Between the Threads
You don’t have to be Jewish or identify as a woman to enjoy it, but it will certainly help if you’re both.
By Andrew Andrews
The performers are already on the stage when the house opens: five young, barefoot Jewish women dressed in baggy beige and white, sitting in chairs, engaged in small talk about Coachella
Craft art hangs from the ceiling, like giant Ojibwe dreamcatchers made of branches, plastic flora and
Subtly, the lights dim and someone breaks the fourth wall, bringing the audience into the conversation by explaining the origin of her
The others join in,
In the background, a live musician plays violin, creating and replaying
Over the next ninety minutes or so, we hear stories of serious life events and light-hearted humor. Of growing up with various levels of orthodoxy in cities around the world. Of Bat Mitzvah speeches, identity,
There are traditional songs in Hebrew and other languages, and recorded interviews with ancestors about children stolen by Israeli hospitals. There is singing, clapping and contemplative choreography.
There is conflict between wanting to destroy the patriarchy and the pressing desire for a traditional Jewish wedding; between love and hate for Christmas and for all of the capitalism
You don’t have to be
But it will certainly help
Directed by Coral Cohen, performed by Hannah Goldman, Lea Kalisch, Luisa Muhr, Daniella Seidl and Laura Lassy Townsend, and featuring live music by Zoë Aqua, this exploration of modern Judiasm runs at HERE
Andrew Andrews attended Between the Threads at HERE Dorothy B. Williams Theatre in Manhattan on Friday, January 18, 2019 @ 7:00pm to write this review.