BWW Review: New Yiddish Rep's Masterful Revival of Sholem Asch's Look At Eastern European Jewish Culture in GOD OF VENGEANCE
Making his theatrical debut as the scribe in the New Yiddish Rep's GOD OF VENGEANCE, real-life lawyer and ex-Hasid Eli Rosen told American Theater's Simi Horowitz that he believes in 'transparency': 'The only way to effect change is to shine a light on what goes on behind closed doors.' Or in the case of Sholem Asch's controversial 1907 play, in the basement of a brothel owned by Yankl Shapshovitch, deftly played by Shane Baker, a Yiddish stage veteran with a Vaudeville background.GOD OF VENGEANCE is a large, sprawling text, full of complex characters whose motives invite debate. In this, Asch's play embodies the best traditions of Judaism, along with the brokenness he sees in Judaism's most extreme forms. Still, Asch did not want the play produced in the wake of the Holocaust, fearing it might fuel anti-semitism. The issue is not lost on modern interpreters of Asch's text, but the New Yiddish Rep approaches the play with all the rigor and sensitivity one would wish from a Rabbinic scholar poring over a verse of the Talmud.
First Yiddish Revival of GOD OF VENGEANCE, Basis of Broadway-Bound INDECENT, Headed to La MaMa
New York audiences will be treated to the first revival in Yiddish in many decades of Sholem Asch's shocking and ahead-of-its-time drama "God of Vengeance," the basis of the Broadway-bound play "Indecent." Directed by and featuring the Tony nominee Eleanor Reissa, "God of Vengeance" begins previews at La MaMa, 74A East 4th Street, starting December 22. It opens on Christmas Day.
Tony-Nominated Eleanor Reissa Will Direct New Yiddish Rep's GOD OF VENGEANCE Off-Broadway
The Tony-nominated director Eleanor Reissa is set to helm New Yiddish Rep's contemporary staging of Sholem Asch's notorious drama 'God of Vengeance' at La MaMa this winter. The Yiddish language production's Off-Broadway opening is on Christmas Day, Sunday December 25 at 7:30pm with previews beginning Thursday December 22. It will run for five weeks and 33 performances through Sunday January 22.
Photo Flash: In Rehearsal with Queens Theatre and Titan Theatre Company's A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Rehearsals began this week for Queens Theatre & Titan Theatre Company's Co-production of its new stage adaptation of the Charles Dickens' holiday classic. The classic story of Ebenezer Scrooge and the three transformational visits he endures from spirits of his past, present, and future will run December 11-21, 2014 at Queens Theatre, the borough's premiere performing arts venue.
Queens Theatre & Titan Theatre Company to Stage New Adaptation of A CHRISTMAS CAROL this Holiday Season
Queens Theatre (QT) and its resident theatre company, Titan Theatre Company, join forces to present a soaring, WORLD PREMIERE adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic A CHRISTMAS CAROL adapted by Titan Literary Director Emily Trask and Titan Artistic Director Lenny Banovez. A CHRISTMAS CAROL will play a two week limited engagement at Queens Theatre (14 United Nations Avenue South, Flushing Meadows Corona Park). Performances begin Thursday, December 11 and continue through Sunday, December 21. Tickets ($30 each or 4 for $100) are available at www.queenstheatre.org.
Cincinnati Playhouse Presents THE SHORT TREE AND THE BIRD THAT COULD NOT SING, Now thru 5/24
The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park's Off the Hill series for families concludes with THE SHORT TREE AND THE BIRD THAT COULD NOT SING, which will tour to community venues throughout the Tristate from today, April 8 through May 24. Recommended for ages 5 and up, the show is a wacky fable of an unlikely friendship between a tree that resents its roots and a spunky, unflappable bird with a horrible singing voice.
Cincinnati Playhouse to Present THE SHORT TREE AND THE BIRD THAT COULD NOT SING, 4/8-5/24
The Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park's Off the Hill series for families concludes with THE SHORT TREE AND THE BIRD THAT COULD NOT SING, which will tour to community venues throughout the Tristate from April 8 through May 24. Recommended for ages 5 and up, the show is a wacky fable of an unlikely friendship between a tree that resents its roots and a spunky, unflappable bird with a horrible singing voice.
Cincinnati Playhouse to Present PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, 3/8-4/5
Romance is in the air at the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park as Jane Austen's masterpiece PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, adapted for the stage by Joseph Hanreddy and J.R. Sullivan, comes to life on the Robert S. Marx Theatre stage March 8 to April 5.
Cincinnati Playhouse to Present A CHRISTMAS CAROL, 11/27-12/29
The spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future converge on the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park as U.S. Bank presents Charles Dickens' iconic holiday story, A CHRISTMAS CAROL. The beloved tale of a miserly humbug's redemption, enjoyed each season by multiple generations of Cincinnatians, will be performed for its 23rd year in the Playhouse's Robert S. Marx Theatre from Nov. 27 through Dec. 29.
STORY TIME WITH MR. BUTTERMEN Begins 8/10 as Part of FringeNYC
Mind The Art Entertainment is set to present the raunchy spoken word musical Story Time with Mr. Buttermen: Fables for Adults Living in a Modern World at the 2012 New York International Fringe Festival this August, running from August 10th through 25th at HERE Arts Center.
