Norbert had the lead role in Juan Mayorga’s Way to Heaven, a play at the Odyssey Theater in Los Angeles that completed a very successful run under the direction of Ron Sossi. Several performances were sold out with waiting lists. Norbert was kind enough to send some great photos from a rehearsal, which you will find below. All of the images are pop-up that will expand when you click on them. Photos and reviews from the play can be found here. ThissynopsisoftheplayistakenfromtheOdysseyTheaterEnsemblewebsite:Engrossingandmenacing,WaytoHeaven,isinspiredbythetruestoryoftheelaboratedeceptionthattookplaceattheTheresienstadt concentration camp in 1944 Germany. In order to fool international Red Cross inspectors, the Nazis constructed a fake village to quell extermination rumors. Juan Mayorga’s startlingly original play begins with the reminiscences of one inspector assigned to evaluate this “village.” The play leaps back in time to show the creation and rehearsal of a very unusual and disturbing deceit, one in which the Jewish prisoners are assigned roles and given lines to perform to convince visitors of their peaceful and happy existence.Cast of Characters: -- Commandant Norbert Weisser -- Gershom Gottfried Bruce Katzman -- Red Cross Representative Michael McGee -- Man on a Bench Joshua Moore -- 1st Woman on a Bench Hannah Cowley or Inessa Guenther (alternate)
-- 2nd Woman on a Bench Nina Sallinen-- Young Girl Talyan Wright-- Young Boy Dylan La Rocque-- Young Boy David Valdes-- Young Boy Nicholas Francis
Norbert won the LA Weekly Theater Award for Leading Male Performance for his role as the Commandant in this play. Congratulations, Norbert!