Review: THE LUCKY STAR at 59E59 Theaters is a Compelling Drama in the Theater's VOLT Festival

"The minute I found these letters I vowed to shine a light on them."

By Richard in The Lucky Star

59E59 Theaters is now presenting VOLT, the inaugural festival of three New York City premieres written by one author, Karen Hartman. The trio of shows is performed simultaneously at the Upper East Side venue. This initiative is one that should be embraced by theatergoers.

We attended a poignant production of Karen Hartman's The Lucky Star produced by The Directors Company. The play features outstanding direction by Noah Himmelstein, and an excellent cast. The Lucky Star has had two critically acclaimed, sold-out runs under the title The Book of Joseph at the Everyman Theatre in Baltimore and at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, which first commissioned the play.

The Lucky Star is a true story based on Richard Hollander's book, Every Day Lasts a Year: A Jewish Family's Correspondence from Poland. The show portrays many of the two hundred letters written by members of the Hollander family that were discovered in an old suitcase. Each of the writings reveal the affection of a close-knit Jewish family. They had once lived well in Poland before the devastation of war and the holocaust threw their lives into disarray. Through their correspondences and the narrative provided by Richard Hollander, we learn about the family's hopes, fears, and day-to-day trials. Many of the letters are written between the matriarch Berta and her only son Joseph. Through an arduous journey, Joseph was able to immigrate to the United States. As he continually receives communications from his mother, sisters, brother-in-law, and nieces, he asks a very haunting question, "What are the letters you do not write?"

(Photo by Carol Rosegg)

The multi-talented cast superbly brings the heartfelt story of The Lucky Star to life with its unforgettable scenes that blend the past and the present. The company includes Skye Alyssa Friedman as Genka; Danny Gavigan as Joseph; Nina Hellman as Mania; Eva Kaminsky as Klara/Felicia; Alexa Shae Niziak as Luisa; Mike Shapiro as Salo/Blaustei; Alexandra Silber as Dola/Vita; Steven Skybell as Richard; Sky Smith as Craig; and Dale Soules as Berta/Arnold. The understudies are Eliza Foss, Rachel Alana Handler, and Noah Zachary.

The Lucky Star features a creative team that has done a wonderful job of enhancing the show. They include scenic design by Daniel Ettinger; costume design by David Burdick; lighting design by Cory Pattak; sound design by Elisheba Ittoop; and projection design by Caite Hevner. Casting is by Stephanie Klapper Casting.

The Lucky Star proves communication can be a great source comfort even in dire situations and it also pays tribute to the importance of tracing and learning about one's family history. See it while you can.

The Lucky Star will be on stage through June 12. The performance schedule is as follows: Tuesday - Saturday at 7:00pm, Saturday - Sunday at 2:00pm. Tickets to The Lucky Star begin at $25 and are on sale now at https://www.59e59.org/shows/show-detail/the-lucky-star/. Discounts for groups of 10+ are available at http://theatre4groups.com/ or by calling 212-265-8500. Also being performed are New Golden Age (April 28-June 9), presented by Primary Stages and Goldie, Max & Milk (May 1-June 4), presented by Mary J. Davis & MBL Productions.

Photo Credit: Lead Photo by Cory Pattak

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