Passiveness & Optimism Make the Monster of Fascism

Incident at Vichy dates back to WWII and occupation of France by Nazis. However, the incident is timeless and can relate to today’s world and what’s happening around us, especially in the region and the Middle East and other corners of the world.  

Miller creates fears and scares in an expressionist atmosphere and pictures the danger of fascism. He enters a representative from every layer of the society. Based on their belief on the Great Race, Nazis started identifying and arresting the Jews. They had defined certain medical and scientific criteria to identify Jews. Physicians made genetic and racial tests to identify Jews among those arrested. They viewed Jews as inferior and sent them to concentration and extermination camps.

In Incident at Vichy, a few women and men are randomly sent for their identity and race to be recognized. The people are arrested and taken to prison. If the professor there to identify them as Jew, they were sent to campy by train. Any man or woman in the play has his/her own ideas, character and somehow contradictory views. Throughout the play, fear and terror are felt in the deep layer of play and every individual is grappling with it because they feel death close. But some optimistically believe death is the fate of others and hand of fascists will not choke them. But their turn will reach soon. Such optimism is seen more in an actress. She does blame others for their distrust of Germans and naming them as occupiers and killers.  She cannot believe Germans were building and operating extermination camps. She thinks everything is a rumor. But she does not admit that occupation of another country is a gross violation of law and occupiers set their own savage laws. Actress is busy with her optimistic thoughts. She does not see what’s happing around her or maybe she is turning a blind eye. She is a narcissist who cannot have a correct analysis of situation while a female waitress has understood how dangerous the situation is and she has the gut to face it.

The artist has his empty reasoning, which waste the time of others and impede others to carry out their escape plan. But he finally would face his fears and accompany other. This may be because he sees there is no way out except for escape.

In fact, this is the difference of approaches of two artists. The one who changes when he sees the truth is an aristocrat. He is not a Jew. He knows that Nazis will finally release him. But he dedicates his life and freedom to a sergeant. He may think the sergeant has reached his true nature, opposing his passiveness; he could turn into a real warrior or saviour now. The sergeant knows now what to do. He knows he should not remain passive against Nazis. So he is a person who deserves to be free.

In fact, these are us who make the occupiers giant. These are us who prop up dictators because we believe in their power, because we are afraid of them. We are scared of seeing their crimes and become passive against them. We stand like sheep to be massacred one by one because we are overoptimistic and say maybe tomorrow will be a better day. We ignore this fact that we should change the course. We sit passively on the hope that someone or something to change the course. Nothing will happen and the situation will remain unchanged until someday it will be our turn to be sent with the death train to extermination camp.

Manijeh Mohamedi asks us this question how far we can stay passive, clinging on so-called intellectual thoughts and wait for our turn to be sent to extermination camps. She has staged an expressionism environment with no exaggeration. An expressionism definition with realistic acting coupled with touches of expression. This could be the best she could do with such a play. The topic has had sufficient terror and fear per se. If the acting was expressionist, it could make understanding of the play difficult. The acting was consistent and the cast members have natural emotional interaction with each other. The German army sergeant and psychologist might have played differently.

The piece is not exaggerating but it has some moments of monotones. Houman Kiaei has done his best and has had rare moment but has been monotone not in his dialogue but emotion. Mohammad Eskandari, Mohammad Nadei, Majid Jafari and Mahnaz Afsharpanah have played smoothly. The set is designed smartly…It should be said Incident at Vichy is our today’s world. It is among brilliant pieces directed by Manijeh Mohamedi. Thanks her and her group.