By Ben Watson
Satire is often the counterpoint to overeager earnestness, and Elise Hanson’s campy but restrained production of The Secret Son of Hitler at The Box at Salt Lake City’s Gateway is a good example of the satirical genre, in the vein of M.A.S.H. The Secret Son of Hitler, presented by the Kallisti Theater Company, is an absurdist indict of populist patriotic nationalism, set in the post-WWII Truman era. Written and directed by Hanson, the two-act (15 minute intermission) play is an expansion of the short form version, a “Best of FF” winner at the 2018 Salt Lake Fringe Festival. Staged at The Box at The Gateway, an intimate but inviting black box space, TSSoH uses the conceit of concealed identity to skewer conventional patriotism. Borrowing heavily from tropes as diverse as The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Van Helsing, the show moves quickly from comedy to intrigue, all while infusing some song and dance along the way. A bus crash, a presidential dinner with an influential senator, and a mayonnaise heiress get emulsified into a slurry of humor and wit. However, just as not everyone loves mayonnaise, some may not find this theatrical condiment palatable. Those willing to explore new tastes will find tasty bites of entertainment.
The center pivot of this satire is President Harry S. Truman, played adeptly by Trevor Bird. Lisa Thurman plays his gregarious wife Bess, while Madeline Thatcher shines as the intrepid First Daughter, Margaret Truman. Megan Chase lends intensity to the Nazi-hunting Pregnant Woman, serving as counterpoint to Christopher Lawrence Thorne’s engaging Byron Shelley and Jesse Curran’s Fred Fritzgerald. Local favorite Chris Harvey plays affable Senator Donald Dinkle, while Liz Rowley-Hilst is outstanding as aide-de-camp Mac MacDonald. Jeremy Minagro steals many scenes as Dr. Van Nostrill, as does Andrew Slaughter as the scenery-chewing Barbara Bubemuenster. The “Secret Son”, Howard Hutt, is played brilliantly by David Drockton, and writer/director Hanson rounds out the cast as mayonnaise heiress Virginia Mayo. The effective lighting design comes from Two-Ton Tom, and Hanson lends another hand as Sound Designer.
Recent events and misadventures in the current political milieu stand out as echoes from the challenges of post-WWII nationalism, and The Secret Son of Hitler calls out the issues germane to both then and now. It shines a satirical, but serious light on the risks of rampant populism and the fine line between exceptionalism and elitist entitlement.
The Secret Son of Hitler is consistent with a PG-13 rating, but would be most appropriate for mature audiences willing to be open-minded. Considering that the second act is presented entirely in stage-appropriate underwear, some theater-goers may be scandalized. That said, the content uses this as metaphor for laying bare the realities of social issues covered up by national pride. Viewers willing to listen beyond the proof-text level will be rewarded by Hanson’s spot-on narrative. The nearly 2-hour show runs with one 15-minute intermission, and is presented June 16-26, 2022 at 7:30pm and 2:30pm Sunday matinees. Act quickly before The Secret Son of Hitler disappears into the history books.
Kallisti Theater Company presents The Secret Son of Hitler by Elise Hanson.
The Box at The Gateway, 400 W 200 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84101
June 16-26, 2022 7:30 PM (2:30 PM Sunday Matinees)
Tickets $18
Contact: 801-869-460
The Box at the Gateway Facebook PageKallisti Theater Company Facebook Page
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