Review: Stempenyu!

Stempenyu! has been long awaited in the Cambridge theatre scene, and it is safe to say, not a moment of waiting was wasted. To call it ‘the best of student theatre’ is not only an understatement but neglects the absolutely remarkable talent, aptitude and above all effort which has evidentially (visibly and audibly) gone into this production from cast and crew alike.

The ADC show is the first English translation of the Yiddish play Stempenyu!, aptly named after the romantic and nomadic klezmer violinist played by Chanya Ambalu-Wedell. Navigating an extra-marital love affair in a 19th century shetl, Stempenyu becomes infatuated with Rochel (Coco Lefkow-Green) who is unhappily married to the fantastically dull Moyshe-Monashe (Elon Julius). Stempenyu’s own wife Freydel (Edith Stewart) and her sprightly elderly mother Tzipporah (Harriet Regan) berate both Stempenyu and Rochel’s mother in law, Malka (Marta Zalicka). The show culminates in a ghostly encounter between Rochel and her deceased best friend Chaya-Etel (Dominika Wiatrowska) where Rochel reckons with her residual guilt and sadness, underlined by her identity as a ‘good Yiddish wife’.

Image credits: Jennifer Chen

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Succeeding most in its skill and coordination between the musical elements as performed by Stempenyu himself, the on-stage band and whole-cast dances, this is what sets the show apart from other Cambridge theatre. Directors Lia Joffe and Anna Sanderson musically directed and choreographed respectively, which is made clear by the outstanding continuity and seamless transitions between the band and cast. The chemistry between cast members reflects the community which has built this show and the relational aspects of bringing this explicitly and wonderfully Jewish show to life have been emphasised by both directors. Tabitha Appel on the violin and Orlando Valman on percussion deserve a special mention; their harmony with the cast throughout the show was apparent in the coherence of musical numbers and their lines were delivered with conviction.

Opening with a traditional Ashkenazi Chasidic wedding, the first dancing number (the Freilech dance) was dedicated to the family of the young bride Perele and set expectations throughout the show high in terms of both authenticity and execution. The audience was left eagerly anticipating a second round of choreography dedicated to the groom and Sanderson did not disappoint. The cast executed folk dance after folk dance and what most spoke to the charm of the play was their manifest joy and enthusiasm with every step, clap and hop. The style of dance was distinct in its exuberance and the thoughtful performance of each character’s on-stage presence was notable throughout. The coordination between the lighting design and stage management allowed for the storyline to take precedence, and the muted yet warm atmosphere produced spoke in the background. The set design was outstanding; Oscar Griffin executed an artfully jubilant characterisation of a 19th century Jewish home, complete with a window fit for romantic encounters.

Image credits: Jennifer Chen

The music of Stempenyu is truly unlike anything I have ever heard in Cambridge theatre. This speaks to both the natural musical talent and leadership skills of co-director Lia Joffe, who integrated a six-person band with Stempenyu’s violin flawlessly and is something to be incredibly proud of. As someone inexperienced in the world of klezmer, an Ashkenazi Jewish musical tradition, Stempenyu! made me want to pick up a violin and move to Eastern Europe. With the melodies found in archives of the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine, Joffe and Sanderson translate actual recordings from Ukrainian and Klezmer songs to a six-person band and the voices of the cast with absolutely astounding success. The soundtrack supplied by the gifted musicians on-stage was spirited and jubilant, more reminiscent of a long-touring folk group than a student theatre production, and the energy of the cast moved to match that of the muscial score.

Image credits: Jennifer Chen

Lefkow-Green as Rochel, Stempenyu’s newest love interest, offers a moving and insightful view of how guilt and desire operate within the confines of a tight-knit village. Her grief for her recently deceased best friend Chaya-Etel is affective and Rochel’s change in demeanor following Chaya-Etel’s death is skillfully executed. Lefkow-Green’s touching portrayal of Rochel’s stale marriage to the boring and neglectful Moyshe-Menashe stirred feelings of a tangible dislike among the audience; Elon Julius exhibits an irksome and tedious demeanour with a genuinely remarkable ease.

Image credits: Jennifer Chen

Zalicka plays Marta as such a hysterically indignant mother-in-law that the audience has a hard time remaining in their seats. Remaining loyal to her son Moyshe-Menashe, Marta berates Rochel for bringing shame to the family following her seduction by Stempenyu. Tensions rise when Perele (Romola Goldfarb) and her own mother-in-law (Batya Reich) embody the village spirit by offering their disdain for extra-marital romance. The physical cast chemistry and the ease with which Malka takes a natural authority over the stage convicinces the audience of the presence of an overbearing mother-in-law and speaks to her aptitude and charisma as an actress.

Goldfarb’s portrayal of Perele as a young bride during the Bazetsen ceremony was stirring and impactful. While her hair was cut, the Badkhn (a wedding entertainer) performed with the intent to bring Perele to tears and Goldfarb’s solemn acceptance of her fate as wife and daughter-in-law was sensitive to dynamics of the intertwined religious, marital and duty-bound obligations of a bride. Perele’s mother-in-law Brocha, played by Batya Reich, furnishes the show with comedic relief and a bustling, bartering matriarch determined to do the best by her daughter-in-law at whatever cost. I cannot reiterate enough how evocative of professional theatre this production of Stempenyu! was, and I can only marvel at how cast and crew alike executed this true ADC phenomenon.

Image credits: Jennifer Chen

The costume design coordinated by Esther Crasnow-Dodd, Rosy Akalawu-Ellman, and Edie Levine must also be mentioned. The show featured an authentic wedding dress, which I am reliably informed was imported from a modest Jewish dress-share in London, and waistcoats and button-downs galore spoke to the rugged charm of the set painting. In the style of Chagall, the painted backdrops allow the audience to place the shetl in the outskirts of any number of Eastern European hamlets. It is this timeless ambiguity alongside its joyful, poignant and inherently Jewish humour which has resulted in multiple sold-out nights of theatre. This production of Stempenyu! marks an astonishing feat of thoughtful and sophisticated theatre in its groundbreaking first English-language production, which will undoubtably be the first of many.

5/5

Stempenyu! is showing at the ADC Theatre from Tuesday 11th – Saturday 15th March.

Featured image credits: Jennifer Chen