A Blurred Portrait of Hermann Goering

Romulus Linney’s “2,” at Theatre 40, is about a defiant Hermann Goering plotting his defense and heroic demise during the Nuremberg war crimes trials. Yet this production lacks a charismatic stage presence at its center, as well as strong supporting performances.

As Goering, Milt Kogan towers over the other actors, including his armed guards. With this physical advantage, Kogan blusters and dominates the ensemble. He establishes the bullying bravado but not the subtle cunning of a man who was recognized as Hitler’s successor--the No. 2 man in the Nazi regime--and a gallant aviation hero.

Manny Kleinmuntz plays Goering’s legal counsel with a kindly, grandfatherly air. One wonders why Goering allows his life to be in the hands of such a man, and simple arrogance just doesn’t make sense.

If Linney’s script is to work at all, the audience must be seduced by Goering while remaining somewhat aware of the cat-and-mouse games he’s playing. Kogan’s best exchanges are during his gradual mental disarming of his guards (Harry Hutchinson and Wilson Bell).

Yet it’s not enough. He must gain our hearts despite our revulsion for his deeds, particularly in his confrontations with the commandant (David Hunt Stafford). Stafford is an unappealing, ramrod-strict figure who doesn’t touch our own sense of indignation.

Without a feeling of split loyalties, we can’t question the victors’ justice served at Nuremberg, as Linney apparently intended. Director Stewart J. Zully neither draws out these essential complexities nor the nuances of a master manipulator like Goering.

* “2,” Theatre 40, Beverly Hills High School campus, 241 Moreno Drive, Beverly Hills. Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends May 2. $15-$18. (323) 936-5842. Running time: 1 hour, 50 minutes.