Acclaimed playwright Nick Cassenbaum presents an astounding new piece of theatre
Twins Dan and Lauren (“Not identical, obviously”) sit either side of a lace cloth-covered dining table. They’re both dressed in black and wear stern expressions on their faces. It’s an odd but arresting sight to behold as the sold-out audience filters into Summerhall’s old operating theatre. We soon discover that the siblings’ grandfather, Lenny, has recently died and they’re in Essex for the levoyah (funeral). They speak directly to the surrounding crowd in snappy, witty dialogue; their facial expressions carrying as much personality as their conversation. It’s an impressive feat from the only two actors, Dylan Corbett-Bader and Gemma Barnett, who seamlessly switch between each role in the story – of which there are many.
We travel from Barkingside to Borehamwood via Canning Town to meet the ragtag bunch of characters, including some interfering matriarchs, a racist plumber and cockney gangster Malcolm Spivak, Lenny’s old butchering partner (a wryly implied double entendre). Following an unfortunate incident, Dan and Lauren require Malcolm’s help, but he’ll only offer it if they aid him in kidnapping former Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Written by Nick Cassenbaum (of Bubble Schmeisis fame and London’s first ever Jewish pantomime) and directed by Emma Jude Harris, Revenge: After the Levoyah ventures off on a madcap journey that’s wildly over the top and immensely entertaining. Along the way we meet Malcolm’s motley crew of ‘frummers’ (overtly devout Jews), introduced in the rapid-fire style of Guy Ritchie’s 1998 mob-com Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. There’s a 94-year-old Holocaust survivor, a Dr Martens-donning rabbi from ‘up north’, and a wealthy woman who owns half of Stamford Hill (“the good half”). Each is distinguished by Corbett-Bader and Barnett’s precise accents and superb shifts in body language. Not only does their adeptness make the show, but infuses it with a delightful humour. It’s no wonder audiences have been sell-out – and the standing ovation is more than deserved.
By Danielle Goldstein
Photo by Christa Holka
Revenge: After the Levoyah runs until Monday 26 August. 3pm. £17, £14.50 concs. Summerhall (Anatomy Lecture Theatre), EH9 1PL. tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/revenge-after-the-levoyah