Review of "Grief: A Love Story"
By Killian Fitch (Psychoanalyst, Philadelphia)
Last evening, I attended “Grief: A Love Story” by Larry Hirschhorn as part of Philly Fringe ’24. The play is based on Larry’s experiences growing up in Washington Heights in the 1950s. This neighborhood was home to Jewish refugees and Holocaust survivors, which included Hirschhorn’s family.
For me, the play touches on constructing a life—individually, relationally, or communally—when a fundamental piece of life is lost. We see loss in many forms in this play: loss of parents and entire families, loss of hope, loss of faith, the loss of the promise of children, and most tragically, at least for me, the loss of a child. The last loss, that of a child, also raises the question of how, or whether, a couple can find ways to continue together amid such terrible loss. Concomitantly, the play asks whether there is a communal response to loss, which provides a holding environment in which losses can be expressed and felt, and whether the prescribed rituals attending loss function sensitively and effectively for those who are aggrieved.
There is a somatic palpability to this play. This puts me in mind of the Greek notion of catharsis, which is that one emerges from this play changed by the experience of witnessing the play.
This first-rate production and its musical interludes evocatively recapture life’s fabric during the play’s setting. For anyone who grew up in this period, it is transporting.
The play runs for two more nights at the Arden Theatre Studio, and I hope it might find its way into further production.
Audience Responses to a Survey
On a scale 1 to 5. The average score of over 200 respondents was 4.89. Seventy-one audience members provided written responses. Here is the word cloud of their responses.
Audience written comments (71)
- The play was excellent. The story was a real tearjerker, sensitively probing themes dealing with loss, faith and relationships. I hope many more people have the opportunity to see the show— a highly worthwhile experience!
- Beautiful story; intricate plot lines that come together in an elegant resolution. Wonderful actors. Powerful subject-matter
- Emotional. Intriguing. Interesting. Likable characters. Engaging. One of my fav Philly Fringe 2024 performances.
- The story was interesting. It opened my eyes to the life and the difficulties that the Jewish refugees faced after the war. The acting was wonderful. I especially enjoyed the performances of Christopher, Sharon, and Izzy. Also, the staging was very cleverly done
- It was so great! Definitely should be on Broadway
- Loved it!!
- The story was so moving.
- I was impressed by it. Second act better than the first. Found the actors’ accents inconsistent and distracting, but I understand that to be non-professionals. It was quite moving, and also helped me to understand Larry. Wondered where the line is between what was autobiographical and what was fiction. I guessed that the broad themes were autobiographical while some of the details and plot twists may not have been. I thought he portrayed the on-going trauma of the holocaust and impact on children of survivors very well. There were some interesting structural aspects that worked well – some flashbacks that helped illuminate what was happening in the “present” of the main story.
- Loved the show!
- Only to be super critical my only critique would be that some of the writing in the first act had almost too many expositional elements. The story and show were excellent and so was the acting.
- Playwright Larry Hirshhorn captured a piece of the Jewish American experience in Brooklyn, NY in the 1950’s when Jews from concentration camps came to the new world for a better life and to experience the American dream. What they found instead of a dream was an America with more hardship and pain. Hirschhorn’s dialogue and characters brought his plot line to life.
- The play was fantastic. The four main characters were really richly drawn plus there were so many fun and funny moments.
- It was absolutely wonderful. The play beautifully captured the tensions between American born Jews and refugees who escaped the Holocaust and the ulissies unique to each group. The acting was incredible.
- Brilliant and moving weaving of themes of historic and current grief. And offering a connection between grief, healing in relationships and love.
- Very moving
- Very insightful, moving and funny exploration of the human condition as experienced by post war Jewish refugees in America.
- This play was beautifully staged, terrifically acted, and deeply inspiring as a narrative of human triumph over horrific tragedy.
- A good first attempt. Could use some editing and some of the actors needed to be miked. Hard to hear some of their lines.
- I loved the sense of a tightly knit community at the center of this play. It highlights the personal suffering of the Jewish refugees who escaped Hitler even as they were embraced by their American community. I have seen a few other plays/movies highlighting the contrast between American culture and Holocaust survivors, and I thought this play did an excellent job with this period in history within this community.
- Well done. Spellbound.
- A very thoughtful and moving drama. The subject matter was grim but uplifting. The actors did a great job.
- Amazing acting, compelling story, deeply moving
- The acting was excellent! Very well done! While I’ve read many (historical fiction) books on the Holocaust, none have tackled the subject this way. All four of us that attended really liked the performance.
- Excellent production. A very moving, yet thought-provoking story. The characters, with all their struggles, really came to life.
- Powerful, gripping drama that captures the trauma, guilt and struggles of holocaust survivors remaking their lives in the new world. I felt transported back in time. Very well acted and directed.
- Wonderful show! Touching in so many ways. Great acting – especially Sharon Martin who played Ava. Not a false note ever.
- Beautifully presented. meaningful story. Production was well done and acting was superb.
- Amazing story and performance. Thank you.
- I was engaged and moved from the outset. The actors skillfully brought a wide range of emotions—joy, sorrow, pathos, humor, conflict—to the stage. The intended tension between the “Greener” and the first-generation Americans was adroitly captured. Bravo!
- Beautiful story with excellent acting.
- Insightful and compelling play about the human condition as lived by Jewish survivors of the holocaust.
- Such a well-directed show. Amazing acting, projections, music and material
- Well directed and talented cast.
- Grief: A Love Story is a well-paced and dynamic original work, with beautiful performances throughout the ensemble. The story is full of unexpected twists that had me turning the story over in mind this entire weekend. Fantastic!
- Beautiful story with a beautiful cast
- Beautifully acted. Very poignant. Tearfully enjoyed.
- Very dramatic, more than I expected
- Poignant. Thought-provoking. Psychologically sophisticated portrayal of loss, grieving, the human condition, compassion, and renewal and healing.
- Excellent play, brilliantly written. Beautifully acted with inspiring cast. Deserves much wider audience.
- Excellent acting, quick scene changes, piercing storyline
- An extraordinary play about grief and love by a new and brilliant playwright, Larry Hirschhorn. Let’s see this play reach wider audiences!!
- This was a wonderful play, very skillfully designed and enacted, emotionally channeling and deeply soul enhancing.
- What a beautiful play!! Wonderfully acted, powerfully staged, and thoughtfully & meticulously directed!
- Powerful, important human stories of extreme loss and struggle to go on with life afterward. Larry Hirschhorn’s play is compelling, engrossing and moving and the actors give the play its well-deserved due. Bravos all around!
- Great play, great performance!
- Excellent. Thx Larry Hirschhorn and director and cast
- Really moving, well-acted and well produced play.
- I really enjoyed this complex heart-rending play. I also saw some hope for the future as two characters who had been very bitter found some reconciliation by talking and getting to know each other.
- Excellent play and performance
- Beautiful play, amazing actors and production.
- Outstanding portrayal of a multilayered immigration story with layers of loss, a “fiddler on the roof” tale of a Washington Heights Jewish community.
- Very thought provoking and emotional. Great story, acting, and directing.
- Very powerful, thought-provoking, and well done. An important work—I’m so glad I got to see it!
- Poignant, moving and enlightening portraits of holocaust survives and how they related to other Jewish people.
- Such a beautiful story, brilliantly written, directed, and performed
- This play was very impactful on several levels. I related to the story of the boy, Harold, and being a first-generation American Jew with expectations of success and a better life placed upon me by my parents, following the horrors of antisemitism and the Holocaust that my ancestors had to endure. The character development of the boy around this generation of people who were learning to assimilate was so well done and well portrayed. The cast and Director are owed great credit for conveying this story which resonates so deeply. I thought the organization of the play and its themes was remarkable. The pace of events leading up to the culmination in the final scene was so impactful and emotional. The entire play was a journey in psychology, history, religion, and ultimately a reflection of the Jewish experience of living in America after the war. My gratitude and sympathy go to the playwright, Larry Hirschhorn. In this unique work of art which was autobiographical, Mr. Hirschhorn has created something universal, the struggle between hope and grief, looking back and looking forward and secularism and orthodoxy. It is my sincere hope that many more people of all faiths get to see this remarkable play and feel the emotions that come through the story.
- Excellent show. Had me in tears. Would love to see it again. And hear more of the story
- This moving play was beautifully brought to life. Congratulations to all who were involved in the production.
- Brilliant play! Well acted. A wide range of emotions evoked. I’m still standing and clapping in my head.
- A powerful drama about identity, ambition, and values. It was immersive and compelling from the first moment. A powerful demonstration that grief can become a fulcrum for realignment and purpose. Sprinkled with ethnic and broader humor, the characters created their roles in a vibrant way. It was completely enthralling, a terrific scrupt brought to life by a skillful director and cast. I only hope it can get a longer run!
- Beautiful, emotional and incredibly moving play. The excellent performances of the actors gave amazing depth to all of the characters- shedding light and telling the story of life in the New York City Jewish community in the 1950’s.
- Powerful, evocative, wonderful production.
- Extraordinarily powerful and moving play, beautifully staged and performed. Can’t imagine a better contribution to the Fringe Festival. I would go again if I could.
- Absolutely loved it. Was expecting the drama but not the comedy. Shocked at how good the acting was. The lead actor and actress were truly special but everyone was good. Very professional.
- Wonderful narrative, wonderful directing, wonderful acting. Thank you.
- Great cast and a great story!
- Incredibly well done!
- Beautiful. Moving and engaging.
- Amazing! Beautiful! Heart wrenching. Actors and actresses were incredible.
- Moving, incredible acting. Wonderful writing.
- Beautifully performed! Perfect script, cast, stage, props, and everything!