NOCTURNE

1939. Hitler invades Poland. Elzunia and her prosperous, cultured family have enjoyed the finer things: lace curtains, literature, Chopin. Suddenly, under the Nazis, novels and nocturnes are verboten and Elzunia and her family are sent to the Warsaw ghetto. Deidre Rubenstein's performance spirals between passionate emotions and controlled objectivity, expertly chronicling Elzunia's awakening from girl to woman, from privileged Catholic to Holocaust survivor. Rubenstein switches gender and accents with ease, whether portraying Adam, a Polish patriot, or thuggish Gestapo interrogators. She captures the anguish of citizens facing a moral dilemma, torn between their consciences and the ever-present threat of Nazi brutality. Rubenstein's performance reflects the musical motif that plays throughout NOCTURNE, sometimes moody, dreamy as a young girl, sometimes dark as the darkest night. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2009]