Facing the Music

Civil and military officials weren’t the only ones brought to trial in post-World War II Germany. Civilians accused of Nazi leanings were also dealt with in the courts.

Ronald Harwood’s two-act play, “Taking Sides,” now at the Santa Paula Theater Center under the direction of Gerald Castillo, dramatizes the interrogation of Wilhelm Furtwangler, Germany’s preeminent orchestral conductor of the day.

When many Germans fled the country before and during the war, Furtwangler elected to stay, even performing for Hitler. Did this make him a Nazi or, at the very least, a Nazi sympathizer?

Maj. Steve Arnold, an (apparently fictitious) American assigned to gather evidence against Furtwangler, is determined to prove it did. Others, including Arnold’s assistant, Lt. David Wills, have their doubts. Furtwangler himself says he wasn’t and is supported by witnesses.

The dogged Arnold--no fan of classical music, he demeans Furtwangler by constantly referring to him as “the bandleader”--persists.

Is the persecution justified? What if you learn that younger conductor Herbert von Karajan, his popularity on the ascent, was allowed to slip through, even though he was a registered member of the Nazi party? Can we find any parallels in recent American political history? (Bonus question for fans of classical music: Can you visualize a young Herbert von Karajan?)

It’s a staged trial, taking place not in a courtroom, but in Arnold’s office. The major’s secretary, Emmi Straube, is German; she’s the daughter of a man revered for his anti-Nazi activity.

Testifying in favor of Furtwangler are Tamara Sachs, widow of a Jewish musician who, she insists, was one of many the conductor helped escape Germany; and Helmuth Rode, a second violinist in the conductor’s Berlin Philharmonic who, like many of the musicians, testifies to Furtwangler’s defiance of Hitler.

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David Ralphe, the Santa Paula Theater Center’s artistic director who plays Furtwangler, says that much of the conductor’s dialogue is historically accurate, although the major and other characters here are products of the playwright’s imagination.

Still, for a play called “Taking Sides,” Harwood could have made his own sympathies a little less evident (early on, the major makes a mildly anti-Semitic joke; and his statement that “I’m just doing my job.” . . . obviously reflects the Nazis’ ”. . . only following orders” defense).

Making Wills, who fights for Furtwangler, Jewish, is also a none-too-subtle dramatic device.

Still, the play is interesting throughout. Of the actors, special mention is warranted Lea Baskas as Straube, Robert Dantona as Wills, Tracey Maron-Anthony as Sachs and John McKinley as the complexly motivated violinist--strong supporting performances to the flashier roles of Furtwangler and Maj. Arnold, played with mustache-twirling nastiness by John Reinhart. Glen Heppner’s set design must also be commended.

DETAILS

“Taking Sides” continues at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 p.m. Sundays through May 30 at the Santa Paula Theater Center, 125 S. 7th St. Tickets to all performances are $12.50; $10, seniors and students; $6, children 12 and under. For reservations or more information, call 525-4645.

They Should Make a Play of This: The Moorpark Playhouse, formerly known as the Moorpark Melodrama, has closed for the second time in recent memory, with previously announced productions canceled. It’s all temporary, though, says Melodrama co-founder Linda Bredemann, who has entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after a series of personal and business setbacks.

“You have to make a plan to pay off creditors,” she said, “so we’re trying to get a management company to invest in and manage the theater and enlist other groups to rent the facility.”

With 306 seats, free parking, a curtain and sound and lighting equipment, the playhouse is certainly one of the better theaters available in the area. And with prices starting at $350 per day, Bredemann said, it’s considerably less expensive for everything from company meetings to martial arts and dance recitals, in addition to theatrical productions, than the comparably sized Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Forum.

“We’ve even had a wedding on the stage,” she said.

In the meantime, the plucky Bredemann continues to operate her Costume Annex nearby, supplying manufactured and custom costumes to local theater groups, high schools and even a program being produced for the History Channel.