THE HANGOVER REPORT – Cary Gitter and Neil Berg’s THE SABBATH GIRL is a gentle rom-com musical that goes down easily

Max Wolkowitz and Lauren Singerman in Penguin Rep’s production of “The Sabbath Girl” at 59E59 Theaters (photo by Dorice Arden Madronero).

Over at 59E59 Theaters, you’ll find Penguin Rep Theatre’s production of the sweet and heartfelt new musical The Sabbath Girl by Cary Gitter (book, lyrics) and Neil Berg (music, lyrics). Adapted from Gitter’s play of the same name — which ran at the same Off-Broadway venue back in 2020 and was put on by largely the same creative team — the musical chronicles the budding romance between a struggling New York City gallery owner (Angie) and a recently-divorced Orthodox Jew (Seth).

The musical harkens back to the times when Off-Broadway was more of a hotbed for intimately scaled new musicals. In summary, The Sabbath Girl is a gentle rom-com musical — the show fits snugly in 59E59’s Theater A — that goes down quite easily. Indeed, it’s nice to encounter a piece of musical theater that doesn’t bombard you with flash and adrenaline. Efficiently and thoughtful plotted, the piece incorporates just enough conflict — largely surrounding issues relating to inter-faith dating — to keep things interesting. The likeable if somewhat generic score has been orchestrated for just piano and violin, and frankly, they’re all that’s really needed to effectively put across Berg’s music.

The cast of five is anchored by Marilyn Caserta and Max Wolkowitz as the show’s romantic leads Angie and Seth, respectively. Both are attractive and down-to-earth actors, and their sensitive portrayals contrast nicely with the more animated character work by Diana DiMarzio, Rory Max Kaplan, and Lauren Singerman. As for the production, Brancato’s relatively unfussy staging is clear and concise — and there’s sufficient charm to go around. All-in-all, The Sabbath Girl is a perfectly pleasant night of theater that provokes, but not too deeply.

RECOMMENDED

THE SABBATH GIRL
Off-Broadway, Musical
Penguin Rep Theatre at 59E59 Theaters
1 hour, 30 minutes (without an intermission)
Through September 1

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

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