Silent Partners

In June 1942, a young, rather callow Eric Bentley is introduced to Bertolt Brecht, one of Germany’s leading playwrights now exiled in Santa Monica, California

Brecht is looking for an English translator who will spread his fame in America, Bentley for a niche in the world of theatre as both a critic and director

Each man’s ambitions nurture a curious relationship in which, without ever acknowledging their secret agendas, mutual exploitation becomes the order of the day

Grievances, criticism and acrimony firmly suppressed, the “silent partners” work closely on Brecht’s plays and poetry, neither man revealing their true feelings or motives

However, in the play, through the inclusion of surreal, imaginary scenes, their true thoughts are clearly and bluntly expressed

After being summoned before the House Un-American Activities Committee, Brecht, having been offered the directorship of the Berliner Ensemble, prepares to resettle in East Berlin and offers Bentley a cozy niche in his new venture

Bentley, disdaining Communism and now making headway in America as a critic and academic, declines the offer

After Brecht’s refusal to align himself with the 1953 Workers Revolt in East Berlin and during a visit from Bentley to East Germany, the true nature between the two “friends” is caustically revealed in a scene during which the accumulation of fifteen years of suppressed emotions trigger a shattering denouement - one that reveals the weaknesses of both collaborators

“Marowitz has created an entertaining story that is simultaneously funny, perplexing and disturbing. Tossing in small bits of insight into both men, the playwright/director fuels his piece with some wonderful humor” ~ CurtainUp