Posts Tagged ‘joshua harmon’

NJT Explores a Family’s Struggle in Poignant, Powerful “Prayer”

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , on April 23, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Prayer for the French Republic
by Joshua Harmon
Directed by Rebekah Scallet
New Jewish Theatre
April 18, 2026

Dave Cooperstein, Bryce A. Miller, Jenni Ryan, Hailey Medrano
Photo by Jon Gitchoff
New Jewish Theatre

Prayer for the French Republic is a long show–running just over three hours with two intermissions. The notable thing about New Jewish Theatre’s current production, though, is that it doesn’t seem that long. The engaging story, well-drawn characters and superb performances make for a riveting production that never drags for one second. Under the direction of Rebecca Scallet and featuring an excellent cast of local performers, it’s a fascinating examination of cultural, political and generational issues that are as relevant as ever today. 

The play follows several generations and branches of one French Jewish family, over two time periods–1944-46 and 2016-2017. The story starts in the more modern time period, narrated by Patrick Salomon (John Wilson), one of two adult children of Pierre (Bob Harvey), who still runs the piano store that has been in family for generations. The other is Marcelle (Jenni Ryan), who is married to Charles Benhamou (Dave Cooperstein), and has two children–the devout Daniel (Bryce A. Miller), and the outspoken, confrontational Elodie (Hailey Medrano). As the family is hosting a distant American cousin, Molly (Lilah Kreis), Daniel comes home from work with a black eye and other injuries, causing the family to examine their own beliefs and attitudes about what it means for a a Jewish family to live in France with anti-Semitism and far-right political movements on the rise. 

Meanwhile, the parallel story follows Patrick and Marcelle’s ancestors, Irma (Kathleen Sitzer) and Adolphe (Bill Stine) as they live through World War II in Paris, worrying about their children who have met different fates as a result of Nazi occupation. The main focus is on their relationship with son Lucien (Adam Flores), who has returned after the war with his son, the teenaged Pierre (Ben Hammock) without Lucien’s wife and daughters. Lucien is evasive about what has happened, but he’s also determined to carry on the family business and encourages Pierre to do the same, while Irma presses him to open up about what has happened to his family.

The script and story are especially well structured, with the two family stories blending together with a believable sense of drama balanced by needed moments of humor, and with credible situations and memorable characters. It’s a story that resonates today as well as being a reminder of the history of the struggles and mistreatment of Jewish people throughout the centuries, and the very real sense of fear and yearning for safety that results from the repetition of that pattern. There are difficult issues raised here, made highly personal in the story, and I’m sure the arguments raised will provoke many thoughts and conversations  among the audience. There are no neat answers, but the situations are raw and real, with thoughtful pacing and direction, and a fantastic cast bringing out all the authenticity and emotion that script and subject matter require. 

The family dynamics are especially well portrayed here, with the excellent Ryan at the center as the caring and conflicted Marcelle, whose love and concern for her family is front and center here. She’s well-matched by a sensitive turn from Cooperstein as the increasingly determined Charles, and also by Wilson as the personable but somewhat cynical Patrick. Miller is also especially likable as the earnest Daniel, who makes a believable connection with Kreis’s kind and idealistic Molly. Medrano is also a standout as the outspoken Elodie, who gets several scene-stealing and thought-provoking moments throughout. Harvey serves as a wise, somewhat grounding presence as the elder Pierre, as well, contrasting well with his younger counterpart, Hammock in a sensitive turn as teen Pierre. Flores is a picture of determination as Lucien, and Stine and Sitzer make a credible, caring couple as Irma and Adolphe. It’s a well-balanced cast, full of energy and palpable emotion in keeping with the poignant tone of the story.

As is usual for NJT, the production values are superb, with David Blake’s set working well at showcasing the same Paris apartment in both time periods, and the use of the piano as a focal point is especially effective. There’s also excellent work from costume designer Michele Friedman Siler in outfitting the cast according to two distinct time periods. Mary Robinson’s sound design and original music add much to the atmosphere, and there are also some memorable singing moments from the cast at various moments. The lighting by Heather Reynolds sets an appropriate evocative tone throughout the story, as well. 

This is a powerful story, with a profound emotional impact. It made me think about other stories I’ve seen or read with similar themes, such as The Diary of Anne Frank, that is referenced in the show and has been performed at NJT in the past. It also calls to mind current debates about anti-Semitism in modern times, the state of Israel and the actions of its government, and the rise of various political movements around the world. There’s much to think about here, and the playwright has not given easy answers, but has portrayed a thoroughly believable family dynamic and memorable, relatable characters. It’s a remarkable production, and probably the quickest three-and-a-half hour play I’ve seen.

Bill Stine, Kathleen Sitzer
Photo by Jon Gitchoff
New Jewish Theatre

New Jewish Theatre is presenting Prayer for the French Republic at the J’s Wool Studio Theatre until May 3, 2026

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Well-Cast “Admissions” Asks Challenging Questions at the Rep Studio

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , on November 3, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Admissions
by Joshua Harmon
Directed by Steven Woolf
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, Studio
October 28, 2018

Thom Niemann, R. Ward Duffy, Henny Russell Photo by Jerry Naunheim, Jr. Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

The Rep’s first Studio production of the season is Joshua Harmon’s Admissions, which combines comedy and drama in a highly thought-provoking combination that looks at the highly charged topics of race and privilege particularly in the field of academics. It looks at an issue many families deal with–education for their children–and explores it through the eyes of a prep school administrator in Connecticut and her family. It’s also a critical look at whiteness and white privilege that’s sure to make its audience think.

In the interview with playwright Joshua Harmon in the program, he said he wanted to write a play where the characters’ whiteness is on clear display, in terms of how they live, think, and make decisions regarding race. It’s particularly focusing on white liberals, and a family of academics that has a degree of privilege that’s so ingrained they don’t even seem to notice it–not really, anyway, even if they say they do, and when anyone else tries to point it out, that’s when things get especially uncomfortable. The central figure is Sherri Rosen-Mason (Henny Russell), the admissions officer for a prestigious Connecticut prep school. She’s spent most of her career in the effort to increase the mostly-white school’s percentage of non-white students. Her husband, Bill (R. Ward Duffy) is the head of the school, and together they take pride in their diversity efforts. Their son, Charlie (Thom Niemann), is a high-achieving student at the school and has high hopes of attending Yale. Essentially, the plot shows how this family is presented with a series of dilemmas that challenge their perceptions of themselves and others, calling into question exactly how “progressive” they really are, and how much they will rely on their own privilege when they know it will help their own son in the quest to go to the “right” kind of college. The issue of appearance and numbers vs. people comes up a lot, particularly in situations involving Sherri’s friend Ginnie (Kate Udall), who is married to a teacher at the school who is black, and whose son–Charlie’s best friend–is also applying to Yale. There’s also a mostly comic subplot in which Sherri’s colleague Roberta (Barbara Kingsley) is trying to produce a new academic catalogue for the school, but Sherri wants to make sure it encourages diversity.

This is a show that raises several important issues and takes a hard look at privilege and self-awareness, or lack thereof. It raises a lot of questions but doesn’t exactly answer them, at least not completely. Mostly, this is a look at issues that seriously need to be talked about, portrayed by characters who don’t always know how to respond to those questions. These characters are relatable to a point, and I think a large point of the story is to have us–and particularly, white audience members–asking questions of ourselves–how much do we see our own privilege? Do we see racism or biases within ourselves? If we had the chance to give up some of our privilege to truly help someone else, would we? Or would we encourage our loved ones to do so? Do we see how we can come across to those around us? How important is “elite” education? Those are only some of the questions raised by this play, and they’re embodied by characters that are often relatable and sometimes, but not always, likable.

The scenic design is perfectly realized, recreating the world of an upper middle class New England family and Sherri’s office at the prestigious prep school that forms the center of this family’s world. Bill Clarke’s set is detailed and specific, and Lou Bird’s costumes suit the characters well. There’s also excellent evocative lighting by Nathan W. Schuer and sound by Rusty Wandall. All these aspects work together to create the world these characters inhabit, which is at once a realistic representation and a stereotype.

The small cast does an excellent job here, bringing their characters to life credibly, navigating the play’s sometimes witty, sometimes sharply comic, sometimes dramatic tone well. Russell has perhaps the most difficult job as Sherri, the well-meaning but sometimes clueless center of the production. She and the equally strong Duffy–amiable but also clueless in his own way–anchor the production. Niemann is also strong, giving a sometimes obtuse, sometimes sensitive, ultimately engaging performance as the sometimes entitled, sometimes confused Charlie, and Udall also makes a strong impression as the initially upbeat but increasingly conflicted Ginnie. Kingsley, as the perpetually exasperated Roberta, gives the most obviously comic performance and provides a great deal of energy and personality to her scenes.

Admissions is a play that should have audiences talking. There are some uncomfortable concepts, and truths, here, and a challenge in the sometimes deceptively lighter tone. There are also awkward moments, such as when the audience enthusiastically applauds one speech, only to have the character immediately chastised for the same speech. I’m not sure this play does everything the playwright says he wants it to do, but what it does best is raise questions. It’s a strong start to the Studio season at the Rep.

Henny Russell, Barbara Kingsley
Photo by Jerry Naunheim, Jr.
Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is presenting Admissions in the Studio until November 11, 2018.

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NJT’s “Bad Jews” Is a Provocative Portrait of a Family

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , on December 12, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Bad Jews
by Joshua Harmon
Directed by Sydnie Grosberg Ronga
New Jewish Theatre
December 6, 2015

Antonio Rodriquez, Taylor Steward, Em Piro Photo by Eric Woolsey New Jewish Theatre

Antonio Rodriquez, Taylor Steward, Em Piro
Photo by Eric Woolsey
New Jewish Theatre

Bad Jews is a provocative title in and of itself. Joshua Harmon’s darkly comic play, currently playing at the New Jewish Theatre, is certainly thought-provoking. Exploring the issues of Jewish identity, family relationships, and personal grief, this play takes a broadly confrontational approach that’s sure to be the impetus for much thought and conversation among viewers.

The story follows three cousins after the death of their beloved grandfather, Poppy, who was a respected community leader and Holocaust survivor. The contrast between the cousins couldn’t be greater. All three are Jewish, but their views about Judaism and how it relates to them personally couldn’t be more different. Daphna Feygenbaum (Em Piro) is the ostentatiously devout cousin, for whom Judaism means following and studying the religious teachings and constantly holding her cousins accountable for not being as observant as she is. She gets along reasonably well with her mild-mannered younger cousin Jonah (Pete Winfrey), who keeps a lot of his own personal views to himself and mostly tries to keep from being caught in the middle between cousin Daphna and his older brother Liam (Antonio Rodriguez), a grad student and self-described “Bad Jew” who identifies as an atheist and is constantly at odds with Daphna, who he insists on referring to not by her chosen name but by her given name, Diana. Also brought into the midst of all the acrimony is Melody (Taylor Steward), Liam’s somewhat flighty, non-Jewish girlfriend who becomes a further point of contention between Liam and Daphna. The real struggle, though, is over what to do about a cherished family heirloom–Poppy’s “chai” necklace. “Chai” means “life” in Hebrew, and the necklace was a valued personal treasure of Poppy’s that he kept with him throughout his time in a concentration camp during World War II. For the cousins, and especially for Daphna and Liam, this valued item holds different meanings–a personal connection to Poppy, but also different aspects of his story that resonate differently with them.

The characters, like the play, are a study in extremes with one exception, which presents the play’s biggest problem. The Jonah character simply isn’t defined enough to hold up between the two extremes of his brother and cousin. Melody is also an extreme in a way, but not as sharply defined as the increasingly caustic Liam and Daphna. The actors do an excellent job of making the characters believable, though, especially the likeable Winfrey as the more moderate Jonah. Steward plays the somewhat vacuous Melody with about as much depth as the character could display. Piro, as Daphna, is full of zeal and talks a mile a minute, making her character’s implacable determination somewhat bearable for a time. The same goes for Rodriguez, who gives an energetic performance as Liam, who is preoccupied in a way both by his hatred of his cousin and his love of Melody.

Daphna and Liam both make points worth thinking about, although this play seems to be designed to raise issues for thinking about rather than offering concrete resolutions. A lot of important issues are raised considering personal identity, the cultural and religious aspects of Judaism, and also generally how adult cousins can relate to one another. In fact, one of the play’s highlights is when the cousins are able to put their differences aside for just a few minutes as they share a personal story of a shared memory of Poppy. One of the best successes of this play is that Poppy, who necessarily doesn’t appear on stage, is such a well-realized character. 

The set, designed by Dunsi Dai, is an authentically realized representation of a high-end New York apartment, appropriately cluttered because it’s been serving basically as a temporary residence for the cousins. Michele Friedman Siler’s costumes represent the characters well, from the upwardly mobile Liam and Melody, to the more casual attire of Daphna and Jonah.  There’s also fine work from lighting designer Kimberly Klearman, props designer Kyra Bishop, and sound designer Zoe Sullivan, providing a suitable atmosphere for the situations of the play.

Bad Jews is a play that raises a lot of important, relevant issues for today’s world. Sometimes, I think the tone can get in the way of the issues, and I do wish the Jonah character had been better developed especially. Still for the most part this is an intense, well thought-out play that explores a modern family dealing with some important and sometimes polarizing issues.

Pete Winfrey, Em Piro Photo by Eric Woolsey New Jewish Theatre

Pete Winfrey, Em Piro
Photo by Eric Woolsey
New Jewish Theatre

New Jewish Theatre is presenting Bad Jews at the Marvin & Harlene Wool Studio Theatre at the JCC’s Staenberg Family Complex until December 23, 2015.

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