Review: Faygele, Marylebone Theatre

Faygele opens with the stage laid out for a funeral. There is a picture on an easel of a young boy in orthodox Jewish dress, next to it, a coffin. The ghost of the teenager appears – Pucklike – from the middle of the auditorium, wise-cracking his way on to stage. The star of the show, Ilan Galkoff, playing Ari Freed, expertly juxtaposes tragedy and comedy. Told through flashbacks, we learn how he knew he was gay from a young age but is repeatedly told that it is not allowed in his tight-knit religious community.

We also know from the start that this ends in his suicide. The play examines the hypocrisy in his family and the wider community who struggle to accept someone outside their strict definitions. We’re told by Ari that his religion tells him that you can go to heaven if you repent for murder, but there’s no option but hell for a gay man who acts on his desires.

Faygele (a derogatory Yiddish word for gay) is inspired by the life of its author, Shimmy Braun, an Orthodox Jewish man, married with children, who came out as gay. It’s about the meaning of family, the strained relationship between religion, sex and sexuality, and the transition from childhood to adulthood. It will strike a chord with anyone who has ever felt like an outsider. At points I found it both moving and shocking. Galkoff’s portrayal of Ari feels authentic and powerful. In support, Clara Francis deftly managed the turmoil of a powerless mother, and Andrew Paul very successfully plays the sympathetic but ultimately stymied rabbi. 

It’s a stylish production. The set is not much more than a few pine boards hung from the ceiling as a backdrop, some tables, chairs and a lectern. The scarcity of the set is effective, but there is a lot of rearranging of furniture between scenes. The cast is small, just five actors, but is certainly enough to tell the story. Yet I couldn’t help feeling a slightly larger cast might have allowed the opportunity to explore more of Ari’s character (and allow faster scene changes).

It is at its strongest when it mixes humour and emotion, but I found it hard to relate the quipping, jocular ghost with the weaker protagonist seen in the flashbacks. Better marrying the two sides of his nature on stage would have made what is already a thought-provoking, emotional and poignant play even more powerful. It can be hard for a play which spells out its conclusion in its opening scene to keep momentum towards the inevitable ending, but this production manages to keep up the pace.

Written by: Shimmy Braun
Directed by: Hannah Chissick
Produced by: Make it Shimmy Productions
Set & Costume Design by: David Shields
Lighting Design by: Nic Farman
Sound Design by: Dan Samson

Faygele plays at Marylebone Theatre until Saturday 31 May.