Long Wharf Theatre to Produce MY NAME IS ASHER LEV, 5/2-27

Long Wharf Theatre will present My Name is Asher Lev, by Aaron Posner and adapted from Chaim Potok's 1972 novel, as the final slot in the 2011-12 season.

The theatre had originally scheduled the world premiere of Sophie's Choice for tonight, May 2 through May 27. "In an effort to ensure the highest quality work on our stages, and acknowledging that creating theatre is sometimes a fluid process, we've decided that Sophie's Choice wouldn't be ready for production. After an extensive workshopping process over the last 18 months, the decision was not made lightly," said Artistic Director Gordon Edelstein.

Edelstein is extremely pleased to be able replace Sophie's Choice with such a quality project. "I was looking for a play with gravitas, high literary content and seriousness of purpose. Happily, I found an adaptation of a much loved and much read novel by a distinguished writer. My Name is Asher Lev is a beautiful story about the coming of age of an artist whose God given gift is in conflict with his strict religious upbringing," Edelstein said. "The play asks timeless questions about community, God, family and artistic talent."

Asher Lev, a young man with a true artistic calling, is torn between his deeply observant Hasidic Jewish community and the passionate need to paint. When the boy runs afoul of his family and tradition by attempting to embrace his gift, he is forced to make the difficult choice between faith and art. Based on the classic novel by the author of The Chosen, My Name is Asher Lev was described by the Philadelphia City Paper as "A fascinating coming-of-age story seamlessly blended with a debate about the nature of art... This is a marvelous evening of theatre: intimate, sincere, magical."

For more information about Long Wharf Theatre's 2011-12 season, visit www.longwharf.org or call 203-787-4282.