'My Name is Asher Lev' in N.E. Premiere at Lyric Stage

 

My Name is Asher Lev

By Aaron Posner, Adapted from the novel by Chaim Potok; Directed by Scott Edmiston; Scenic Design, Janie E. Howland; Costume Design, Charles Schoonmaker; Lighting Design, Karen Perlow; Sound Design/Original Music, Dewey Dellay; Production Stage Manager, Nerys Powell; Assistant Stage Manager, Cat Dunham Meilus

CAST: Jason Schuchman (Asher Lev), Anne Gottlieb (Woman), Joel Colodner (Man)

Performances extended through March 13 at The Lyric Stage Company of Boston               Box Office 617-585-5678 or www.lyricstage.com

The Lyric Stage Company of Boston has found the perfect recipe for a delectable mid-winter treat with the New England premiere of My Name is Asher Lev by Aaron Posner, adapted from the 1972 novel by Chaim Potok. Set the stage with Janie E. Howland's rendering of the dualistic world that the title character inhabits, shine Karen Perlow's mood-enhancing lighting to create shadowy figures of the imagination, and underscore dramatic moments with evocative original music by Dewey Dellay. Add the gravitas of Joel Colodner and the grace of Anne Gottlieb as a frame for the canvas upon which Jason Schuchman works his artistry. Stir with the deft touch of Director Scott Edmiston. Serve warm to appreciative audiences.

In the 1960's, a well-known ad campaign maintained "You don't have to be Jewish to love Levy's (rye bread)," and I will suggest that the same holds true for My Name is Asher Lev. Oh, there are certainly numerous references to traditions and a generous sprinkling of Hebrew and Yiddish expressions (the program contains a comprehensive glossary of terms) throughout the script that will resonate with Jewish theatergoers. But it would also be fair to say you don't have to be an art aficionado to appreciate this play. Yes, the story is about an observant Jew who becomes a celebrated painter, but its themes are universal and appeal to all who have struggled with finding themselves and claiming their own identity. 

Chief among the reasons to recommend My Name is Asher Lev is the performance of Schuchman in the title role. He inhabits the artist from childhood into manhood, demonstrating his passion for his gift, as well as his innate devotion to his Hasidic upbringing, and how he constantly seeks to reconcile the two. From a close knit, traditional family, Asher is the repository for the hopes and dreams of his parents (Colodner and Gottlieb) who are hard pressed to comprehend his penchant for drawing over studying. Schuchman and Gottlieb show the connection between mother and son with expressive looks and affectionate touches and hugs. The father/son relationship is more formal and strict; Schuchman and Colodner have heated verbal exchanges, filled with frustration and lack of understanding, and often peer pleadingly at each other, as if asking, "I love you, why don't you get it?"

The three actors share genuine family chemistry and give a realistic portrayal of an Orthodox household.  As it is said in the song "Tradition" from Fiddler On The Roof, the father's job is to make a living and provide for the family, as well as to be involved in the religious community. The mother is in charge of the home and bears the brunt of the responsibility for the children, while the son must learn a trade and study the holy book like his father. When Asher veers from this set course, it is uncharted territory for all and initiates a tear in the family fabric. Concurrent with Asher's change in direction, his mother Rivkeh goes to college and his father Aryeh is sent to Vienna by the Rebbe, their spiritual leader.

Eventually, Asher gets an assist from an unlikely source when the Rebbe introduces him to Jacob Kahn (Colodner), a successful Jewish sculptor who agrees to teach and mentor the boy for five years. Part role model, part surrogate parent, Kahn introduces Asher to the secular world of art and instructs him with a litany of sayings like, "It's a goyish world," "An artist is responsible only to his art," and "An artist must be a person first." His lessons include learning to understand and depict the human form, opening another rift with the senior Lev who fails to see the need to draw nudes. Aryeh shows some comprehension when Asher explains it as being part of a tradition.

Asher's art comes to be influenced by the traditions of his forefathers who, like his father, lived nomadic lives. When he travels to Florence and Paris to study, he feels surrounded by memories of his ancestors and incorporates them into his paintings. He also becomes aware of his mother's strength, even in the face of conflict between father and son, and expresses his view of her suffering in his masterpiece "Brooklyn Crucifixion." The pride which his parents feel when they are invited to view his works in a museum is palpable, but it pales in comparison to their bewilderment and offended feelings once they are faced with this controversial piece on public display.

It is a stunning moment both onstage and in the audience when we become spectators along with Rivkeh and Aryeh; except that we don't see the actual painting, but its reflection in their expressions powerfully transmits more than mere words ever could. In that instant, Asher knows the bilateral properties of his gift to hurt and heal, and realizes that he has crossed a line, becoming his own man, for better or worse.

My Name is Asher Lev is semi-autobiographical as Potok took to painting before he became a writer, experiencing similar problems with his father's attitude. The characters he created are informed by his own early development as an artist and member of a traditional religious community. In the Lyric Stage production, Director Edmiston and his team of designers blend dark, traditional clothing, a mix of shadows and soft lighting, and somber music to evoke the home life, in contrast with the more colorful, relaxed attire and brighter lighting of Kahn's studio where Asher's new life begins. This combination of spoken words and visual images results in a worthy portrait of the artist as a young man.

 

Photo credit: Mark S. Howard (Joel Colodner, Anne Gottlieb, Jason Schuchman)