Inside a Hitler-Era ‘Head’

Nazi-era Germany is an endlessly fascinating context for the dramatic exploration of moral compromise, and for good reason. Rarely have the darkest impulses in human nature been so nakedly crystallized into social “legitimacy,” when an act of simple decency could have potentially lethal consequences.

Against this backdrop, an impoverished sculptor undergoes an acid test of character in John Rafter Lee’s gutsy, provocative new drama “Hitler’s Head.” Although Anton Muller (Matt Kirkwood) would prefer to remain oblivious to the persecution of innocent Jews, ignorant bliss is a luxury he can no longer maintain after being pressured to sculpt the head of rising political star Adolf Hitler. Among the many plays, films and novels that deal with ethical dilemmas in that evil time, Hitler seldom figures directly--his sheer demonic weight can overwhelm attempts to depict him in any way but caricature.

In one of many noteworthy achievements in the Road Theatre Company’s gripping production, Paul Perri’s powerhouse performance manages to shape Hitler into a layered, flesh and blood character. Not a sympathetic one, but convincingly human in his foibles and insecurities--seeking assurance that his English-style mustache is flattering, or confessing his inability to read even a page of Nietzsche. Most insidiously, he speaks to Anton of his own failed artistic ambitions, spinning a spiritual kinship. Hitler’s neurotic banality makes all the more horrific a pivotal fulminating oration, in which Perri nails the charisma born of fanaticism that seduced a nation.

That Anton is willing to let himself be seduced so easily reveals the hollowness of his lofty allegiances to the “higher realm” of “art.” His lifelong fascination with St. Peter, who denied knowing Jesus on the day of his arrest, comes full circle when he disavows his other principal client, a Jewish merchant (Barry Thompson) with prophetic dreams of the Holocaust.

Though the well-played dynamic between Anton and Hitler remains central, a talented ensemble adds scope and depth. Particularly memorable are Anton’s mistress (Sile Bermingham), club-footed Goebbels (Loren Rubin), Hitler’s sycophantic photographer (Carl J. Johnson) and a French drama coach (Paul Witten) enlisted to tighten Hitler’s “act.”

Some overreaching conceits fray the play’s edges. A postwar tribunal subplot is sketchy and adds little. Too avant for its own good is a recurring framing device in which the entire piece becomes a surreal documentary filmed by Leni Riefenstahl (Alicia Wollerton) and produced by Goering (James K. Ward) in Valkyrie drag. Though the inner narrative is strong enough to dispense with these distractions, co-directors Taylor Gilbert and Ken Sawyer employ them as lively comic relief amid a hard-hitting staging.

BE THERE

“Hitler’s Head,” Lankershim Arts Center, 5108 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. Fridays, Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Dark this Sunday and Easter weekend April 2-4. Ends May 9. $15. (818) 761-8838. Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes.