Professor Bernhardi

In New York it is rare to find a play by the Austrian playwright Arthur Schnitzler. The Mint Company successfully adapted and produced two Schnitzler plays—"Far and Wide" (Das Weite Land) and "The Lonely Way" (Der Einsame Weg)—a few years ago. Now comes the brave Marvell Rep with the rarely seen "Doctor Bernhardi," set in a private medical clinic that stands as a microcosm of 1900 Vienna. Schnitzler wrote for a more leisurely time, and G.J. Weinberger's translation is probably too true to the original, running for more than three hours as a cast of 18 makes and then makes again the play's salient arguments. In a more disciplined adaptation, Schnitzler's psychological insights could come alive and not be lost in a sea of talk. What should be a Shavian-style debate with points wittily made is here too often a heavy-sledding melodrama.

That's a pity, because Schnitzler's central theme, the house of God versus the house of healing, is an intriguing one. Doctor Bernhardi (Sam Tsoutsouvas), the Jewish director of the clinic, prevents a young Catholic priest, Franz Reder (Markus Potter), from administering the last rites to a girl who through medication is happily unaware of her imminent death. From this small action comes a witch hunt that pits medicine against religion and the Christian establishment against Jews. The opposing team is led by Dr. Ebenwald (Chris Kipiniak), who sees opportunities for self-advancement and possible revenge. In the struggle, Bernhardi remains a beacon of integrity and good sense while Schnitzler sets about exposing the hypocrisy and mendacity of every establishment type, from Christian priest to converted Jew to blowhard minister for education and religion. Bernhardi becomes a "medical Dreyfus," and yet Schnitzler has the cleverness to allow the play to have an almost-happy ending.

Schnitzler was both a Jew and a doctor and knows of what he speaks. Anti-Semitism is not an undercurrent; it's pushed to center stage and hit with a spotlight. The crowded scene of a meeting at which Bernhardi gets his dismissal reverberates down the years to barbwire and  shrunken bodies, while the young priest's excuse of "conformity and obedience" echoes the  Nazi claim of only obeying orders.

While applauding the ambitions of Marvell Rep in presenting this play, it's often obvious that the company has bitten off more than it can chew. It's a work of argument and debate, and many times the struggle seems very uneven. As Bernhardi, Tsoutsouvas, an actor of great merit, has such genuine authority and vocal command that his opponents—and there are many of them—are hard put to make any sparks fly. Kipiniak does best as an Aryan bigot, and Kevin Gilmartin protests convincingly as a friend of Bernhardi.

The production, directed by Lenny Leibowitz, unfortunately fails to uncover the script's lurking humor. It's not until the final scene that Joel Bernstein, as Dr. Winkler, nicely exploits the unmined comic possibilities.

Presented by Marvell Rep at TBG Theatre, 312 W. 36th St., 3rd floor, NYC. Feb. 5–26. Schedule varies. (212) 352-3101, (866) 811-4111, www.theatermania.com, or www.marvellrep.com.