Isaac Bashevis Singer's 1962 short story Yentl the Yeshiva Boy has found new life at the Marylebone Theatre, courtesy of Kadimah Yiddish Theatre's bold and acclaimed adaptation. While many know the story through Barbra Streisand's ambitious 1983 film, this production returns to the original Yiddish roots, delivering a theatrical experience that "punches 2026 in the solar plexus" with its contemporary resonance.
A Story of Sacred Defiance
Set in early 20th-century Poland, the play follows Yentl, a young Jewish woman desperate to study religious texts—a pursuit forbidden to women in her traditional community. After her father's death, she adopts a male identity, calling herself Anshel, and enters a yeshiva. What begins as an act of intellectual rebellion quickly becomes complicated when she enters a complex love triangle with fellow scholar Avigdor and his former fiancée Hodes. The central narrative, which Singer penned as a mere 12 pages, has been expanded by writers Gary Abrahams, Elise Esther Hearst, and Galit Klas into a full theatrical experience that balances theological rumination with romantic comedy, fairytale narration, and urgent social critique.
Performances That Resonate
Amy Hack carries the production as Yentl/Anshel, delivering what multiple reviewers describe as a performance of enormous emotional range and raw honesty. She maintains a "highly feminine" quality that contrasts intriguingly with her male disguise, portraying a character that feels "very 21st century" while remaining grounded in the historical setting. Her mixture of wide-eyed innocence and weary frustration captures both the passion and pain of her character's impossible position. Evelyn Krape delivers what many consider a showstealing performance as The Figure—a ghostly fusion of Greek chorus and Emcee who serves as narrator, conscience, and "reverse Jiminy Cricket" urging the lovers toward their primal desires. While some reviewers found the constant commentary occasionally wearing, others praised her magnificence in capturing the compassion, pathos, and self-deprecating satire of Yiddish theatre tradition. Ashley Margolis as Avigdor infuses the role with boyish bravado, burgeoning sensuality, and charm, creating a realistic portrayal of adolescent-like lust and confusion. His chemistry with Hack anchors the emotional core of the production. Genevieve Kingsford rounds out the quartet as Hodes, getting the balance "just right" by avoiding archetypal tropes. Rather than playing a stock character, she portrays Hodes as bright, self-aware, and beautifully constrained by societal roles—a woman who declares, "You let men make you helpless."
A Production Steeped in Authenticity
Director Gary Abrahams has crafted a production that honors the story's Yiddish heritage while making it urgently relevant to contemporary audiences. The bilingual approach—performed largely in English but threaded with Yiddish—creates what one reviewer called an "otherness that embeds the play in Jewish history and culture." The almost-but-not-quite German speech resonates with historical weight, particularly given Jewish history in Europe. Surtitles are cleverly projected directly onto the set and even onto the cast themselves, seamlessly integrating translation into the visual design. The staging features a graveled floor, rocks, and a modernist wall structure with an alcove accessed by ladder. Lighting design by Tom Turner evokes a period candle-lit setting with dim, shadowy atmospherics that intensify at key emotional moments. Gillian Starr's sound design has been praised as masterfully subtle, building atmosphere and heightening the production's emotional crescendos. Set and costume design by Dann Barber and Isabella Van Braeckel create a functional yet aesthetically striking world that serves the story's needs.
Themes That Echo in 2026
What makes this production particularly powerful is how it confronts what are now called "culture wars." As one reviewer astutely noted, the play demands that audiences confront pressing questions: "What is the damage wrought by insisting that individuals deny their specific manifestation of humanity in order to conform to another's version of what they should be?" The story explores gender identity and the "dual nature" of humanity, the destructive consequences of external limitations on human emotion, and the cost of conformity. When Yentl confesses, "When the body dresses in the clothes of a man, the soul is confused," only to be reminded, "My soul is already confused," the production touches on something profoundly contemporary. The power dynamics between men and women emerge starkly. When Hodes asks why Anshel (Yentl in disguise) has so much power, the simple answer—"You are a man"—lands with devastating weight. The play doesn't shy away from exploring various forms of love: fraternal, physical, and platonic, all tangled in a web of deception and desire. There are also deeper questions about destiny versus choice. As one key line states: "There's always a choice, even if it's the one you were always destined to make." This philosophical wrestling with free will and preordained futures runs throughout the production.
Room for Growth
Not all elements work seamlessly. Multiple reviewers noted that the final 30 minutes lose dramatic momentum as philosophical and religious discussions erode the pacing. The first half can feel dense, taking time to establish necessary groundwork before the production truly clicks into place after the interval. Some found the plot stretches credibility—questioning how long Yentl's disguise could realistically succeed. Others felt the production occasionally drifts into pantomime-style comedic filler that sits awkwardly against the heavier subject matter, or that it could push further in exploring more contentious topics regarding gender and sexuality. The frequent movement of a stage curtain used to divide the space was noted as disruptive by at least one reviewer. And while The Figure serves important narrative functions, the heavily comedic tone may feel extraneous to some audience members.
A Theatrical Experience Worth Having
Despite these quibbles, the consensus is clear: this Yentl deserves to be seen. It succeeds as a compelling, funny, sometimes stressful adaptation that provokes discussion and moves audiences emotionally. The second act gains significant power, building to moments of genuine resonance. For those seeking an alternative to the well-known film version, this production offers something different—a fabulous tribute to the art of Yiddish theatre that reclaims Singer's story from Hollywood and returns it to its cultural roots. It's a world of orthodox tradition being upended by the most unorthodox of behaviors, played out with sensitive finesse. The production manages—perhaps as an echo of its wider themes regarding shifting identities and the reinterpretation of faith—to be both slightly silly and substantive at the same time. As one reviewer eloquently put it: "The entertainment is preordained; your reaction to it, like Yentl, will be entirely your own."
Final Verdict
Kadimah Yiddish Theatre's Yentl is an extraordinary, thoughtful, and moving piece of theatre. While it has moments that drag and opportunities it doesn't fully seize, the production's strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. Amy Hack's powerful central performance, the authentic use of Yiddish, the technical craftsmanship, and the urgent relevance of its themes create a theatrical experience that lingers long after the lights come up. For anyone interested in how classic stories can speak to contemporary concerns, or for those who love theatre that challenges while entertaining, Yentl at the Marylebone Theatre is compelling proof that Singer's 12-page story still has vital things to say about identity, conformity, and the courage to be oneself in a world that demands otherwise. Yentl runs at the Marylebone Theatre through April 12, 2026.