THE STORY: An Austrian refugee family desperately waits in Cairo for passage to America, but Franz needs a wheelchair and must pass a medical examination to be allowed to make the trip. His wife, Lili, struggles to pay their bills, keep Franz’s spirits up, and preserve their sons decent nature. But when Franz fails the medical examination, he kills himself in order to release his family from an impediment that will prevent them from going to America. But this act is not so much a tragedy, as a courageous gesture to enable them to devote themselves to creating a new life. Yet the play ends on a note of triumph. Two of the refugees decide to return to their home, to seek their the true answer to the problems they had hoped to find in a somewhat idealized America.
“…[a] wonderful piece of theater.” —New York Daily News.
“…Written with agonizing honesty on the plight of the refugee. “ —New York Herald Tribune.
