Atlanta Jewish Film Festival – The Performance

Jeremy Piven and Robert Carlyle topline this tension-filled prewar drama of a dance company confronting a dire choice when unwittingly booked to perform for the Führer. In 1937, Harold May (Piven), an American Jew and virtuoso but penniless tap dancer, tours Europe with his troupe. Their travels take a surprising turn when a German attaché (Carlyle) offers an enticing sum for a single performance in Berlin. Upon arrival, the group is indulged in luxury, but their excitement deflates to moral quandary upon discovering Adolf Hitler as their VIP audience. Harold faces a heart-wrenching decision, torn between his art and identity. Shira Piven directs this Arthur Miller adaptation, rippling with urgent themes of personal integrity, creative autonomy, and the allure of fame in history’s shadows.