By Michele Markarian
“Becoming Dr. Ruth”, by Mark St. Germain. Directed by Stephen Nachamie. Jeffrey Petersen, Scenic Designer; Aja Jackson, Lighting Designer. Presented by New Rep Theatre, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown through May 19.
“All my life I have loved to go to the theater. Tonight, the theater comes to me!” beams Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer (Anne O’ Sullivan), as she holds her arms out to us, the audience. This transparency allows Dr. Ruth to address the audience directly, and gives her a reason to tell her surprising, sometimes sad, and often fateful story.
Born Karola Ruth Siegel, an only child to a Jewish couple in Frankfurt, Ruth had a happy life. Her grandmother Siegel, who lived with them, told her early on, “Always smile and be cheerful. You are loved.” This advice the young Ruth took to heart. Throughout her travails, Ruth somehow managed to keep up her spirits and keep moving forward, under circumstances that would fell weaker, more melancholic personalities.
The day after Kristallnacht, Ruth’s father was taken away by the Nazis. Somehow, her mother and grandmother managed to secure 10-year old Ruth a spot on the Kindertransport to Switzerland. Ruth is optimistic, as she believes she’ll see her family again. The orphanage she is sent to turns out to be more of a work house, where the children were expected to act as servants to the staff. At thirteen, Ruth fell in love with a fellow transport, Walter. At seventeen, orphaned, she emigrated to Palestine, where Polish Jews looked down on the German Jews who “weren’t smart enough to leave”. Because of her size, Ruth trained as a sniper. She also survived an air raid which took many months to heal from. The young Ruth married for the first time, and went to Paris so that her husband could study medicine. But New York was where she ultimately called home, emigrating with her second husband, with whom she had a daughter. A scholarship to the New School awaited her, and after divorcing, Ruth found the love of her life on the ski slopes, Manfred “Fred” Westheimer. They were married for 36 years and had a son together. His death is one of the few times we see Dr. Ruth lose her cheerfulness – “There are some things not easy to talk about, even for Dr. Ruth”, she says, as she kisses his picture. It’s a touching, heart wrenching moment.
Anne O’ Sullivan delivers a marvelous, sensitive performance, who seamlessly embodies the spirit of this incredible woman and makes her real. Watching Dr. Ruth on television growing up, I can’t say I really took her seriously – she struck me as an entertaining joke, albeit a good one. St. Germain’s script and O’Sullivan’s performance show us the depth of the woman and what mattered most to her heart. Given the tragedy of her family, it’s no wonder she chose to focus on sex – it’s an antidote to death. Being a survivor, she had no choice but to make every moment, every opportunity, every relationship count.
One person shows can be tricky, as there is something artificial, dare I say false, about a famous person narrating their history. Not this one. Nachamie’s fluid direction and Jeffrey Petersen’s homey, cluttered set bring us closer to the character and her life. Dr. Ruth is reluctantly moving house, and as she speaks to us, she carries on with her packing, occasionally interrupted by phone calls. As a public figure, she knows she is on display in her home, an idea that she is entirely comfortable with, even welcomes. Despite her rise to prominence, the family she held dear is never far from the present. I entered the theater expecting to learn more about a likeable acquaintance, and left it feeling like I’d just discovered a dear, dear friend. You will, too. For tickets and information, go to: www.newrep.org
