Zoë Winters, Nate Mann, Eli Gelb, Molly Ranson, Liz Larsen, Hale Appleman, and Molly Bernard in Birthright. Photo: Emilio Madrid
It’s a freebie too tempting to pass up: Every year, the Taglit Birthright Israel foundation treats young American Jews (ages 18-26) to a promotional trip to Tel Aviv and environs, with the stated goal of community-building. Over 900,000 young people have participated to date. Jonathan Spector’s latest play tracks six such beneficiaries who visit in 2006 and come away impressed to varying degrees – and all sufficiently stoked to plan a speedy reunion.
As he proved in Eureka Day, Spector is a master cartographer of conflicting viewpoints, whether spoken, texted, or heedlessly broadcast over shared apps. While you might blanch at the prospect of a very talky play running 3 ½ hours with two intermissions (your muted phone nestled in its Yondr pouch), trust me: The time will fly.
The characters under Spector’s lens – deftly overseen by director Teddy Bergman – gravitate to Chaya (Zoë Winters), not just for her alpha allure but because her liberally inclined Washington-suburb parents appear only too happy to host gatherings while honoring their daughter’s autonomy by discreetly staying upstairs. (Chaya’s chatty mother, played by Liz Larsen, needs only the slightest pretext to crash the party, whereupon she rattles on heedlessly while – true to stereotype – ensuring that the guests are well provisioned.)
Second in command, given her forceful personality and strongly held beliefs, is Izzy (Molly Bernard), who’s not above pouting and sniping, given provocation. Being gay, or headed that way, she is the least susceptible to the romantic undercurrents swirling among the mixed group. When we first meet dweeby Noah (Eli Gelb), for instance, he’s trying – and awkwardly failing – to put the moves on Chaya. Gelb is worth tracking as Noah gradually ups his game.
The most impressionable member of the group is Alona (Molly Ranson), humiliated right off the bat for having mistaken an Israeli guard’s attention – freely distributed among the group’s female contingent – for true romance. Intellectually astute if soft-hearted (she’s pursuing a doctorate in sociology), Alona is the first in the group to contemplate “making aliyah” – that is, settling in Israel, at least for a trial period. The others, more skeptical, privately and communally question her decision.
Emerson (Nate Mann) is the party-hearty element, and thus a bit peripheral to the intense discussions that the group will revel in, seriatim, for the next eighteen years. Far more magnetic is Lev (Hale Appleman), from all appearances the born seeker among the sextet. Instead of heading right home after the tour Lev went on an uncurated walkabout during which, amid assorted semi-mystical experiences, he witnessed the discriminatory treatment of Palestinians firsthand. “Look at this,” an aid worker whispered in his ear, “and remember.” A wild spirit, Lev would seem to be the least likely candidate for rabbinical school, but exploring paradox is his true calling.
Decades will pass; romantic entanglements will shift, along with political stances, to a scorching degree (designer Scott Pask has worked in a hot tub to accommodate the seekers as they splash around, trying to sort out their feelings and beliefs). Certain characters will surprisingly trade outlooks and trajectories. Throughout, each highly skilled actor is all in, guaranteeing the audience an edge-of-seat experience.
Details: Birthright, extended to August 22