playbill vip

Taken at Midnight tells the story of Hans Litten, a man who believed—almost dangerously—in the power of truth, the rule of law, and the moral responsibility to confront injustice head-on. In a world increasingly shaped by intimidation and propaganda, Litten’s faith in justice becomes both his greatest strength and the source of his tragic vulnerability.

Hans Litten was a lawyer who used the courtroom as a stage for resistance. His cross-examination of Adolf Hitler in 1931 was not an act of spectacle, but of principle—a meticulous, courageous insistence that facts matter, even when power would prefer they did not. This play does not ask us to admire Litten as a flawless hero; instead, it invites us to sit with the consequences of his choices, and with the brutal reality faced by those who challenge authoritarianism before it has fully revealed its teeth.

In directing this production, I was drawn to the tension between idealism and survival. Litten refuses to compromise his beliefs, even as the political ground beneath him collapses. Around him, others must decide how to endure: whether to flee, to adapt, to stay silent, or to fight in quieter ways. At the heart of the play is also the relationship between Hans and his mother, Irmgard Litten, whose tireless campaign to secure his release reminds us that resistance is not only loud or public—it can be persistent, strategic, and fueled by love.

Our staging emphasizes confinement and control. The physical and emotional claustrophobia of Litten’s imprisonment is contrasted with the cold efficiency of a system designed to break individuals while maintaining an appearance of order. Violence in this world is often bureaucratic, normalized, and justified—making it all the more terrifying.

Though Taken at Midnight is set in Nazi Germany, its questions are unmistakably contemporary. What happens when the law is twisted to serve power instead of justice? What is the cost of speaking truth to authority? And what do we owe to those who take that risk on behalf of others?

This play is not only a remembrance of Hans Litten, but a challenge to us. It asks us to examine where we stand when truth is inconvenient, and whether we have the courage to defend it before it is too late.

Thank you for joining us.

Micheal