Although the biblical phrase “God works in mysterious ways” is not mentioned in the script of Acacia Theatre’s The Hiding Place, it is an apt description of the harrowing journey described within.
This is a fictionalized story of the real-life Dutch activist Corrie ten Boom, who hides dozens of Jews during Nazi occupation of Holland in World War II. Her mission starts slowly, then ramps up as scores of refugees flee Germany. Many who escape to the Netherlands seek refuge at the ten Boom’s door step.
In a memorable performance, Elaine Wyler expresses her uncertainty on how to deal with all these refugees. Many of the fleeing Jews are escorted to farms in the country. Eventually, the ten Boom home is outfitted with its own “hiding place” for the refugees. A fake brick wall is installed in a bedroom to conceal a passageway where the Jews can hide.
Wyler is near perfect as ten Boom, the quiet watchmaker. This fifty-something unmarried woman lives with her sister, Betsie (Janet Peterson) and their father. She feels ill equipped to run the underground ring, But the facts are there. She claims she is only trying to do “the right thing,” as her faith prescribes.
Janet Peterson, Acacia’s artistic director, does an equally fine job in the role of the younger Betsie. Some of the show’s best moments occur during the conversations between the two sisters. Eventually, the ten Boom family is swept up by the Gestapo and transferred first to a local prison, and then, a German prison camp. The 84-year-old father dies before they even end up as the camp. Betsie, the sister whose unwavering faith strengthens Corrie’s resolve, eventually dies of typhoid.
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“Was it all worth it?” the play seems to ask. The answer is easy to find for a woman with ten boom’s strong Christian faith. She need only turn to scripture to find the passages that give her hope during the many dark days of her confinement. Her “cross to bear” is finding forgiveness for those who ran the camps in which her beloved sister died.
This is a revised version of the play that Acacia Theatre staged a dozen years ago. Director Therese Goode adds some slow-motion sequences to vary the show’s pace. It is a must-see event for those who need inspiration on how common people rise to the occasion and do the most uncommon things, even at their own peril.
Through March 25 at Concordia University’s Todd Wehr Auditorium. For tickets, visit www.acaciatheatre.com or call 414-744-5995.
