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It's hard to believe that it's been over 30 years since Tovah Feldshuh starred on Broadway in Yentl, playing the young woman who disguises herself as a boy to study at a Rabbinical school, particularly since Feldshuh is back on Broadway and convincingly playing an 18-year-old Polish girl in Irena's Vow, which opened last night at the Walter Kerr Theatre.

"Vow," which enjoyed an acclaimed and extended run off-Broadway in the fall, tells the story of Irena Gut, who after the German occupation of Poland finds herself conscripted by the Nazis and working as a housekeeper for a German major. When she learns that the Jews who had been working the laundry for the major will soon be killed, she devises a plan to save them: she hides them in the basement of the major's villa.

It's certainly a compelling slice of history that playwright Dan Gordon has landed on, and he delivers it sturdily. The play unfolds in a flashback as Irena in present day tells her tale to a group of students studying the Holocaust, and in fact, after coming to American, Irena would spend much of her time telling her story in schools across the country.

Unfortunately, the framing device undermines some of the natural tension of the tale. Theatergoers know that she survived, and thus, suspect that her dozen charges in the cellar also manage to make it through their confinement. Thus, events that should be heart-pounding – a hard-line member of the Gestapo (played with chilling dispassion and cruelty by John Stanisci) has to be called in to diffuse a blackmail attempt against Irena – are merely intriguing twists in a intellectually engaging tale.

What elevates the drama is Feldshuh's spirited performance as the spunky, self-effacing and self-sacrificing Irena. There's seemingly nothing that this heroine can't accomplish and Feldshuh manages to make even the most eye-brow raising scrapes credible. At the same time, she communicates the slow spiritual and emotional erosion that Irena suffers during her time with the Major. Perhaps the most compelling and touching moments in "Vow" come when Ida (Maja C. Wampuszyc), one of the women in hiding, becomes pregnant by Lazar (Gene Silvers), her eager newlywed husband. Since a baby's crying might lead to the discovery of the group (of which only three are seen in "Vow"), Ida and Lazar decide that they should abort the fetus, and ask Irena to bring the necessary supplies. Their request causes Irena to question her Catholic beliefs, and during this sequence, Feldshuh's ability to seemingly bare Irena's soul astounds.

Other aspects of the tale, particularly the complicated relationship that Irena develops with the Major (imbued with a modicum of decency and common sense by Thomas Ryan), fascinate, and the play's coda, which details events in Irena's life after the Russians have pushed into Poland, are truly touching. But strangely, during much of "Vow," directed with a sure-hand by Michael Parva, one experiences the tale on a cerebral, rather than emotional level.

The production's inability to fully sink into one's heart and under one's skin is even more curious given the evocative and atmospheric contributions of the show's designers. Kevin Judge's scenic design telescopes the upper floors of the villa and its lower reaches marvelously, and huge beams hang over the stage which bring to mind not only Teutonic architecture, but also hangmen's gallows. Lighting designer David Castaneda creates a sense of murkiness and dimness but never under illuminates the stage or performers. Alex Koch's projection design gorgeously brings the period and events from the world stage to life, and against this background Irena's heroic story, and Feldshuh's impressive performance, shine brightly.

---- Andy Propst

Irena's Vow plays at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 West 48th Street). Performances are Tuesday at 7pm; Wednesday through Saturday at 8pm; Wednesday and Saturday at 2pm; and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $41.00 - $98.00 and can be purchased by calling 212-239-6200 or by visiting www.Telecharge.com. Further information is available online at www.IrenasVow.com