Theatre, 116 1/2 Wilshire Ave., Fullerton. Thursday through Sunday, 8 p.m. Ends Sunday. $5. (714) 525-3403. Running time: 2 hours.

Robert Shirreffs: Interviewer

Martina Paris: Dorothy Rothschild

Lydia Dunn: Jane Burke

Jennifer Bishton: Louisa-May Brockman

Cynthia Patel: Hanya Westola

Su Madrinan: Ariela Solis

* A Revolving Door production of a play by Amanda DeMaio, produced by Bradley A. Whitfield. Directed by Steven Lamprinos. Sound design: Chris Dalu. Lighting design: Steve Spehar.