Sarasota Jewish Theatre Announces its 2024-2025 Season

July 19, 2024 | Sarasota

Sarasota Jewish Theatre (SJT) is pleased to announce its 2024-2025 season. The season opens with a two-performance special production of “Being Somebody – Growing up Brooklyn, A Father/Daughter Tale” in October. The season continues with three plays and a documentary screening from January through May: “Visiting Mr. Green” by Jeff Baron, “Lost in Yonkers” by Neil Simon, “Bad Jews” by Joshua Harmon, and “The Catskills – The Rise and Fall of the Borscht Belt.” The plays and screening are presented at The Players Centre Studio 1130 at the Crossings at Siesta Key mall, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. To purchase tickets and subscriptions ($15-$111), visit ThePlayers.org or call 941-365-2494. For more information, visit SarasotaJewishTheatre.org.

“Being Somebody – Growing up Brooklyn, a Father/Daughter Tale” (October 19 at 7:30 p.m. and October 20 at 1:30 p.m.) is a funny, hope-filled show starring Dr. Howard Mase, an extraordinary 88-year-old psychologist, and his singer/playwright/actor daughter Marla Mase. Through masterful storytelling, song, and dance, they take us back in time to Howard growing up in Brooklyn’s post-war gleam of the 1940s and Marla navigating the gritty disco era of the 1970s. This musical memoir touches on universal themes and invites us to reconnect with important moments in our lives.

Jeff Baron’s “Visiting Mr. Green” (January 29-February 9) is a post-pandemic rewrite of the beloved play in which elderly Mr. Green is almost hit by a car driven by 29-year-old Ross Gardiner. Gardiner is sentenced to community service; he must help the lonely widower once a week for six months. Directed by Gus Kaikkonen, this 21st century “odd couple” will take audiences on a roller coaster of humor, heartbreak, and healing.
Preview: January 29, 7:30 p.m.
Performances: January 30, February 1, 4, 5, 6, 8 at 7:30 p.m.; January 31, February 2, 5, 7, 9 at 1:30 p.m.

On February 3 at 7:00 p.m., “The Catskills – The Rise and Fall of the Borscht Belt” will be screened. Winner of the 2024 Miami Jewish Film Festival, this documentary is a humorous and nostalgic tribute to the “Borscht Belt” from its beginning as a refuge for working-class Jews, to becoming a lavish summer playground for the affluent, to its eventual decline. “The Catskills” chronicles the cultural, historical, and economic influences that created the Borscht Belt, provided a training ground for the great comedians of the 20th century, and became the inspiration for iconic films like “Dirty Dancing.” A discussion follows the screening.

Winner of the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, “Lost in Yonkers” by Neil Simon (March 19-30) is a funny and touching play that tells a moving story about the experiences that scar a family and the healing that love provides. A masterful play filled with laughter, tears, and insight, “Lost in Yonkers,” directed by Carole Kleinberg, is a heartwarming testament to Simon’s talent.
Preview: March 19, 7:30 p.m.
Performances: March 20, 22, 25, 26, 27, 29 at 7:30 p.m.; March 21, 23, 26, 28, 30 at 1:30 p.m.

Joshua Harmon’s “Bad Jews” (April 30-May 11) will also be directed by Gus Kaikkonen. After their beloved grandfather dies leaving a treasured piece of religious jewelry, his grandchildren fight over the precious heirloom. In one corner is Daphna, a “real Jew,” who is volatile, self-assured, and unbending. In the other is her equally stubborn cousin, the secular Liam, who wants it for his shiksa girlfriend. Stuck in the middle is Liam’s brother, the gentle Josh, who tries to stay out of the fray. Along the way they battle about their religious faith, cultural assimilation, and the validity of their Jewish identity.
Preview: April 30, 7:30 p.m.
Performances: May 1, 3, 6, 7, 8, 10 at 7:30 p.m.; May 2, 4, 7, 9, 11 at 1:30 p.m.

Carole Kleinberg, SJT’s artistic director, stated, “We are so pleased with the community support SJT is receiving and thrilled that last season was completely sold out. The diversity in SJT audiences is proving my conviction that you don’t have to be Jewish to love Jewish theatre.”

For more information, visit SarasotaJewishTheatre.org. To purchase tickets to the performances at The Players Centre Studio 1130, visit ThePlayers.org or call 941-365-2494.