Michael Butler’s Blog

Friday night I was going to see “An Inconvenient Truth” when the talented and lovely Stephanie Zimbalist (my Goddaughter) emailed that I must see “Pound of Flesh”. It was closing this weekend after a long run at the Odyssey Theatre. Stephanie had seen it twice. That fact and the reputation of the Odyssey was enough for me. I booked for that night, subscribing to the Odyssey season at the same time. I will see Gore’s film later this week.

Well it was sure a worthwhile evening. The play was written and directed by Michael Peter Bolus. It starred David Mauer and Joel Polis. Both were superb in their roles. With Joel Polis one could suppose that Ezra Pound was actually addressing us. David Mauer was a young, receptive Private Cooper. The overvoice of Erin Noble set us up for the movement of the story.

Ezra Pound, a giant of the poetical world was arrested in Italy during the summer of 1945. He was indicted for high treason against the United States and later interned in an insane asylum. During WWII he was making pro Axis broadcasts from Radio Rome. Pound had become a devote of Fascism. This play creates an interesting dialogue between this intellect and the simple mind of the soldier guarding him. The playwright says, “As we continue to live with the profound implications of our recent culture wars over political correctness, we must confront the manner in which our current climate of intellectual relativism informs the criteria by which we measure greatness.”

If it comes to your area do remember this play and do not miss it.

Michael