Faygele
Rating: ★★★★
Venue: Marylebone Theatre, London
Cast: Ilan Galkoff, Ben Caplan, Clara Francis, Andrew Paul and Yiftach Mizrahi

At 13, Ari Freed’s world is upended in an instant - when, at his Bar Mitzvah celebration, his father strikes him down with a single word: Faygele. The sting fractures his already delicate sense of self, forcing him into a battle he never asked for. Faygele is a story of survival in the space  between faith and identity, love and duty, past and future - unraveling the complexities of Ari’s adolescence and the relationships that shape him.

Schmuck. Klutz. Schmooze. Putz. All standard Yiddish words that your average person may use on a semi-regular basis. One word that does not fall into this category? Faygele.

Definition: literal for a little bird. Slang for gay, often used to replace a homophobic slur of a similar sounding name. The brashness of the play’s title serves as a trigger warning to the queer community, especially those who have experienced religious trauma. Shimmy Braun has written a wrenching and solemn tragedy in Faygele, one whose message I will be taking in for days to come.

As the lights dim on the audience, Ari Freed (Ilan Galkoff) enters along the walkway, asking the crowd if they are really here to see him. How could it be? All these people care about his story? He brings a comical air to the room, before informing the audience that they are in fact witnessing a tragedy. As a part of Ari’s narrative introduction, he discusses Yiddish terms or phrases that are frequently used by the Jewish community. He caps this off by stating that there is no Yiddish term for suicide.

Following this, Ari’s parents, Dr. Freed (Ben Caplan) and Mrs. Freed (Clara Francis), join the stage, along with Rabbi Lev (Andrew Paul). The scene opens at 18 year old Ari’s funeral, but the ‘ghost’ of Ari remains on stage and interjects his narration from time to time. The audience is then introduced to the unfortunate dynamics of Ari’s family - his mother has been a homemaker for his entire life, a stay at home mom to a total of 12 children. Ari’s father is a therapist and a devout Jew. The Freed family is an Orthodox Jewish family, extremely traditional, conservative, and of course - homophobic. Faygele shifts from scene to scene on stage, each one a glimpse into one of Ari’s memories. 

The set (David Shields) was well designed for these shifts as they were nearly constant and, although it involved each cast member moving pieces around, this didn’t take me out of the story at all. Where I think the show could improve is in the world building around Ari - there are discussions around his friends, his relations at school, the men he sees from synagogue, his eleven other siblings - but we don’t physically see any of this. I would have liked to have seen Ari’s world fleshed out just a bit more.

Throughout Ari’s past, we see just how many complications he faces from growing up gay in a family who is not accepting of his sexuality. At a young age, Ari begins engaging in hypersexual activity, both at school, as well as with married men in his synagogue. The Freed family, especially Mr. Freed, displays extreme anger and frustration towards Ari. Ben Caplan really shines in his role of Dr. Freed, delivering an incredibly convincing performance of the rageful father. I found that Clara Francis added so much depth to the character of Mrs. Freed, a complicated woman who loved her son, feared her husband, and was deeply conflicted between her beliefs and her survival instincts. 

We also have the introduction of Sammy Stein (Yiftach Mizrahi), a gay man that Ari met in his Jewish community. Sammy goes above and beyond to be a pillar of support for Ari when he is struggling - one of the most breathtaking moments in the show was delivered by Sammy as he engages in discourse with Rabbi Lev regarding his acceptance of homosexuality. Another highlight occurs when Sammy goes to the Freed’s in desperation, to express how crucial it is that they start to show up and accept Ari for who he is. Truly spectacular.

Overall, the heartbeat of the show was Rabbi Lev (Andrew Paul). The Rabbi is the person that turns things around for Ari at his Bar Mitzvah and continues to be a guidepost for him in his teenage years. This is until, of course, Ari begins to stray from the Jewish faith. The eventual betrayal of the Rabbi is the final push for Ari to take his own life.

Although Faygele is very clearly a tragedy, it tells a hugely important story. As the letter from the playwright reads, ‘This play is for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider. For anyone who’s ever loved someone trying to find their way back to themselves.’ Faygele is a sobering reminder to give young people the opportunity to live, and love, authentically. 

Faygele is playing at Marylebone Theatre through 31 May.

You can book tickets to Faygele, here.

Review by Miranda

**photo credit: Jane Hobson**