Ecumenical Gestures

Synopsis:

Lou wishes to buy a valuable set of phylacteries for his grandson’s bar mitzvah, the phylacteries having purportedly once belonged to the Baal Shem Tov.

The price is prohibitive, but Lou has been ‘promised’ the job of cantor at the local synagogue, and works out a deal whereby he could conceivably pay off the phylacteries within one month – which just happens to fall on Christmas Day.

What follows is a kind of Jewish homage to The Gift Of The Magi – a Jewish Christmas farce, if you will – and a celebration of multicultural assimilation.

Character Breakdown:

The play is a 6-hander:  2 females, 4 males:
LOU GLICKSTEIN / MEMBER 1 – one actor.
YENTL GLICKSTEIN / MADGE STRACHAN – one actor.
ISSY GLICKSTEIN / MEMBER 2 – one actor.
KIRSTY
SEAN
MORRIS LIEBERMAN / RABBI HERSCHEL GREENBAUM / DR LEOPOLD WEINTRAUB / MR KATZMAN / BARNEY STRACHAN / GARFIELD TRETHOWAN QC / SHOPPER / SHMULEK MITZMACHER – one actor.

Production History:  Not yet produced.

Running-time: 130 minutes.

Only available in hard copy, which can be obtained through the author.