The Sorceress

B

The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) has returned to the Museum of Jewish Heritage with another restored Yiddish operetta, this one written by Avrom Goldfaden in 1877 and historic for being the first Yiddish theater piece produced in New York back in 1883 (by Boris Thomashevsky no less.) It is the first fruit of the Global Restoration Initiative, a painstaking effort to restore and present significant works of the Yiddish theater. Wisely edited from three hours down to 85 minutes, It offers a peek at what passed for popular entertainment in an earlier era. One of its features is the incorporation of tropes from fairy tales into the operetta’s book. As fans of NYTF have come to expect, the production values are very high, with excellent actors, musicians, costumes (by Izzy Fields), a clever set (by Dara Wishingrad) and lively choreography (by Merete Muenter) that makes the most of a smallish stage. Jazmine Gorsline and Josh Kohane are fine as the affianced couple. Rachel Bolchan is a convincing evil stepmother. The drag role of Bobe Yakhne is enthusiastically performed by Mikhl Yashinsky. Steve Sterner is a hoot as the itinerant merchant Hotsmakh. Motl Didner’s direction keeps the pace brisk. As usual for NYTF, there are surtitles in both English and Russian. While pleasant enough, the work is far from memorable. (For memorable, you’ll have to try the Russian coffee cake at the museum’s restaurant, Lox.) The show almost makes up in charm what it lacks in depth. If you expect something as good as NYTF’s The Golden Bride, you may be disappointed. I am afraid that the Times’s Critic’s Pick designation may set expectations too high. Lower yours a notch and you are likely to enjoy yourself. Running time: 85 minutes; no intermission. Closes December 29.

Bright Colors and Bold Patterns

B

If you don’t like gay-themed plays or one-person shows or are offended by rough language, drinking and drug taking, you can stop reading here. This play is not for you. If you’re still with me, you might enjoy this piece, which was a Times Critic's Pick when it ran very briefly at Barrow St. Theatre last year and is now having an encore run at Soho Playhouse. Drew Droege, who wrote and performs the work, plays Gerry, a bitchy 40-ish gay man in Palm Springs for the weekend to attend the wedding of his friend Josh to Brennan, a dull man he detests. Gerry is sharing a house with his former roommate Dwayne, Dwayne’s young new boyfriend Mack, whom he has not previously met, and Dwayne’s old boyfriend Neil, whom he loathes. We never actually see the three housemates, but Gerry converses with them so convincingly that they are vivid presences. For the first hour of the play, Gerry’s motormouth, fueled by booze and coke, is on a nonstop rant. Among his many grievances is the notation on the wedding invitation not to wear bright colors or bold patterns as if it were part of a larger campaign to stamp out gay culture. During the last 20 minutes, Gerry finally slows down and becomes more contemplative. He expresses the fear that greater acceptance of gays may bring with it greater pressure for conformity. The play occasionally sags and is overloaded with pop cultural references, many of which escaped me. Nevertheless, it is a real tour de force for Drew Droege and for me it was worthwhile just to see him perform. Dara Wishingrad’s poolside set looked cramped on the small stage. The ubiquitous Michael Urie (Torch Song, The Government Inspector) directed. Running time: 80 minutes; no intermission.