The Rubenstein Kiss

by James Phillips

A remarkable new play about Cold-War betrayal and the quest for justice

1953. In McCarthy's America, Jakob and Esther Rubenstein are betrayed and punished for an act of industrial espionage. Could this be the greatest miscarriage of justice of the twentieth century?

1975. New York. Matthew Maddison meets Anna Levi in front of an art gallery photograph of Jakob and Esther sharing one final kiss before they part. Young, radical and falling in love, together they seek justice for the past.

Inspired by a true story, The Rubenstein Kiss explores the mysterious corridors of history to reveal the anguish of a family and a quest for atonement.

Publication coincides with the play's premiere at London's Hampstead Theatre on 17 November 2005.

'a commendably assured first play ? vividly captures the interlocking nature of sexual and ideological passion' Guardian

'This is a bracingly ambitious piece, encompassing the tension between personal and political morality, between idealism and pragmatism, and the power of the past to shape individuals. Astutely and compassionately, Phillips explores each bend in the road that led to the Rubensteins' deaths ? A stimulating debut work of real scope.' The Times

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2006

Reviews

[Jason Green · Rating 2 out of 5]

Plays are difficult to read - or at least difficult to gauge as just text. What reads as flat and unengaging on the page can be electrified by staging and performance. The Rubenstein Kiss is a fictionalised meditation on the 1950s Rosenberg spy trial in the States. However, it is an unremarkable play on a remarkable subject, (over)ripe with dramatic and thematic possibilities. While the fictionalisation allows for poetic licence in exploring the situation, little is done to dig too deeply and themes of family, identity, idealism, honour and betrayal are handled in a literal fashion. The author leaves no room for ambiguity or nuance, or for the reader/audience to question or speculate for themselves. The 'shock' developments can be worked out by anyone with a simple grasp of arithmetic (why else set the later story in the play 25 years after the earlier one?). Maybe I'm being unkind, and performance lends the play power and depth. An interesting companion piece to The Rubenstein Kiss is Hugh Whitemore's Pack of Lies. This earlier play also deals with the shattering impact of betrayal, national and personal, on ordinary lives.

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a CHORE. We got not just one but TWO timelines where everything interesting and dramatic happens offstage!

I also legitimately do not understand this play's existence. What the HELL is the point of fictionalizing the Rosenbergs when it's so obviously them, right down to the damn photo in the title and opening scene? WHY DID YOU NOT JUST DRAMATIZE THE ROSENBERGS' STORY?!?!