On Theater: A clash of Titans in 'Taking Sides'

Jan. 28, 2020 11:27 AM PT

High on the list of emotional rewards offered by live theater is the opportunity, however rare, of watching two superb actors go head to head in visceral verbal combat, for example in plays like “Inherit the Wind” or “A Few Good Men.”

At the Newport Theatre Arts Center, Ronald Harwood‘s post-World War II drama “Taking Sides” is captivating audiences under the seething and sensitive direction of Sharyn Case.

The time is 1946 in war-ravaged Berlin where an American Army major is seeking to root out pro-Nazi sympathizers among the Germans who survived. One of them is a renowned orchestra conductor, Wilhelm Furtwängler, who maintains his innocence despite evidence to the contrary.

While “Taking Sides” is a work of fiction, Wilhelm Furtwängler was a real person, the highly regarded conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic who famously resisted the Third Reich and refused to give the Nazi salute.

Nevertheless, his prosperity under the Hitler regime was cause for concern.

In the Newport production, Furtwängler is portrayed by Robert J. Fetes who proudly and passionately proclaims his character’s opposition to the Nazis during the war years. Fetes is riveting in his defense while brilliantly maintaining his devotion to classical music, all in a thick Teutonic accent.

His opposite number is Major Steve Arnold, a gruff, no-nonsense inquisitor powerfully enacted by Vince Campbell, who offsets his prosecutorial demeanor with a more relaxed private attitude. He eschews formality and encourages underlings to call him Steve.

Campbell enriches his performance with sardonic and borderline-humorous observations.

Tyler Bannert plays a properly stiff young lieutenant who finds himself in the maestro’s camp. Keith Bush impresses as a onetime German “second violinist” now working as a security guard.

Even the minor roles are fully formed in the Newport production. Lauren Velasco sparkles as the major’s skittish secretary while the always-noteworthy Harriet Whitmyer excels in a cameo appearance as a chattering war widow.

The grim setting, amid the ruins of bombed-out Berlin, was meticulously formed by Breece Bowen and Mike Corcoran. The pre-show and intermission musical score comes from actual recordings of Wilhelm Furtwängler.

“What would you do?” the play seems to ask. You may not experience a more completely realized show all year than “Taking Sides,” an emotional and artistic triumph at the Newport Theatre Arts Center.

More Theater in O.C.:

Also on stage locally is the Chance Theater’s production of the offbeat family musical “Fun Home,” playing Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. through March 1. The theater is located at 5522 E. La Palma Ave. in Anaheim and reservations are taken at (888) 455-4212.