Tom Stoppard’s Leopoldstadt follows multiple generations of an Austrian Jewish family from prosperity to despair — spanning over 50 years from 1899 to 1955. Now in its Chicago-area premiere at Writers Theatre, the late Stoppard’s final play includes a cast of 24 actors and many, many characters. Leopoldstadt (named after the Jewish quarter of Vienna) is a sprawling and ambitious work.
The early scenes find the Merz-Jakobovicz family reveling in time together among their extended family. Stoppard’s text makes clear this family enjoys a great deal of privilege and access to education and culture. The first several scenes revel in those prosperous times for the family — which unfurls into later devastation and a story of survival as the Nazi occupation of Austria and the Holocaust take an inevitable toll. It’s an ambitious timeline to cover. I admire Stoppard’s desire to go bold. But the play has too many characters — it’s hard to keep track. Likewise, Stoppard doesn’t provide much historical context for what’s happening in Austria. I advise all audience members to carefully study the Leopoldstadt family tree and the historical timeline in Writers Theatre’s digital program before they watch the show. While I often lament plays that seem didactic, I think Stoppard’s material could have used more historical context.
Still, Stoppard has succeeded in weaving a tale of this extended family for whom anti-Semitism always lingers in the background until it comes to its inevitable tragic head. While I was of course familiar with the larger historical events grounding the play, my knowledge of the Jewish experience in Vienna specifically was lacking. In some ways, the play depends on that.
But Leopoldstadt is also a story of a family’s joy and then utter will to survive in the wake of the Holocaust. The precursors of that event are present from the beginning. Wealthy married couple Hermann (Ian Barford) and Gretl (Kate Fry) are a blended Jewish-Catholic couple. And while Hermann originally seems convinced that his conversion will allow him to enter the most exclusive echelons of Viennese society, Fritz (Erik Hellmann), a Viennese officer, is quick to remind him that’s not the case. That current of anti-Semitism plants the seed for what audiences know is to come. It’s a particularly tragic kind of dramatic irony.
The early scenes also depict a lot of Jewish tradition and culture with utter joy. Clearly, Stoppard was interested in the Passover Seder — it’s depicted in a lengthy 1900 scene. I thought it was touching to see that on stage, though those unfamiliar with the Seder will probably still not fully grasp it. And this scene, like some of the others, lingers too long. Likewise, a 1924 scene centers on the bris of Nathan, Gretl and Hermann’s great-nephew of sorts (son of their cousins Sally and Zac). It also involves a murky subplot about their cousin Nellie’s commitment to the Austrian socialist movement — again, that’s where the lack of historical context falls apart.
This representation of Jewish tradition is contrasted with the play’s final two scenes, which take us to Kristallnacht on November 9, 1938 and then several years later, to 1955, after many family members are killed in the Holocaust.
Even in the 1938 scene, the family seems to enjoy their time together…until a Nazi officer shows up at their door and informs them they’ve been evicted from the family home. This scene also shows many of the eldest family members aging, a precursor to the immense collective losses this family will suffer.
The play devastatingly coheres in the 1955 scene in which the three remaining family members meet. This scene also most clearly represents Stoppard’s reckoning with his own Jewish identity. Stoppard was born in the Czech Republic and raised (as many readers will know) in England, finding out later in life that he was of Jewish descent. While I don’t want to biographize too much, the character of Leo (Sam Bell-Gurwitz) appears to be Stoppard’s stand-in. Leo’s mother Nellie (Emma Rosenthal) escapes to England in 1938 with her British fiancé Percy Chamberlain (Hellman). Raised in England, Leo is out of touch with his Jewish identity until in 1955 he reunites with his cousin Rosa (Jessie Fisher) and her nephew Nathan (Justin Albinder) back in Vienna. For the first time, Leo learns about the tragedy of his family’s extended history and develops a sense of obligation to tell their story.
Bell-Gurwitz plays the scene nicely — he’s convincing as a young British man, who’s clearly lived a life of privilege, but has a beautiful emotional transformation as he takes in the information. Fisher is likewise compelling as Rosa, who’s clearly struggling with the weight of all she’s lost. Albinder also plays that well. The scene is an absolute gut-punch.
Directed at Writers by Carey Perloff — who has a long history of directing Stoppard’s work — the acting across the board is strong with an all-star cast of Chicago actors. While Leopoldstadt takes awhile to get going, the ending is devastating and truly moving.
As I left the theater, I was touched by the fact that in writing this play, Stoppard was doing what so many of us do when we go to the theater: Process questions of identity and history and how to make sense of the world through art. And for Stoppard to so proudly proclaim his Jewish descent in Leopoldstadt is a powerful statement to make.
Leopoldstadt runs through August 9 at Writers Theatre. Tickets are $35 – $95.
Photo Credit: Michael Brosilow
Tickets: writerstheatre.org
Cross posted from broadwayworld.com
FAQS About Leopoldstadt in Chicago
Where is Leopoldstadt playing? The production is playing at Writers Theatre, 325 Tudor Court in Glencoe, Illinois.
When does the show run? Leopoldstadt runs through August 9, 2026.
How long is the run-time for the production? The show runs approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission.
How much do tickets cost? Ticket prices range from $35 to $95, depending on the performance date and seating selection.
Where can I buy tickets for Leopoldstadt? You can purchase tickets on the Writers Theatre website.
Are there any content considerations or audience notices? Yes, the performance is recommended for older audiences as it includes depictions of antisemitism, discussions of genocide and death, alcohol consumption, mild expletives, adultery, and blood. The production also features theatrical effects such as theatrical cigarettes, gunshots, aerial bombings, and theatrical haze.
Is there anything I should review before seeing the play? Because the play features a cast of 24 actors portraying an ambitious, multi-generational family across a span of over 50 years, audiences are highly encouraged to review the historical timeline and family tree provided in Writers Theatre’s digital program before the performance begins.