Broken Glass - Young Vic Review

"Broken Glass tells the story of an American woman, Sylvia Gellburg, living in Brooklyn in 1938, who has become obsessed with reading newspaper reports of the violent attacks on the Jewish community in Germany. The title of the play refers to the events known as Kristallnacht, when Jewish shops, synagogues and institutions were set alight and destroyed in an orgy of anti-semitic violence. Unable to look the other way as many around her do, Sylvia suddenly develops paralysis and loses her ability to walk."

"Her husband, Phillip, takes her to see Dr Hyman, who believes that this is a hysterical paralysis. The doctor is fascinated by this case but soon finds himself out of his depth, blurring the boundaries between his medical treatment and his growing desire for his patient. As he encourages Sylvia to open up, she is slowly able to talk about issues in her marriage which have been repressed for twenty years."

"Meanwhile, Phillip's world begins to fall apart, a combination of his angry and fearful reaction to his wife's condition, and stress at work, where he loses the confidence of his demanding boss, Stanton Case. His outer carapace starts to crack and repressed anxieties rise to overwhelm him."

Broken Glass, set in Brooklyn in 1938, follows Sylvia Gellburg, who becomes psychologically consumed by newspaper reports of Kristallnacht and anti-Semitic violence in Germany. Her distress manifests as physical paralysis, prompting her husband Phillip to seek help from Dr. Hyman. The doctor diagnoses hysterical paralysis but becomes emotionally entangled with his patient as he encourages her to confront twenty years of marital repression. Simultaneously, Phillip's professional and personal confidence deteriorates under workplace stress and anxiety about his wife's condition. The play explores interconnected themes of historical awareness, psychological trauma, marital disconnection, and the blurred boundaries between medical treatment and personal desire.

Read at London Unattached