Hello Beautiful People,
This past Monday I was invited to see a staged reading of By Wheel and By Wing.
Oh goodness.
What to say?
Perhaps the creators of this show will say it best –
By Wheel and By Wing is a remarkable and unusual true story of Holocaust survival. It is based on the experiences of the Parnes family – two parents, seven children, and the “bad boy” who joined and protected them because he was in love with the oldest daughter.
Stars of Yiddish musical theatre who are well-liked by the local Communist government, the family plans to hide in a basement when the war arrives in their small town of Skalat on the Polish/Ukraine border. But when local bullies threaten to turn the oldest son over to the invading Nazis, he flees to the next town, followed by his sister, then by the rest of the family.
Finding themselves unable to return to their home where fighting is in full force, they begin a journey eastward all the way across Europe and Asia, just ahead of the Nazi invasion. Through insistence on staying together – and possibly, a spark of divine power – they miraculously survive multiple forces that otherwise would have killed them.
Through story, song, legend, and newsreel-style reports, By Wheel and By Wing tells an extraordinary tale of triumph: of love over war, of humor over despair, of family bonds over hatred, and of the human spirit over adversity.
Now, I am not Jewish, and yet, this show reminded me of my maternal grandparents. Italians who fought against the Nazi’s, in an effort to make sure that their family stayed in tact, in an an effort to make sure goodness prevailed over evil.
For me, one of the most beautiful aspects of this story was the ability for these remarkable people to find moments of light in the all consuming darkness. (Was the music beautiful? Yes. Was the acting top knotch? Sure.) But it was those little moments of storytelling, where the lives of the Parnes Family came to life, that I will forever remember. A mother chastising a daughter. A father consumed with the stress of not being able to provide for his family. A child dying. A brother and sister fighitng. A first kiss, the first uttterance of “I love you”, old loves meeting new loves…
…these are the moments in which are lives are made. These are the moments where memories are created.
By Wheel and By Wing is about Holocaust surival. But it is so much more than that. It’s about family. It’s about love. It’s about friendship. It’s about what one does for the ones that they hold close to their heart.
It’s a story that everyone should know.
I cannot wait to see where this show goes – and I want to thank the creative team for having me, as it was my pleasure to share in this night with all of you.
Live, Love, Learn,