A GOOD DAY AT AUSCHWITZ

In this gentle and affecting one-act play based on the author’s life, 93-year-old actor Alan Mandell captures the old-world charm; easy, hard-earned humor; and unbending faith of Abe Sarna, a Polish Jew who survived three years in the Auschwitz death camp during WWII. Author/actor Stephen Tobolowsky met Abe at their local synagogue while Tobolowsky was saying the Kaddish (prayers) for his late mother. Playing himself, Tobolowsky provides personal details, context, and depth to both his search for deeper faith and Abe's remarkable journey from boyhood in prewar Poland to a widower’s retirement in Los Angeles. However, it’s Mandell’s subtle vocal tones of brittle age, pride, and loss that make this production an exceptional listening experience. B.P. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2021]