←Recommendations of The Coat Check Girl

The play-within-a-play comes across as especially powerful, blurring rehearsal and reality of the Nazi takeover of Norway until the stage is overtaken by the very war it tries to process. The writing is spare and not melodramatic, allowing the final image of handing the rifle to the son to land with devastating clarity. A compact, deeply felt meditation on the necessity of doing art in the face of catastrophe.

Syran packs so much into this short historical play. By blending a meta theatrical world with some documentary of the Nazi invasion of Norway, we get a history lesson and a story about the courage of the Norwegian people and, specifically, about the courage of a theatre coat check girl. There’s also the courage of the theatre cast and crew who take the stage in spite of danger and, most striking, the courage of a mother to make a decision that goes against every fiber of her being. Terrific.

This riveting and well-imagined play captures a horrific moment in history and movingly suggests a difficult and serious response. The call to sacrifice is hard to answer. The play within the play resonates powerfully and, in the way of great art, mirrors life while suggesting larger possibilities. Syran's masterful world building and depth of characterization give this play its strength and resonance.

I did not know about this moment in history. I knew of the playwright Karel Capek who sometimes wrote science fiction and gave us the word "robot" in RUR. I knew that for a leader to be called a "Quisling" is not a compliment. But one gets to hear Quisling selling out his country in Syran's play, and the play within the play by Capek is compelling, especially as fiction and reality blend. Syran packs a lot of power into this short piece.

Syran has gifted us with many historical plays (seriously check them out here on New Play X). The Coat Check Girl may be one of the most riveting. It’s a perfect blend of history and theatre and it shows what theatre uniquely can do- provide a backdrop to the world at a specific time and place. And then show us how it applies to our times.

03.30.25 - A skillful blending of real life and theatricality brought to a third meta level by having both narratives be presented by the play you're currently reading (or better yet, watching be performed). Nora Louise Syran brings her characters to life as actors in a theater on the verge of being overrun by enemy forces who are desperate to save one of their own, a coat-check girl. They do so in a way that is both inspiring and audacious; by continuing to present art as only they can. Perfect

Nora Louise Syran provides the perfect answer to why it’s important to study history. In this powerful piece, the play within a play mirrors the horrors brought on by war and authoritarianism happening outside the theater. As history has shown, theater makers are often more vocal sources of resistance than our supposed leaders. Nora Louise Syran provides a welcome voice for our time.

I was struck by both the immediacy and relevance of this short. The play within a play concept is intriguing - even more so since it’s based on truth. Nora Louise Syran does a masterful job of creating and building tension as the intertwined stories reach their climax. Interesting and compelling theatre.

In 1940, a theater in Oslo plans to present an anti-war play but their rehearsal is interrupted by the German invasion of Norway. The actors scatter but an audience of one persuades the remaining staff to finish the rehearsal. It becomes a call to take up arms and resist. One wonders. Is there a theater in present-day America that would be willing to risk performing an anti-fascist play in the face of possible political and societal opposition and retaliation? Excellent work by Syran.

Moments in history may be forgotten unless we realize that the lesson they teach is timeless. The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany in 1940 may be a historical footnote to some, but in this short play, Nora Louise Syran brings the moment to the forefront and makes it timeless. This is what makes theatre important: it makes the story real and immediate, and no attempt to suppress it and its voice will succeed.