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Edited and Published by Robert W. McDowell

February 9, 2023 Issue
PART 3 (February 4, 2022)

A FREE Weekly E-mail Newsletter Covering Theater, Dance, Music, and Film in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill/Carrboro Area of North Carolina Since April 2001.

PART 3A: TRIANGLE THEATER REVIEW BY ROBERT O'CONNELL

My Name Is Asher Lev Will Resonate with Everyone
Who Has a Family, a Passion, or an Ambition

The Aggregate Theatre Company's presentation of My Name Is Asher Lev by Aaron Posner is a solid production, running for three weekends: first, through Sunday, Feb. 12th, at the Ridge Road Baptist Church in Raleigh and, subsequently, Feb 16, 18, and 19 at Jewish for Good at the Levin Jewish Community Center in Durham. It is produced as part of Mosaic: A Festival of Art and Theology, a creative arts festival that runs Feb. 3-19 in the Triangle.

Based on the 1972 novel by acclaimed Jewish writer Chaim Potok, Posner's play focuses on a young Orthodox Jewish artist and his family, living in post-World War II Brooklyn, NY. The setting is not terribly important, because the story of artistic passion and family and personal obligation is timeless.

The cast includes Liam Yates (Asher Lev), Rebecca Bossen (Rivkeh Lev and Other Women), and Ryan D. Madanick (Aryeh Lev and Other Men). All are wonderful in this production. Liam Yates is on stage for the entire 90-minute (no intermission) production and does a masterful job as the dialog is about 70 percent in the form of monologue as Asher Lev tells his story from age 6 to adulthood, interspersed with vignettes, including scenes with his parents, Rabbi, and Mentors, all deftly performed by Bossen and Madanick.


Liam Yates (left), Rebecca Bossen, and Ryan Madanick star in My Name Is Asher Lev (photo by Matthew Hager)

Director Marshall Botvinick keeps the story moving as the cast moves about the single set that represents a Brooklyn apartment, an art studio, the Rabbi's office, the beach in Cape Cod, MA, and even Paris and Florence. A few simple wardrobe changes (kudos to costume designer Jane Caradale) add to the transformations.

What I liked best about the story was how anyone could relate to its themes. The genius and angst of being an artist/painter/prodigy could have easily been Mozart or Michael Jackson. The schism between youth and parents could have easily been about interracial marriage, or coming out as LGBTQ+. Of particular impact was that beyond the child/parent dynamic, the male/female dynamic between the parents and their son was nuanced and individually balanced.

This show has importance beyond the scope of the story. It includes everything that is great about live theater as well. Please bring someone of a different generation to experience this. It will absolutely spur further conversation. Anyone with a burning passion about anything in the arts should see it as well.


My Name Is Asher Lev stars Rebecca Bossen, Liam Yates (center), and Ryan Madanick (photo by Matthew Hager)

There are about 95 seats in this venue, and none are more than 15 feet from the performance space. Each performance is preceded by a 30-40 minute musical performance, so get there early. This performance had a duo performing Klezmer music. There was also a resident artist at the venue. The ticket prices for this show are also quite reasonable.

The only negative part of the experience was the number of empty seats. I implore you to support local theater. A Jewish play in a Baptist church about a post-WWII painter and his parents may not seem like enough to get anyone to leave Netflix, but I assure you ... this is exactly what we need to support.


Liam Yates (left), Rebecca Bossen, and Ryan Madanick star in My Name Is Asher Lev (photo by Matthew Hager)

Aaron Posner's MY NAME IS ASHER LEV (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 4, 5, and 10-12 in Raleigh, and 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 16, 18, and 19 in Durham), based on the 1972 novel by Chaim Potok, directed by Marshall Botvinick, presented as part of Mosaic: A Festival of Art and Theology (Feb. 3-19), and starring Liam Yates as Asher Lev, Ryan D. Madanick as Aryeh Lev and Other Men, and Rebecca Bossen as Rivkeh Lev and Other Women (Aggregate Theatre Company on Feb. 4, 5, and 10-12 at Ridge Road Baptist Church in Raleigh and on Feb. 16, 18, and 19 at Jewish for Good at the Levin Jewish Community Center in Durham). THE PRESENTER: https://www.aggregatetheatre.com/home, https://www.facebook.com/aggregatetheatre/, https://www.instagram.com/aggregatetheatre/, https://twitter.com/aggtheatre, and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCSPjSJ9k_mz8ghUhuAN7iGA. THE VENUE (Ridge Road Baptist Church): https://rrbch.com/, https://www.facebook.com/111602142213439, https://www.instagram.com/ridgeroadral, and https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7M9JmoRuPO5uT0Be-N8XVA. DIRECTIONS/MAP: https://www.google.com/maps. COVID REQUIREMENTS: https://rrbch.com/covid-19-resources. THE VENUE (Jewish for Good): https://www.jewishforgood.org/, https://www.facebook.com/JewishforGood, and https://www.instagram.com/jewishforgood/. DIRECTIONS/MAP: https://www.google.com/maps/. MY NAME IS ASHER LEV (2009 Arden Theatre Company of Philadelphia and 2012 Off-Broadway Play): https://www.dramatists.com/cgi-bin/db/single.asp?key=4210, http://www.iobdb.com/Production/5513, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Name_Is_Asher_Lev#Adaptation. THE SCRIPT (excerpts): https://books.google.com/books. AARON POSNER: https://www.american.edu/cas/faculty/posner.cfm, http://www.iobdb.com/CreditableEntity/42093, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3614549/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Posner. TICKETS: $25, plus taxes and fees. Click here to buy tickets in Raleigh and here to buy tickets in Durham. INFORMATION: 919-279-5734 or aggregatetheatre@gmail.com. PLEASE DONATE TO: Aggregate Theatre Company.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Robert O'Connell is a playwright, and has had dozens of productions and awards throughout the world. He has a MS degree in Management Systems Analysis. A lifelong educator, O'Connell has also published three novels at http://www.flashmobthenovel.com/ and two humor anthologies from his blog, https://thesmartestguyiknow.wordpress.com/. He and his wife have settled in Cary, NC.

 


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