Death and the Maiden, the story of a former victim of torture who has the opportunity to confront a man who may have been her torturer, raises important questions about the aftermath of life-changing trama, such as torture, and the appropriate response to such actions. These questions are especially relevant today, as more and more American citizens living abroad are made political targets.

    By the second half I was weary of the blood and matches, but I am so glad to have stayed. The play is preformed on the stage of the Allen Bales Theater, and the action is undoubtedly too close for comfort. To the actors credit, despite the proximity to their audience, they never left their characters, and they deliverd powereful, and disturbing, performances. The play is dominated by impleasant images and vulgar language, and sometimes it was all I could do to keep from drawing too much attention as I cringed in my seat.

    Without giving a spoiler, let me note that every tedious, bloody minute of the play is fully justified in the last seconds. Death and the Maiden changed my mind about victims' rights. The play takes a fresh prospective on torture, an angry, not so virtuous victim who wants revenge. The play forces the audience to reevalute their opinions on justice, and revenge, and question whether either, or possibly both choices of action may be justified. The answers are not so clear.