Can You Forgive a Monster?

Revenge and forgiveness are major themes of Michael Christopher’s play, The Black Angel. In it, Herman Engel is Nazi general responsible for killing over 200 French Jews. Convicted of his crimes by the Nuremberg court, he is spared death, but serves 14 years in prison. When he is released, he seeks a quiet life in France in an out-of-the-way cabin in the country.

A French journalist named Morrieaux tracks him down, harboring 30 years of hatred for the man who had ordered the murder of his family. When he locates Engel, he stirs up the local village against him to burn his house and…