Angel: A Nightmare of the Holocaust, a play in two acts

Alternating between black comedy and horror, Angel: A Nightmare of the Holocaust is a two-act play that uses the setting of the Holocaust to explore contemporary values, the question of personal responsibility versus universal guilt, and the seductive appeal of evil. Controversial and thought-provoking, “Angel” offers strong roles for women and strong subject matter for theaters seeking to challenge themselves and their audiences.

“Angel” is a drama based on the trial and execution of real-life Nazi war criminal Irma Grese. Grese became a concentration camp guard at the age of sixteen, was prosecuted by the British in the Belsen trials, and was executed at the age of 21 for her crimes against humanity. A strikingly beautiful woman, she was dubbed by the international press as “The Blonde Angel of Auschwitz.” During the play, Irma’s prosecutor falls under her fatal charms. He is drawn, along with the audience, down into a private nightmare where the tables are turned and he becomes the accused. Also dragged into the nightmare is Olga Lengyel, a survivor of Auschwitz, who teaches the prosecutor a lesson about dignity and survival.

“Angel” was a winner of the first Open Book/Fireside Theatre Playwriting Competition and the grand prize winner of the Riverfront Theatre's New Works competition. The Open Book in Manhattan mounted a reader's theater presentation of “Angel” as part of their 1995/1996 season. A reading edition was printed in the collection Reader’s Theatre, edited by Marvin Kaye, available through Fireside Books. A staged reading of “Angel” was presented by Florida Studio Theatre in August, 1995 as part of their SummerFest '95 program. First Age productions in New Hampshire presented a full-staged production of “Angel” in February and March of 1998. Since then, the play has been produced many times by educational and community organizations. It had a full equity premier in Philadelphia and received its UK premiere in Hereford, England in October of 2011. Angel's professional Los Angeles premiere was in 2015 in Crown City Theater.