''Irena's Vow'' is a

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

play recounting the story of Irena Gut, a Polish nurse who, at the risk of her life, saved twelve

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

s during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

occupied Poland ' ( Norwegian: ') is a Norwegian political thriller TV series that premiered on TV2 on 5 October 2015. Based on an original idea by Jo Nesbø, the series is co-created with Karianne Lund and Erik Skjoldbjærg. Season 2 premiered on 10 Octobe ...

Production history

The play opened at Broadway's

Walter Kerr Theatre The Walter Kerr Theatre, previously the Ritz Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 219 West 48th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The theater was designed by Herbert J. Krapp and was constructed for the Shube ...

at 219 West 48th Street (between Broadway and 8th Avenue) on 29 March 2009,"''Przysięga Ireny''" ("Irena's Vow"), ''Gwiazda Polarna'' (Pole Star), vol. 100, no. 7 (March 28, 2009), p. 14. after having premiered off-Broadway at the Baruch Performing Arts Center in September 2008. The ninety-minute play opened at the Kerr Theatre with the same cast from off-Broadway.Andrew Gans
"Feldshuh to Return to Broadway in March in Irena's Vow"
, playbill.com, 22 December 2008. The play was written by Dan Gordon, based on conversations that he had held with Irene Gut-Opdyke (''née'' Irena Gut). Gordon "captures... peculiarly Polish elements: the heroine's irony and sense of humor in the face of catastrophe." He deftly draws the historic backdrop to Irena's story and creates a suspenseful narrative and "enthralling dialog." The title role is played by

Tovah Feldshuh Terri Sue "Tovah" Feldshuh (born December 27, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and playwright. She has been a Broadway star for more than four decades, earning four Tony Award nominations. She has also received two Emmy Award nominations f ...

. Appearing in other roles are Sandi Carroll, Tracee Chimo, Steven Hauck, Scott Klaven, Peter Reznikoff, Thomas Ryan, Gene Silvers, John Stanisci and Maja Wampuszyc. ''Irena's Vow'' is directed by Michael Parva. Scenic design is by Kevin Judge; lighting design, David Castaneda; costume design, Astrid Brucker; sound design and music composition, Quentin Chiappetta; and projection design, Alex Koch. On June 16, 2009 it was announced that ''Irena's Vow'' would close on June 28. At the time of its closure, it had played 21 previews and 105 regular performances. '' Irena's Vow'', a film adaptation written by Gordon and directed by

Louise Archambault Louise Archambault is a Canadian film director and screenwriter.Adam Nayman"Louise Archambault" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', August 20, 2014. She is best known for her films '' Familia'', which won the Claude Jutra Award in 2005, and '' Gabriel ...

, went into production in 2022 in Lublin"Louise Archambault de retour d’un tournage de film tout près de l’Ukraine"

Ici Radio-Canada ICI or Ici may refer to: Companies and organisations * ICI Homes, builder, Florida. US * Former UK Imperial Chemical Industries ** ICI Australia, later Orica * Independent Curators International, New York City, US * Indian Concrete Institute * I ...

, June 9, 2022. and premiered at the

2023 Toronto International Film Festival The 48th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from September 7 to 17, 2023.Victoria Ahearn"TIFF reveals new programmers and other 2023 festival details" '' Playback'', April 20, 2023. The most noted change from past years was tha ...

.John Hazelton
"TIFF sets Centrepiece line-up of international cinema"
'' Screen Daily'', August 10, 2023.

Story

After

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

was invaded by

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

in September 1939, Irena Gut, a Polish

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

nurse nineteen year old at the outbreak of

, was captured by the Soviet Army. After escaping, she was caught in a German roundup to be used as a

slave labor Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

er. Eventually she became the housekeeper to a German army major. After she witnessed the gruesome fate of

s in German-occupied Poland, Gut resolved at the risk of her life to conceal a dozen Jews threatened by the German

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; ...

extermination program. The penalty that the Germans imposed on any Pole found to be harboring or otherwise aiding Jews was death. One day Gut's employer discovered that she was concealing Jews in his house. Gut begged him to spare them; he agreed to, and never betrayed them or her. Gut became the German officer's mistress. Before the

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

arrived, she fled with the people that she was protecting into the forest. After the war, suspected falsely by some of having collaborated with the Germans, she emigrated to the United States.

Notes

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References

*"''Przysięga Ireny''" ("Irena's Vow"), '' Gwiazda Polarna'' (Pole Star), vol. 100, no. 7 (March 28, 2009), p. 14.

External links

Internet Broadway Database listing
*Andrew Gans

playbill.com, 22 December 2008. *Willborn Hampton

New York Times, 26 September 2008. Broadway plays 2009 plays Plays based on actual events Plays about World War II Fiction about Jews and Judaism Plays set in Poland

Production history

Story

See also

Notes

References

External links