This is a story about a young couple who get married just before the beginning of World War II. Beautiful Barbara Weber gets pregnant. Her handsome husband Mike Weber gets drafted into the Army. Sounds like a typical love story, right? Not by any means.
Mike got drafted into the Rumanian Army, which then becomes part of the Hungarian Army which then becomes integrated into the German Army. He marches off to fight the Russians.
In the meantime, Barbara is left behind to cope with keeping her baby and herself alive under horrendous suffering and sacrifice. One day in 1944, begins as a normal wartime day; the villagers go off to tend their fields. The village church bell rings calling everyone to a village meeting. The village elders tell the villagers to pack up as light as they can and prepare to abandon the village where they and their ancestors have lived for 800 years. The Russians are coming!
The ensuing months bring suffering like nothing experienced before; starvation, trudging weary miles, packed into drafty railroad cars like sardines, racing towards their enemy in the West, rather than face the Russian hordes pouring in from the East.
In the meantime, Mike is wounded twice. Finally captured by Czech partisans, he and his friends are lined up against a wall and told that every other soldier will be shot. Again, he miraculously escapes death, only to face three years of privation mining coal in a Russian Prisoner of War Camp from where less than 5% of the prisoners return home alive. Using charm, guile and deception he cleverly manages to return to the West where, ironically, he and his true love are helped by their former enemies to succeed beyond their wildest dreams.
This is a story at many levels. It is a compelling story about any solider, any girl in any country, subject to the whims and manipulations of the few powerful political leaders. There is not much difference in the rank and file of the enemy on either side of a war. This is a story about courage, about humor helping overcome misery, about hope, faith, miracles and persistence. But, mostly it is a true story about a love so strong that it survives unimaginable obstacles.
Based on the book, Fleeing to the Friendly Enemy by Barbara Weber, but consists of Mike Weber's experiences, all set to dialogue for 53 actors - over 150 pages.
Based on the book, Fleeing to the Friendly Enemy by Barbara Weber, but includes Mike Weber's wartime experiences, all set to dialogue for 18 actors, includes the Operatic Text and 43 musical pieces. Arranged for voices in SATB, and or/solo and duet configurations. The piano/vocal score alone is 247 pages of sheet music.
Rental fee is $250 for the first performance night, $200 per night thereafter.
Based on the book, Fleeing to the Friendly Enemy by Barbara Weber, but includes Mike Weber's wartime experiences, all set to dialogue 18 actors, includes the Text and 23 vocal musical pieces, plus 20 background instrumental music pieces. Arranged for voices in SATB, and or/solo and duet configurations. The piano/vocal score alone is 247 pages of sheet music.
Rental fee is $250 for the first performance night, $200 per night thereafter.
