Make it Shimmy Productions present FAYGELE directed by Hannah Chissick. FAYGELE is based on a real event that happened within the Playwrights community. Much of the storyline echoes his own experience as a “closeted gay Orthodox Jewish Man” who was married with four children and trapped inside a world that he needed to leave and survive what was to follow.
Ari Freed (Ilan Galkoff) knew he was different from the other boys in his school and on the day of his “bar mitzvah” an argument breaks out between Ari and his father, Dr Freed (Ben Caplan) who knows that his son is gay and asks the Rabbi to help him change back to “normal”!
Rabbi Lev played by Andrew Paul is the constant level headed character throughout the production and although he agrees to help Dr Freed, you can sense that he already knows that being “gay” isn’t something you can reverse or cure and is trying to help, understand and be a friend to Ari as he was to another member of their community Sammy Stein (Yiftach Mizrahi) a close “friend” of Ari’s.
The relationship between Dr Freed and his long suffering wife Mrs Freed (Clara Francis) is fractured and flawed although she performs her role as the obedient “good Jewish wife” having twelve children and being married to an untrustworthy dominant bully isn’t what she envisaged for herself. She loves her son no matter what and is forced through the expected obedience that their religion expects to follow her husband’s inhumane treatment of Ari.
The storyline is powerful in places and hard hitting with the themes it tackles. However, attitudes have changed over the years for many people, and laws have changed to decriminalise homesexuality. Unfortunately, there are still situations like these taking place across the world, and it will not only be taking place within the Orthodox Jewish community.
David Sheilds set and costume designer created the natural wooden paneled multi functional stage drop sections which became the Freed’s basic designed kitchen, the synagogue and Stein’s home without any major scenery changes which allows the storyline to flow without distracting the audiences attention.
For more information about FAYGELE and future productions at the Marylebone Theatre please use the link below.
Four Stars.
Photo credit Jane Hobson.
Theatre, Art and Film Reviews 
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