by Staś Kmieć
Following a triumphant sold-out Off-Broadway engagement, Irena's Vow starring four-time Tony Award® nominee Tovah Feldshuh transferred to Broadway and opened at the Walter Kerr Theatre.
Featuring a cast of ten, IRENA’S VOW is the riveting, life-affirming story about one of the most courageous and unsung heroines of World War II. During the German occupation of Poland, Irena Gut (Gutówna), a Polish Catholic, was forced to work as head housekeeper for a prominent German major. Over a two-year period of service, Irena would risk her own life in order to protect the lives of twelve Jewish refugees whom she secretly took under her care.
Irena's Vow is the extraordinary true story of one woman’s choice and the twelve lives that would ultimately be saved - or lost - by her decision.
The play received a nomination for OUTSTANDING NEW BROADWAY PLAY from the Outer Critics Circle Awards and a DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR nomination for its star, Tovah Feldshuh from the Drama League Awards,
The show, despite critical and audience acclaim, did not garner any nominations for the 2009 Tony Awards®. In this critic's opinion the show is a fine-tuned production that surpasses the original incarnation with emotional depth and shading. This is a play that every Pole should experience.
The production is reviewed in the upcoming June issue of The Polish American Journal.
If you are planning a trip to New York – go see this play. Irena's Vow has an open-ended run at the Walter Kerr Theatre, 219 W. 48th St.
