Final casting revealed for international London premiere of YENTL at Marylebone Theatre
Photo credit: Igor Turin
After a series of triumphant, award-winning, sold-out Australian seasons — including a five-star run at the Sydney Opera House — Yentl, Kadimah Yiddish Theatre’s bold and acclaimed new adaptation of Isaac Bashevis Singer’s story, has announced final casting for its international premiere at Marylebone Theatre, playing from 6 March-12 April.
Ashley Margolis (The Shark is Broken, UK tour) will play Avigdor, with Claire Morrissey (Gaslight, English Theatre Hamburg) joining the company as understudy The Figure, and Michali Dantes (Jesus Christ Superstar, Watermill Theatre) as understudy Avigdor. They join previously announced cast members Amy Hack (After The Trial, Ten Pound Poms, The Secret She Keeps) as Yentl, Genevieve Kingsford (Leo, Chopper: The Untold Story) as Hodes, and Evelyn Krape (Babe, Blue Heelers, Flying Doctors) as The Figure, with Kandice Joy (Utopia, Fat Tony & Co) as understudy Yentl/Hodes.
Yentl is a bold and contemporary reimagining of Singer’s revolutionary tale, staged bilingually in Yiddish and English. Set in an 1870s Polish shtetl, it follows a young woman who, forbidden by Orthodox law from studying Jewish scripture, disguises herself as a man and steps into a world of learning, love and moral conflict. As her pursuit of knowledge deepens, faith, gender, desire and tradition collide, propelling her toward a destiny that challenges every boundary.
The production is directed and co-written by Gary Abrahams with co-writers Galit Klas and Elise Hearst, with set and costume design by Dann Barber, lighting by Rachel Burke, and original composition and sound design by Max Lyandvert. Yiddish translation is by Professor Rivke Margolis.
Gary Abrahams said: “This isn't Yentl as you know it. This production reclaims Isaac Bashevis Singer's original Yiddish short story and reconnects it with its darker and more transgressive roots. Singer's spirituality sings throughout, conjuring a world full of dybbuks, demons and ghosts. We are thrilled to have our international premiere in London, a city whose artists, playwrights and directors have been hugely influential to my own work.”
