Reviewed by James Karas
Broken Glass is a 1993 play by Arthur Miller that is rarely produced. It is a gripping drama about being Jewish that receives a stunning production by the Young Vic Theatre. Miller was a Jew but he never dealt with Jewishness as directly and as powerfully as he did in Broken Glass.
Phillip Gellburg (Eli Gelb) is a Jew in New York in 1938 when the Nazis are in full control of Germany and have just achieved a friendly takeover of Austria. His relationship with his Jewishness is complex. His wife Sylvia (Pearl Chanda) is obsessed with the treatment of Jews in Germany, especially the image of Jews being forced to scrub streets with toothbrushes while being ridiculed by other Germans. But her husband is not sure about his support of Jewish refugees. His job is enforcing mortgages.
Sylvia becomes paralyzed from the waist down and there is no physical explanation for her condition. Dr. Hyman (Alex Waldmann) can find no explanation for her condition, and he digs into the relationship of the Gellburgs and tries to find the emotional act that triggered paralysis.
Sylvia’s sister Harriet (Juliet Cowan) is a sympathetic character and listens to her sibling, Margaret (Nancy Carroll) is Dr. Hyman’s exuberant and slightly wacky wife.
Stanton Case
(Nigel Whitmey) is Phillip’s employer and a highly successful Jew who is
interested in business and his accomplishments as a Jew. We have a balanced
cast for the unfolding drama that combines the personal relationships among the
main characters and the larger subject of Jewish identity in a world of
antisemitism.
The catalyst for the plot development is Dr. Hyman who is attracted to Sylvia but dedicated to finding the deep-rooted secret to her condition. Phillip’s complex relationship with Sylvia unfolds slowly and dramatically. Phillip’s relationship with his employer develops into an explosive situation. Director Jordan Fein keeps a tight grip on the many strands of the drama to the final bitter end. There is no solution and the fine-tuned drama, done staggeringly well, has an ambiguous end.
The acting is outstanding. Gelb gives a superb performance as the confused and mendacious Phillip who has many issues to resolve. Chanda as Sylvia, is equally unable to come to grips with reality. She has our sympathy, but it takes a long time to understand her. Marvelous work. Dr. Hyman presents us with issues of medical ethics, but we do not doubt his desire to dig into the lives of people until he can find a solution. A sympathetic character done exceptionally well by Waldmann.
Carroll, Cowan and Whitmey carry the secondary roles with ability and aplomb.
The production is done in a theatre-in-the-round on a single set. The play is set in the office of Dr. Hyman, the Gellburg bedroom and the office of Stanton Case. Set Designer Rosanna Vize has created a single set for the entire play. The large playing area is surrounded by couches laden with hundreds of newspapers. This is what Sylvia is reading as she obsesses about the fate of the Jews in Germany. A part of the stage is used for Hyman’s and Stanton’s offices. In one end of the stage there is glass window and we see Sylvia and her sister behind that glass in the opening scene with Phillip and Dr. Hyman. The characters are on stage most of the time. A great touch of staging.
The costumes designed by Sussie Juhlin-Wallen emphasize Phillip’s obsession with wearing a three-piece black suit and Sylvia’s attractive physique. The other characters wear suitable 1930’s attire.
The lighting by Adam Silverman provides a brilliantly lit stage for the office scenes and subtle and alluring tones for the bedroom scenes.
Broken Glass by Arthur Miller in a co-production by Young Vic, Soto Productions and Rachel Sussman, Brian & Dayna Lee continues until April 18, 2026 at the Young Vic Theatre, 66 The Cut, Southwark, London. youngvic.org/
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