“Bent” is a tragic yet poignant story about the horrors that occurred in the early days of the Holocaust which saw the deaths of 17 million people.

It follows the story of two gay men, Max, played by Avery Browne, and Ruby, played by Joe Edwards Metcalfe, who are thrust into a deadly struggle for life because of the Nazi’s persecution.

Written by Martin Sherman and directed by Bethany Mangum-Oles, this show is the product of a collaboration between the College of Visual and Performing Arts and the Gender and Sexuality Resource Center.

From within the Black Box theater, the audience caught a glimpse of the truly heart-wrenching story that is “Bent.”

The story was hard to watch, not because of any choices made by the actors or director, but because the subject matter is so painful to listen to, but important nevertheless.

“Schindler’s List” comes to mind when watching this production, as it evokes such a need to sob for these characters and their trials. The writing is nothing short of masterful in its depiction of the horrors of the Holocaust.

The acting was superb, and every choice was made with diligent time and preparation behind it. Performances of characters like Horst, played by Daniel Kies, and Greta, played by Al Herrmann, were phenomenal, to say the least.

The performers truly make the audience feel for these characters. These actors are praiseworthy because of the actors overall ability to instill moments of brief joy.

The script likes to tease the audience with the promise of relief, only to take this hope away with scene after scene of terrifyingly real scenarios of pain and torture during this bleak period in history.

The performance pays tribute to the victims of the Holocaust with both respect and masterful skill executed on all fronts.