Review: My Name Is Asher Lev (TimeLine Theatre)

  
  
My Name is Asher Lev

Written by Aaron Posner  
Directed by Kimberly Senior 
at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont map)
thru Oct 18  |  tickets: $37-$50   |  more info
  
Check for half-price tickets 
  
  
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Adaptation of Potok novel plays like an audio book

TimeLine Theatre presents

My Name Is Asher Lev

Review by John Olson

Chaim Potok’s 1972 novel, so far as I can tell, has never been produced as an audio book. This stage adaptation by Aaron Posner, at least as it’s performed here, doesn’t get much beyond the level of a public reading. Potok’s novel is told in the first person by its titular character, but Posner relies heavily on narration to translate the 370-page novel into a 90-minute play, and the result is what seems like a good 30-45 minutes of that playing time listening to Asher (played very earnestly by Alex Weisman) narrate. Even in the scenes where Potok’s dialog is performed, Kimberly Senior’s staging is fairly static – much of it kitchen-table drama of conflict in the Lev family of Hasidic Jews in 1950’s Brooklyn. Though Brian Sidney Bembridge’s unit set nicely suggests the family’s home in the Crown Heights neighborhood as well as other locations, the production is, for a play concerning visual art, surprisingly non-visual.

Potok’s semi-autobiographical story concerns the conflict between Asher and his parents, as Asher recognizes his gift and passion for painting – an art form not valued by the Hasidic Jews unless it is religious in nature and supportive of their theology Asher finds himself to be not only talented at painting, but driven to paint. Potok’s themes of individuality vs. tradition and the loneliness of creating art are clearly presented in Posner’s script, yet the adaptation still feels sketchy in connecting audience to the characters who grapple with them .I’ve not read the novel, though to the credit of this play, I would like to. I presume it includes much more detail about the community of Hasidic Jews, their history, and the 1950’s Brooklyn milieu that might be helpful context.

Asher’s father, Aryeh, is a multi-lingual scholar who travels through Europe doing work for the Lubavich Hasidic Jews at the behest of their leader, the Rebbe. He is devout in his faith, and is shocked to see Asher copy paintings of Christ and the Crucifixion that he has seen in art museums, not to mention Asher’s nude studies. His mother, Rivkeh, has been traumatized by the death of his brother in an auto accident at age 26. She’s a quiet, non-expressive woman, and though she seems more sympathetic to Asher and his artistic drive than Aryeh, she generally supports her husband. Both parents are stern and quiet, but there certainly must be some individuality to them, some personality, that would make them appear more than the stick figures they are as played by Lawrence Grimm and Danica Monroe. These two actors, per Posner’s stage directions, apparently, play all the other characters (except Asher). Weisman (a very strong Chicago actor whose career got a boost when he played the character named, ironically enough, Posner in TimeLine’s production of The History Boys in 2009) communicates Asher’s passion, but he also seems too generic rather than a specific person. It may be that Potok, writing essentially about himself, lacked the self-awareness to create Asher as a nuanced, flowed, character. Someone along the way, though – whether Posner, Senior or the actors – ought to have found a way into the Levs to make them more fully rounded characters.

The most fascinating performance is actually Grimm as Asher’s art mentor Jakob Kahn. Kahn is a stubborn individualist – a successful, well-connected artist who is respected by the Rebbe, but is nonetheless an independent thinker. He’s the type of artist, and man, that Asher must become if he is to achieve any sort of peace and fulfillment in his life. The play comes alive once Kahn is introduced. Monroe brings energy in a small role when she transforms from the wounded mother into a rich and powerful art gallery owner in one of her multiple roles, and even plays a nude model in one brief scene. The cast’s portrayal of the three Levs, though, never gets as specific, staying within the surface level characteristics of the Hasidic Jews. In fact, they even fall a little short there, using no recognizable Brooklyn or Russian accents (though Weisman drops “R”’s inconsistently). The generally flat depiction of the Levs makes viewing a bit of a chore when the more colorful supporting characters aren’t on stage. It’s a well-intentioned, admirable and thoughtful piece – just not an especially theatrical one.

Rating: ★★½

My Name Is Asher Lev continues through October 18th at Stage 773, 1225 W. Belmont (map), with performances Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30pm, Fridays 8pm, Saturdays 4pm and 8pm, Sundays 2pm.  Tickets are $37-$50, and are available by phone (773-327-5252) or online through Vendini.com (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More info at TimeLineTheatre.com.  (Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission)

Photos by Lara Goetsch 

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artists

cast

Alex Weisman (Asher Lev), Lawrence Grimm (Aryeh), Danica Monroe (Rivkeh and others), Nik Kourtis, David Prete, Autumn Teague (understudies)

musicians

Adam DeGroot (clarinet), Merrick Jones (cello), Elena Spiegel (violin), Rachel Brown, Lia Kohl, Colin Ryan (substitute musicians)

behind the scenes

Kimberly Senior (director). Brian Sidney Bembridge (scenic and lighting design), Elizabeth Flauto (costume design), Andrew Hansen (original music), Desiree Arnold (props design), Josh Altman (dramaturg), Elise Kauzlaric (dialect coach), Jeri Frederickson (stage manager), J. Cody Spellman (assistant director), Sara Thornton (production assistant), Austin Pettinger (costume design assistant), Megan Snowder (master electrician), Crosstown Scenic (set construction), Lara Goetsch (photos)

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