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Friday April 6, 2007

One-woman show reveals music, survival at Auschwitz

California native and longtime performer Claudia Stevens will be in Oakland and Palo Alto next week to commemorate Yom HaShoah with her original one-woman show.

“An Evening with Madame F” tells the story of Holocaust survivor Fanja Fenelson, who, as a youth, performed in the women’s orchestra at Auschwitz. Stevens takes on the persona of the elderly madam, reflecting on her experiences in the concentration camp.

The play was written by Stevens, herself the daughter of Holocaust survivors. “Madame F” is a blend of drama and song, and contains music played and sung by women in Auschwitz.

“Madame F” explores the physical struggle and ethical dilemma of those who survived, and meditates on the issue of treating the Holocaust as the subject for artistic expression.

“An Evening with Madame F” has been presented in more than 100 theaters and universities nationwide. It comes to the Bay Area at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 15 at Mills College in Oakland, and 7 p.m. Monday, April 16 at Stanford University. For the Mills College performance, RSVP to Eileen M. Mello at jws@mills.edu or (510) 430-2373.

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