Faith, Fact and Forgiveness

There is a moment in “What the Jews Believe,” playing at the Berkshire Theatre Group’s Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, Mass., through Oct. 20, that flashes back to Neil Simon’s autobiographical play “Brighton Beach Memoirs.” In the latter, multi-award winning Matthew Broderick speaks to the audience, setting the narration thread for what life was like in the Brighton Beach section of Brooklyn.  It is the first of a trilogy Simon offered to an eager audience.

In the current production of “What the Jews Believe,” which is scripted and directed by Mark Harelik and is semiautobiographical, young Logan Weibrecht, as Nathan, sets the tone for the play and concludes the unfolding story by inviting the audience to understand both the context and the struggles of his life.  This is the sequel to Harelik’s award-winning “The Immigrant,” which introduced audiences to the life of a Jewish family in the heart of the American Southwest.

Nathan, living in a small desert Texas town, the son of Jewish parents (Dave, played with incredible passion and strength by Benim Foster, and Rachel, presented with deep sensitivity and emotion by Emily Donahoe), struggles with the burden of trying to learn the Hebrew passages required for him to make his bar mitzvah while juggling the crushing news that his mother is dying of cancer. His defense? Corny jokes blurted out, even at the most inopportune times.

Two other characters populate Harelik’s insightful and challenging play.  Aunt Sarah is both caretaker and incendiary proponent of a series of beliefs totally antithetical to the traditions desperately clung to by Dave.  Cynthia Mace draws on her deep experience in theatrical triumphs like “Angels in America” and her broad film and television repertoire to deliver an elegantly nuanced performance.

As Rabbi Bindler, whose appearance is announced as being helpful to young Nathan who offers a learned, passionate defense of faith in the face of deep, personal adversity, Robert Zukerman exudes the sensitivity and sincerity of a true spiritual leader.  

As strong as the four professional actors are in their presentation of this compelling play, it is the performance of a high school junior from Lenox, appearing for the first time with a team of seasoned professionals, that deserves special recognition.  Had Logan Weibrecht merely delivered his lines in yeomanlike fashion, he would have deserved his share of the ovation offered by the audience.  His performance, however, is infectious.  We laugh at his corny jokes.  We emote with his blind flailing at the prospect of losing his mother.  We celebrate with him when, as the story winds down, he helps his ailing mother onto his personal retreat on the roof, where they can both survey the dusty town and the wide expanses of desert and what is beyond.  

This is a play to be savored.  It is a play to be experienced.  It is a play that will lead to reflection and discussion.  “What the Jews Believe” is a play not to be missed, regardless of your own faith journey.

“What the Jews Believe” is at Berkshire Theatre Group’s Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge, Mass., through Sunday, Oct. 20. Tickets: BerkshireTheatreGroup.org or 413-997-4444.