Ariel Dorfman’s Death and the Maiden is essentially an examination of revenge, humanity, memory, truth and justice in the mind of a person with a disturbing past. It is the tale of a woman tortured by henchmen of the 1970s era militaristic Chilean government, under the leadership of Chief Augusto Pinochet. Though it touches on the atrocities committed by these torturers, it is not the focus, nor the most intriguing aspect of the play. Death and the Maiden occurs instead after the fact, fifteen years later to be exact. Paulina Escobar (Stacy Searle) and her lawyer husband Gerardo Escobar (Thomas Azar) met while working together against the regime, yet during her imprisonment she never gave up his name. Returning a broken and disturbed woman, Paulina thought of nothing but the crimes committed against herself and her body. After Gerardo’s appointment to the commission sent to investigate the most serious crimes, which have been determined to be those ending in death, with “irreparable” damages, Paulina finds the feelings she’s been fighting for fifteen years flooding her mind and memory. She is bitter because of the government and commission’s disregard for victims like herself. She demands truth, justice, and repentance from those who hurt her. Then Dr. Roberto Miranda (Chris Hardin) walks into her life. It seems like fate that the good doctor stopped to assist Gerardo with a flat tire. Strangely, he returns to the Escobar home and sits to discuss the commission, and Paulina discerns a familiar voice. The plot continues with Paulina’s binding and gagging of the doctor, believing him to be her torturer, and her demand for answers. Paulina becomes the vengeful torturer that she seeks to punish, but she discovers that the only thing she desires is truth, a confession, so that she can live her life. 

    Obviously, Death and the Maiden had the advantage of a strong plot, yet its success is truly attributable to its strong acting. Searle, though overly dramatic at times, captures Paulina’s tormented soul. She uses painfully twisted facial expressions to convey the hurt and obsession she feels. The only problem with her acting is that she sometimes changes between moods so quickly that the audience is unable to grasp her motivation and understand the character. Azar does a fantastic job as Gerardo, displaying a confused but generally good man who loves his wife but doubts her sanity. Azar smoothly transitions between emotions to keep his audience close, and uses characteristics of power and vulnerability to create a complex and intriguing character. Hardin has somewhat of a lesser challenging role, but he does make good use of body language during the times in which he is bound and gagged. He also makes an excellent transition from pompous doctor to terrified captive. The sound in this show was by far the best I’ve seen this season, especially with the use of a tape recorder and Schubert’s music, although the music was often stopped abruptly. Lighting was good at times, but there were a few mistakes. The flashing lights used during torturing scenes was more annoying than effective. 

    The question of the play’s title is an important one. Death and the Maiden is actually a string quartet composed by Franz Schubert, a severe piece that is used throughout the play to set a dark mood. Paulina’s captor used the music to ease his victims and gain their trust. The title itself brings out an important question of the play. Shall Paulina kill her torturer; commit the same crimes against him? Paulina deals with this question of death and humanity. Her own survival gives her a voice, an ability to find the truth and create justice. The audience’s desire for truth is never satisfied, as we can never be certain of a forced confession. This is an important point of the play in that there is no true resolution. Even with revenge, or justice, the hurt and pain doesn’t disappear, and repentance and morality cannot be forced or judged. 

    All in all, I believe Death and the Maiden will please theatre-goers with its exciting plot and interesting characters. I definitely recommend this show to all, with the exception of younger audiences because of language used within the play.