Shlemiel the First- Based on the story by Isaac Bashevis Singer
- Conceived & adapted by Robert Brustein
- Music by Hankus Netsky & Zalman Mlotek
- Lyrics by Arnold Weinstein
- Directed by Nick Olcott & Michael Russotto
- Produced by Theater J
- Reviewed by Gary McMillan
Shlemiel the First is a triple threat: a “ho hum” score, a ham-handed book treatment, and a single set apparently last seen on the Hee Haw soundstage. The directorial baton was passed from Nick Olcott to Michael Russotto during the rehearsal period, so some of the unevenness may stem from lack of continuity.
The scenery is sparse, with wood plank walls and fence, a clothesline with laundry, a few stools and benches, a lone sunflower on steroids, and – in homage to Fiddler – a ladder leaning against the set, going nowhere just for show. Nevertheless, the show boasts a talented cast struggling against the tide to pull the proceedings to higher ground.
Another solid high point is the rousing Klezmer music, particularly the entre’acte instrumental. The Klezmer melodies did not work for me as show music, however, not in the way, for example, that Jeanine Tesori has infused some of her show songs with Klezmer elements.
The musical is based on an Isaac Bashevis Singer story, a whimsical fable that would likely best have benefited from a warm and delicate treatment which eludes it here. As Sondheim clearly demonstrated, clowns can be sent in to heartfelt, amusing effect without actually relying on union-member circus personnel and slapstick humor.
The village of Chelm is home to a host of blithering, dithering men and their long-suffering, loving wives. When the local sages determine that the musings of their leader, Gronam Ox (Dan Manning), demand a wider audience, their local factotum, Shlemiel (Thomas Howley), dutifully takes up his new charge of spreading the wisdom of Chelm, eager to experience what lies beyond the horizon. Shlemiel’s wife, Tryna Rytza (Amy McWilliams) may be exasperated with Shlemiel, but he’s her shlemiel and she argues that his place is at home – as place keeper if not breadwinner. Ox’s wife, Yenta Pesha (Donna Migliaccio), also intercedes in vain to keep Shlemiel from his quixotic mission.
And so a Shlemiel is loosed upon the world to spread the knowledge of Chelm. On the first evening of his journey, Shlemiel is tricked by a roadside bandit, who is quite clever in comparison with his dimwitted mark. There is a mischievous turnabout for our messenger, and he wanders back into what he believes is a strange new world populated by doppelgangers of his beloved hometown, in this case into Chelm the Second.
Shlemiel’s mental aberration of a dual family has his wife and children treating him with uncharacteristic tenderness, like a too soft boiled egg. As a result, in Shlemiel’s mind, the alternate Tryna and children become idealized in comparison with their originals back in Chelm the First. However, the village elders, similar to Shlemiel, believe they have received an alternate Shlemiel who must maintain a respectful separation from the married women in town. Only the women understand Shlemiel’s mistaken geography, but the men must learn the error of their ways themselves for true change to occur. Shlemiel falls heavily for Tryna2; will he jeopardize his marital vows?
Amy McWilliams is both funny and touching, with a lustrous voice and natural comedic talent. Her Shlemiel would be more engaging if the character he plays were either less or more unrelievedly witless – hard to tell which direction would be more apt. Donna Migliaccio as Yenta is in a pickle with a pickle. Yenta’s gimmick is a huge pickle which she keeps in her apron pocket and wields against her dim companions as she attempts to instruct them in the folly of their ways. Migliaccio never performs with less than star quality, but you will leave the theater wishing that her gerkin wasn’t werkin’. One pivotal scene finds Shlemiel the First and Tryna the Second in bed with a blanket divider hanging between them for propriety’s sake. Hovering above like the Angel of Doom is Pesha who holds the rod from which the blanket falls. This device pretty much squelches the It Happened One Night motif. When not doubling as drapery, Migliaccio also plays the town rooster. Oy gevalt, it’s clearly not her fault, but can Washington, DC, please become a cuke-lear free zone.
- When: thru Jan 20. Wednesdays & Thursdays at 7:30, Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 3 pm and 7:30 pm
- Where: Theater J, 1529 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20036
- Tickets: $40-$50
- Info: 1 800 494-TIXS