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Regional Reviews: St. Louis Two Jews Walk Into a War
Which is odd, because New Jewish Theatre has two terrific actors on stage, Gary Glasgow and Chuck Winning, along with two excellent directors. First, Aaron Sparks was announced as director in the initial press release. And then Artistic Director Rebekah Scallet was added into the credits, as co-director. It all looks great here, but because of the casting, this St. Louis production somehow feels like a "mirror-universe" version of Springtime For Hitler. The stage set by Lily Tomasic is outstanding: a highly atmospheric and nearly abandoned synagogue in Kabul, Afghanistan, very early in the 21st century. The perfect costumes are by Michele Friedman Siler. Throughout, in Kareem Deanes' sound design, the rat-a-tat of Taliban gunfire lands like self-conscious comic rimshots after roughly half the jokes, as the show tarries along for 90 minutes. But there's an odd thing about this production, which may leave you squirming. That's because the casting of this particular production creates a strange overtone on stage: Mr. Winning seems unintentionally ferocious and Mr. Glasgow deeply horrified, as their Zeblyan and Ishaq confront a failed harvest of faith. They're thousands of miles from the present day scandal of Gaza. But they begin to look like a representation of the world's most glaring spiritual crisis. Two Jews Walk Into A War runs through August 10, 2025, at New Jewish Theatre, #2 Millstone Campus Drive, St. Louis MO. For tickets and information, please visit www.newjewishtheatre.org. Cast: Production Staff: * Denotes Member, Actors' Equity Association |
