Broadway Vet Sarna Lapine to Direct Sharyn Rothstein's HESTER STREET

Producers Michael Rabinowitz and Ira Deutchman announced today that Sarna Lapine will be directing the stage version of HESTER STREET based on Joan Micklin Silver's acclaimed 1975 independent film, adapted by Sharyn Rothstein.

In 2017, Ms. Lapine directed the Broadway revival of Sunday in the Park with George to critical acclaim, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford. Her National Tours include theatrical staples such as The National Theatre's War Horse and Lincoln Center's South Pacific. She has worked on numerous Bartlett Sher productions such as Light in the Piazza, Awake and Sing! and South Pacific.

"I'm incredibly excited to stage Sharyn's theatrical adaptation of Hester Street" she said in a statement. "Funny, astute, painful and deeply moving, it's a beautifully detailed portrait of a young woman's struggle with cultural assimilation."

Hester Street was released to rave reviews in 1975 and won Carol Kane an Oscar-nomination. The film also stars the late Doris Roberts. In 2016, upon the 40th anniversary year of the film, Hester Street was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress, and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Playwright Sharyn Rothstein's plays most recently include: By the Water, produced by Manhattan Theater Club in association with Ars Nova and All the Days produced by McCarter Theater Center. Sharyn is also a writer on the USA hit series Suits.

"It gives me the greatest joy" Rabinowitz explained "to work with such incredibly creative and cerebral artists that will breathe new life into Joan Micklin Silver's classic work - a story that is more relevant today than ever". Producers will present an invited industry reading in early March.

Michael Rabinowitz is an independent Theatrical Producer and has worked at institutions as McCarter Theater Center, The Public Theater, Broadway Across America and RWS Entertainment Group. Ira Deutchman is a prolific Film Producer, marketer and distributor, as well as a Professor in the School of the Arts at Columbia University. This is his first theatrical project.

Photo Credit: Linda Lenzi