Annette Miller Photo by Maggie Hall

John Musall's set includes a table and chairs, a coat rack, a bed, and a rear hanging fabric which includes photographs and three small mirrors. It is not possible, from a distance, to discern more. Daphne (Clayman) explains that her mother Ruth, who fled the Holocaust, now battles dementia while Daphne has her hands full as an ER doctor. Daphne provides her mother's back story, which includes a survival stretch in Ukraine. Now, however, Daphne, not a terribly likable person herself as she is personified on stage, deals with her own children. There's a values clash and the younger generation seems to find their mother far too privileged. Daphne is self-righteous, not at all warm, and it is not surprising that she did not respond well to DEI advisories. Daphne concludes her monologue with advance word that her mother will receive care from Maria. Daphne walks to the back of the stage and sits.

Maria (King), lively and declarative with her first words, is very much attached to her small son. Her job is to tend to the needs of Ruth. Maria is a nurse who functions during COVID times. With a Dominican background, this appealing woman also seeks to find someone to help with her own mother, an asthmatic. Maria clearly feels that her Latina mother does not get priority treatment as do white women. Maria is proactive and driven but overwhelmed with all she must process and handle. Yvette King, emotional and compassionate, fully inhabits this credible character.

Annette Miller's performance as Ruth is astonishing and staggering. She sits in a wheelchair as Daphne and Maria bring her to center stage. She stands and dominates with a bravura turn as an angry but magnetic Holocaust escapee. Somehow, she found her way through a forest and arrived in a small Ukrainian town whereby a farmer's widow took her in. This is not, though, a benevolent benefactor. Instead, the individual berates Ruth and coerces her to sweep the floor. Meanwhile, Ruth, aware that she has encroaching memory loss, reads from a diary to accurately tell her story. The employer worked for people who abused her and now, she perpetuates that practice with Ruth. Miller manufactures a grating, disturbing voice to deliver the widow's dialogue but Miller is much more subdued and rational with the voice of a younger version of herself.

Goodman's characters have much to say about race, class and family. Theatregoers might wonder if a play featuring three monologues could be effective. The Victim is a gripping, revelatory one-act with segments that connect together. All of the characters are troubled and that becomes the crucial and human common denominator.

The three actresses are most persuasive. Perhaps Stephanie Clayman, with a lengthy list of credits including Off-Broadway and regional theatre work, has the toughest job. Daphne is difficult and it is not easy to empathize with her. Yvette King, with some New York City appearances, is quite appealing as Maria and one roots for her. Annette Miller, marking her 25th year acting in performance at Shakespeare & Company, is masterfully versatile and constantly spirited as Ruth. Her performance is prodigious since, whether through her interpretation of the role or coaxing from director Gidron, she is fervently dynamic. Miller's phenomenal ability to manipulate the power of her voice is uncommon. The Victim, through the noticeable evolving quality of performance, builds toward a crescendo-like conclusion.

The Victim runs through July 20, 2025, at Shakespeare & Company, Elayne P. Bernstein Theatre, 70 Kimble St., Lenox MA. For tickets and information, please call 413-637-3353 or visit Shakespeare.org.