Cameron Woodhead, The Age ★★★★1/2
“… prepare to be astonished by this stage adaptation from Kadimah Yiddish Theatre.”
“Gary Abrahams, Galit Klas and Elise Hearst have crafted a play that achieves a perfect balance of tradition and inspiration.”
“The play is written partly in Yiddish (with English subtitles) and … the mere of act of performing in it enriches the script, steeped as it is in Jewish cultural motifs.”
“Abrahams directs a work that’s as deeply rooted in Jewish culture, and as assured a piece of theatrecraft, as anything I’ve seen since Barrie Kosky’s The Wilderness Room in the mid-1990s. Perhaps its greatest accomplishment is finding a way to do justice to the story’s spiritual dimension, not just its humour and pathos and romance.”
Tim Byrne, Timeout Melbourne ★★★★★
“… one of the most lucid, dramatically compelling and theologically reflective productions Melbourne has seen in years.”
“Yentl’s transformative journey into their own soul is an arduous one, not without pain for themselves and others, but it is necessary and unmistakably current.”
“Krape is magnificent”
“Abrahams directs with superb suppleness and vigour, delicately underlining the work’s fable-like architecture without sacrificing its powerful emotional core.”
“The characters are so beautifully delineated, and their psychological arcs so expertly drawn, that the audience is instantly sucked into the story’s central dilemma and then held enrapt.”
“Dann Barber’s stunningly simple yet highly atmospheric design is a knockout, evoking the Eastern European shtetl with apparent ease. Rachel Burke’s lovely lighting design complements the effect, creating a world that exists beyond naturalism without tilting into heavy-handed symbolism. And Russell Goldsmith’s composition is brilliantly effective, moody and rich.”
“Singer may not have been consciously reaching for an overarching theory of trans rights at the time of writing, but it is impossible to miss the play’s extraordinary plea not just for tolerance but understanding and compassion.”
“Yentl is by far one of the theatrical experiences of the year, a holy and aspirational work that shows us that, far from being the enemy of progress, religion can have a transformative place in our society. The only sin here would be if a single seat remained empty during this short, stunning run.”
Patricia Maunder, Limelight Magazine ★★★★
“Yentl is a rich, moving play that Singer, who panned the movie, would likely have a lot more time for.”
“.. this world-premiere Yentl is a welcome window onto a culture rarely seen on Australian stages beyond Fiddler on the Roof.”
“A sincere journey of heart and mind, this Yentl sings in a very different way to Streisand’s take. To use a Yiddish word we all known, it’s thankfully free of schmaltz.”
“… a lively representation of the spiritual and moral dilemma at the heart of the tale.”
“Yentl, the play, remains a study of light and shade. The damage wrought is plain to see. It speaks to the good and bad within each of us, with clarity and purpose.’’
“Yentl is compelling, challenging and engaging theatre.”
“Yentl captured my attention from the get go and held me tight.”
Chris Boyd, The Australian ★★★1/2
“Sixty years after it was translated into English, Singer’s Yentl the Yeshiva Boy seems extraordinarily modern. Prescient, at the very least, in its understanding of gender roles.”
“This is, nevertheless, a stylish, carefully realised and deeply satisfying production. Acting and stagecraft are refined. Scenes are combined and interleaved, playing out briskly like ensembles in an opera.”
Stage Whispers, Michael Brindley
“A marvellous, funny, moving, and very theatrical version of Isaac Bashevis Singer’s story.”
“Here adaptors Abrahams, Hearst and Klas have made a story for our time.”
“While giving full weight to Yiddish culture and Yentl’s devotion to Jewish learning and law, this production has a second if entwined and secular emphasis. And that is on finding one’s identity, sexual or otherwise, and having the courage to find and pursue that. With such a complex, layered story, there can be no simple resolutions, but this production gives us that complexity and those layers with delightful theatricality.”
Nick Pilgrim, Theatre People ★★★★★
“With a running time of two hours (excluding a twenty-minute interval), it must be said there is never a dull moment.”
“As audience members, we are allowed exclusive entry into a world sealed firmly behind closed doors. This bilingual approach lifts the coded lid, as it were, giving the story both piercing power and a sense of historical place.”
“… a satisfying and atmospheric journey.”
“Worthy of repeat viewings, this is a timely piece with wide-ranging and though-provoking appeal.”
“… a story that transcends a particular time and place”
“Yentl is a modern masterpiece that will upend any preconceived notions about what it means to be modern.”
Deborah Stone of Plus 61J Media talks to the director of a Melbourne production of Singer’s iconic story about the challenges of portraying Yentl’s inner turmoil. Read the full article here.
The dark, trans tale that Barbra Streisand kept from us … until now. Read the full article by John Bailey in the Age.
The ABC’s The Stage Show with Michael Cathcart interviews Gary Abrahams and Jana Zvedeniuk to talk about a reimagined Yentl and a play about race and privilege in education hit home for director. See the full program here.
Click here to view a selection of images from Yentl
