Jim the Lionhearted [Jim le téméraire]

Author(s):

Jim is a Jew who is haunted and obsessed by the Holocaust. Jim locks himself away in his bedroom and has hallucinations presented as dream-like scenes. Jim envisions Hitler, who becomes intrigued by the frightened Jew, as well as many of Hitler’s notorious colleagues. Ironically, Jim becomes a trusted confidant of the Führer. Based on his awareness of historic events, Jim warns Hitler about those who will plot against him. Eventually, only Jim and Hitler remain and battle to prevent each other’s suicide.
Format: Dark satire
Cast Size: 6M/2F

Snapshot

Notes:

For additional reading, see Gene A. Plunka, Revering the Nazis and Blaming the Victims: Three Enigmatic Holocaust Plays, Holocaust Studies 18, no. 1 (2012), pp. 62–67.

Original or Prominent Production: Festival de Lille (France), November 1982; American premiere at Theater for the New City, NYC.
Nationality of Author:
Original Language: French
English Language Translator: David Willinger and Luc Deneulin
Publisher:

An Anthology of Contemporary Belgian Plays published by Whitston Publishing, 1984.
French edition published by Gallimard.

Experience(s) Chronicled:

Tags: , ,