Palace of the End

Description
The consecutive monologues that constitute Judith Thompson’s somber triptych are acts of unbearable witness. One by one, the play’s three characters—American soldier Lynndie England (Teri Lamm), British weapons inspector David Kelly (Rocco Sisto) and Iraqi political dissident Nehrjas Al Saffarh (the superb Heather Raffo)—share harrowing tales of violence, torture and guilt in Iraq. Directed with appropriate gravity by Daniella Topol, the monologues have an undeniable punch. Given the urgency of the subject matter, however, the play’s frequent departures into fictional embellishment are sometimes troubling.—AF