Gregory at Vichy

 Gregory at Vichy





"They do these things not because they are German but because they are nothing."

So appropriate to revisit this great Arthur Miller play at a time when the words seem to be describing our own times. This was one more part of our self-civilizing process we underwent in our twenties. Greg watched this 1973 television version of the vastly underrated play that never really got off the ground when it debuted in 1964. It closed after only 32 performances but was adapted for television by the man himself  and shown on PBS in 1973. It was directed by Stacy Keach and had a fine cast lead by Harris Yulin, Alan Garfield, Richard Jordan, and Rene Auberjornois. Being peaceful hippies sitting in the safety of the Veteran apartment we drank it up and memorized dialogue that was repeated for the rest of our lives. The production was powerful and focused on Von Berg (an aristocrat) who was the voice of reason. Monceu (artist) Leduc (doctor) and foil for Von Berg, Bayard (socialist) and LeBeau (jew trying to deny his heritege). These refugees are together in a room awaiting racial evaluation and possible futures in concentration camps.

"All this suffering ... can never have a meaning ... that is why it will be repeated."

The play has deep meaning in times when autocratic leaders choose scapegoats to blame society's problems on and move to destroy "the other." The people in the room are a cross-section of those who are not true Nazis. Each of the characters takes a turn at explaining the complexities of this depravity in human nature. Despite the complexities of the philosophy in the play it was the throwaway lines that we used tor repeat most often like "You see, I have my degree in Racial Anthropology" or "Gypsy no steal!" or "Then why are they measuring noses!? This was all part of Greg's great admiratioin of  Miller and  his outrage at some snob referring to the plays as "middle-brow"  Miller himself described it as  "What is dark if not unknown is the relationship between those who side with justice and their implication in the evil they oppose.



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