YI LOVE JEWISH Purim Holiday Mini-Fest Kicks Off Next Week

Preparations are well underway for the YI Love Jewish Purim Holiday Mini-Fest which will begin on March 19th with a free staged reading of playwright Rich Orloff’s Esther in the Spotlight.  The Festival, which will continue through March 24th, will also feature a combined live and film performance of Gimpel the Fool starring acclaimed Israeli actor Howard Rypp.

Both events will take place several times at various venues throughout Miami/Dade and Broward Counties.

The Purim holiday celebrates a time in the 4th century BCE when the Jewish people in Shushan, Persia, were saved by the bravery of a woman named Esther.  She, along with her cousin Mordechai, persuaded her husband, King Achashverosh, to retract an order for the general annihilation of Jews throughout the empire.  The massacre had been plotted by the king’s chief minister, Hamen, and the date was decided by casting lots (purim).

Esther in the Spotlight, by acclaimed playwright Rich Orloff, is an irreverent and hilarious retelling of the biblical story of Esther (the genesis of the Purim holiday). Described as “Mel Brooks meets The Bible,” this free concert version of Orloff’s comedic masterpiece offers more than just laughs; it delves into themes of identity, destiny, and the pursuit of meaning. The reading, which will be directed by Tara Weidenfeller, will feature Alexa Lasanta as Esther, Steve Gladstone as Mordechai, Michael Scott Ross as King Achashveros, and Louis Silvers as Hamen.

The ground-breaking one-person play and documentary film celebrating the character of Gimpel the Fool created by Nobel Laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer will star Howard Rypp of Israel’s Nephesh Theatre Company.  Featuring music by Ron Wiseman, and Singer’s text translated by Saul Bellow, the film, combined with Rypp’s live performance weaves klezmer music into an exciting theatrical presentation.