Circumcise Me, written and performed by Yisrael Campbell at the Bleecker Street Theater is about change. Change in religion... change in mindset... change in life. Beginning after the performance on Thursday, 11/19, comedian Judy Gold sits down with Yisrael Campbell as they talk about a story that changed Judy's life...her "AH HA!" moment.
Emmy Award winning actress and comedian,
Judy Gold is best known as the star of the critically acclaimed long-running Off Broadway hit show 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother, for which she was nominated for a 2006 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance. She appears regularly on Tru TV's "The Smoking Gun" and has performed on and co-hosted ABC's "The View".
The new Talkback series called FINAL CUT will give the audience a chance to ask questions and continue the conversation.
Circumcise Me tells the true story of
Yisrael Campbell, your average Irish, Italian, Catholic kid from Philly, who became a sober alcoholic, recovering drug addict, husband, father, reform, conservative, unorthodox, orthodox, Jewish comic actor. In his New York theatrical debut, Yisrael (born Christopher) takes the audience on an extraordinary spiritual, creative, and hysterically funny journey including, ouch, three circumcisions along the way.
Yisrael Campbell will interview his guests for a great chat...uncensored and uncut...
Other guests scheduled to appear in the coming weeks include:
December 2 (after the 3pm matinee): Father Dave Dwyer, host of Busted Halo on Sirius/XM Radio
December 6 (after the 7pm matinee): Rabbi
Charles Klein, President of the New York Board of Rabbis and author of "How to Forgive but not Forget: Healing Our Personal Relationships" which landed him on Oprah.
"FINAL CUT is going to be really exciting and it's a fun add-on to the show because thematically, Circumcise Me is about self discovery and finding our happiness, whatever that may be," said
Yisrael Campbell. "The talkbacks will open the whole thing up so it's not just about my stories but about everyone's stories. The only danger, of course, is that people will leave and say, 'my favorite part was when he talked to other people at the end!"
Circumcise Me is the rare collision of comedy and theatre that will have women howling with laughter and men squirming in their seats. The film "Circumcise Me," a documentary on Yisrael's life, is currently playing in film festivals around the country.
Circumcise Me is directed by
Sam Gold (Circle Mirror Transformation). The creative team includes scenic and video design by Aaron Rhyne, Lighting design by Perchik Kreiman-Miller, and Sound Design by Drew Fornarola.
"It is thrilling to bring Circumcise Me to New York," said
Yisrael Campbell. "The show will be running a quick subway ride away from where I studied 20 years ago at The Circle in the Square Drama School so I feel like I have come full circle. In the process, though, I changed my name, my religion, my nationality, my martial status and my size."
Tickets for Circumcise Me range from $25.00 - $65.00 with premium seating available. Circumcise Me plays Wednesday at 3pm, Thursday at 8pm, Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 4pm and 7pm. Tickets can be purchased by visiting Telecharge at www.telecharge.com or calling (212) 239-6200. For more information, please visit: www.yisraelcampbell.com
Photo credit: Linda Lenzi
