The Sabbath Girl
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Cititour.com Review
The perils (and occasional pleasures) of interfaith romance have been a staple of musical theater for decades, from “Fiddler on the Roof” and “Cabaret” through “The Last 5 Years.” While not in the same league as those landmark shows, Neil Berg and Cary Gitter’s “The Sabbath Girl,” now being presented by Penguin Rep Theatre at 59E59, tackles this thorny subject head-on, creating a thoughtful and tuneful musical in the process.
Further, while it may be true that if it’s not on the page, it’s not on the stage, it is who’s on the stage that makes this small-scale production stand out: five little-known actors, each of whom deserves to have a much bigger future.
Admittedly, the 95-minute work, directed simply by Joe Brancato (who also conceived the show), cannot quite escape the aura of predictability after the initial meet-cute between Seth (the physically and vocally impressive Max Wolkowitz), an Orthodox Jew who stays home on Friday nights (writing short stories in a tight wifebeater t-shirt) and his new neighbor, Angie (a sublime Marilyn Caserta, blessed with both incredible vulnerability and a flexible voice that can sing just about anything), a young Italian woman struggling to make a go of her NYC art gallery.
Initially, Seth isn’t aware his former neighbor, Mr. Lee, has moved out, which is an issue since he acted as Seth’s “sabbath goy” (a gentile who agrees to do things like turn on lights or appliances for observant Jews). While his initial request to Angie to fill in (since he forgot to turn on the air conditioner) is met with awkwardness, she gives in, eventually assuming the role on a regular basis, which leads to friendship, then love, then conflict, then...
While Angie basically knows what (and who) she wants, despite a brief flirtation with hotshot artist Blake (the hilarious Rory Max Kaplan, skating very close to the line of over-the-top caricature), Seth is torn between his obvious love for Angie and the pressure to be true to his roots and his former community (which happens to be in Riverdale), which he abandoned after his divorce three years earlier.
It doesn’t help matters that this pressure is being applied with a sledgehammer by his well-meaning if not always sympathetic older sister Rachel (a first-rate Lauren Singerman) with whom he runs his late grandfather’s knish shop on the Lower East Side. A stickler for tradition (beautifully expressed in the ballad, “Something Bigger Than Us”), Rachel is also not above using a little Jewish guilt to convince her brother – whom she clearly adores – to stop seeing Angie.
Conversely, Angie does have someone on her side: her no-nonsense grandmother Sophia (who pops up frequently out of nowhere) who urges Angie to follow her dreams and her heart. Her philosophy of life is best expressed in the superb “Roseland,” which is performed to perfection by the big-voiced Diana DeMarzio. Expect this song to become a cabaret standard very soon.
The musical would be more satisfying if the rest of Gitter and Berg’s score was not mostly forgettable. Still, there are a few semi-memorable numbers, such as Angie’s late-show ballad “Sabbath, The Sun and Love,” Rachel’s serio-comic “Assets,” and Seth’s introspective “The World He’s Never Seen.”
Still, if you’re looking for a little romance, a little food for thought, and an enjoyable excursion on a sultry summer night, have I got a “Girl” for you!
By Brian Scott Lipton
Visit the Site
https://www.59e59.org
Open/Close Dates
Opening 7/28/2024
Closing 9/1/2024
Theatre Info
59E59 Theaters
59 East 59th St
New York, NY 10022
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