Exagoge Overview. The oldest Jewish play, PLUS. – New York Theater

“Exagoge,” impressed by the oldest identified Jewish play, is a wildly formidable, sophisticated however largely accessible new work of immersive theater: a play, opera, and Passover seder multi function – and all in simply 100 minutes, which (if seders) is itself an achievement. There may be a lot else apart from its comparative brevity to advocate this newest work by the reliably erudite Edward Einhorn and his Untitled Theater Firm No. 61., which started at La MaMa in the midst of Passover and is working by Could 12 (two weeks previous the vacation.) The play, which is thought-provoking in itself,  supplies a contemporary body each for the opera, which has moments of beautiful singing and vivid stagecraft, and for the seder, which is kind of for actual, and enjoyable, if unorthodox (thus, for some, probably problematic.)

A Jewish dramatist named Ezekiel the Tragedian wrote the unique “Exagoge” some 2,200 years in the past in Alexandria, Egypt. Though solely a fraction of Ezekial’s play stays (269 traces), that’s a lot sufficient for students to understand it was a drama written in Greek concerning the exodus of the Jews from Egyptian bondage, iNFLuenced by the tragedies written a number of centuries earlier by Aeschylus, Euripides and Sophocles. It retells the story from the Exodus ebook of the Bible, however incorporates non-Biblical components, resembling a phoenix that rises up on the finish – which some (resembling Einhorn) speculate was Ezekiel’s effort (as Einhorn places it in a be aware) “to achieve out to the pagan neighborhood. We all know that, traditionally, the Jews of Alexandria have been surprisingly built-in into Alexandrian society” (which on the time was what we’d now name multicultural.)

The story of the Exodus can be what’s informed through the Jewish vacation of Passover, though “Exagoge” was in all probability carried out a number of centuries earlier than Jews started celebrating the story by a ritual meal. 

Einhorn works all this into his play. A secular New York Jew named Zeke (Hershel Blatt) is engaged on an opera primarily based on the traditional “Exagoge.” Zeke’s father Avraham (Maxwell Zener), a professor of Jewish historical past at Columbia, is holding a Passover seder to which Zeke is after all invited. Zeke arrives late, bringing Aliya (Meena Knowles.) Aliya is Zeke’s girlfriend and a Muslim. Avraham has by no means met her earlier than; didn’t even find out about her; and Zeke didn’t point out he was bringing anyone to the seder. This cleverly units up a stress that’s threaded all through the seder that follows.

 If you happen to’re doing a seder appropriately (not less than in some Jewish households), you don’t simply rotely comply with the Haggadah (the textual content that units forth the order of the seder) however cease to debate and debate – the which means, the themes, even the Politics raised by the occasions. That is exactly what these three characters do, typically paralleling the tensions within the story. However they aren’t simply responding to the Biblical story; they’re additionally critiquing Zeke’s opera (which is definitely composed by Avner Finberg with an English-language libretto by Einhorn), because it unfolds on the stage. 

The opera, backed by a beautiful six-piece orchestra,  options three opera singers — James Rodgers as Moses, soprano Tharanga Goonetilleke (a standout) as Tzipporah, the Gentile lady who turns into Moses’ spouse, and Matthew Curran as each Pharaoh and Tzipporah’s father Reuel.

The arias are enhanced by three pupPeteers, who work the burning bush and the phoenix, amongst different delights.

Scenes from the opera alternate with the seder (or, extra exactly, are a part of the narrative of the seder.) Viewers members can comply with together with an authentic, superbly illustrated Haggadah, which units out the standard prayers, explanations and directions inside the regular 15-part construction of a seder but additionally contains the lyrics to the opera. (There are additionally supertitles on stage.)

About two dozen viewers members take part immediately within the seder – sit at lengthy tables across the stage, take turns studying passages from the Haggadah, drink the wine (or grape juice), and partake of the meals gadgets which can be served as symbols of the story. This contains Haroset, the combination of fruit and nuts (scrumptious at this seder!) that symbolize the mortar that the enslaved Jews used to assemble buildings for the Egyptian pharoah.

And naturally the Matzah, bread (which we see them bake) that’s unleavened (made with out yeast) as a result of the Jews needed to depart Egypt in a rush, with no time to attend for bread to rise. Given the low ticket worth, it might be unrealistic to count on something approaching the same old Passover feast, however these two dozen theatergoers across the tables not less than are served a theatrical suggestion of a meal, palatable hors d’oeuvres of gefilte fish and even a macaroon.  The fifty or so different theatergoers – those within the common seats — get nothing.

This meal deal began to hold for me a symbolic weight all its personal. The present in all probability sounds extra sophisticated in my description than it truly performs out, however I turned out to have some sophisticated emotions about it. How ought to I be reacting to a theatrical model of a sacred ritual  (utilizing a number of the precise prayers) that, should you’re a Jew – even a secular one – you probably interact in yearly to keep up a correspondence together with your id and present your respect to your faith? It made me consider a well-known promoting marketing campaign from the Sixties from a (now defunct) Jewish bakery. You don’t must be Jewish to like “Exagoge.” It’d assist to not be.

Exagoge
Untitled Theater Firm # 61 at La MaMa by Could 12 
Operating time: 100 minutes no intermission
Tickets: $35. College students/seniors $30
Music by Avner Finberg
Script, Libretto, & Path by Edward Einhorn
Forged:Hershel Blatt as Zeke; Matthew Curran as Pharoah, Reuel, God; Tharanga Goonetilleke as Tzipporah, Messenger, God; Meena Knowles as Aliya;  James Benjamin Rodgers as Moses; Maxwell Zener as Avraham, Rebecca Jay Caplan, Yanniv Frank and Parker Sera.
Orchestra: Mila Henry (Music Director/Pianist), Mariana Ramirez (Percussion), Sunny Sheu (Violin), Johnna Wu (Violin), Sara Dudley (Viola) and Paul Swensen (Cello).
Tom Lee and Grace Needlman (Set Design & associated pupPets),Evolve PupPets – Tanya Khordoc and Barry Weil (PupPet Design), Ramona Ponce,(Costume/Masks Design), Federico Restrepo (Mild Design), Berit Johnson (Manufacturing StageManager), D Henry Hanson (ASM/Meals coordinator), Eric Shanower (Artwork)
Pictures by Richard Termine