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Here we go again!
It’s been a long time since I had the privilege to write all about a play starring my beloved wife. I’m super excited to do it once again.
Miracle on South Division Street: Round One
I was very fortunate to get to see the first run many months ago of the epic performance of Tom Dudzick’s witty and intelligent Miracle on South Division Street. And I’m looking forward to round two!
Miracle on South Division Street tells the story of the Nowaks, a small devout Christian family, living in middle-of-nowhere America. The Nowak household is powerfully attached to a peculiar family tale that serves as the core of their belief system and identity. The play, quips actress Sarit Rachel Brown, is about “light topics” like “religion and family dynamics.”
Everything they’ve ever thought they’ve known gets tossed on its side after one daughter makes several earth-shattering discoveries she reveals to the family over the course of the show. With each new discovery we watch as the family’s minds are opened, world views are challenged, and the laughs come again and again.
Meet the Nowak Family
Yael Goldstein Valier, the play’s director, says “The Nowaks hold up a mirror to our ways of coping with religious crisis, and each family member’s reactions reflect a different solution or defense mechanism.” Actress Devorah Jaffe says, “I would say it’s about what happens to us when faced with a truth that makes us question our whole belief system… except it’s done in a simple and hilarious fashion.”
The play is a lively conversation between Clara and her three outgoing and opinionated children: Ruth, Jimmy, and Bev. It really gives you a lot to ponder, as Rabbi John Krug (set and lighting design) says, the play is about “what happens to people and how they adjust and cope when [their] foundation is challenged or threatened”, which is “highly relevant to the events unfolding in Israel today.”
Relevant, but not at all a given that we address the matters. Andrea Katz (Clara) says that “the Nowaks find their way together” whereas she herself is “pessimistic about the Jewish world doing so.” It is essential that we as a people contemplate these vital matters. That we never ignore them. And we as a people discuss the issues, even is we don’t come to conclusions. That’s the magic of something like this show. It gives us a gateway to think about difficult things.
The children add such color and beauty to the discussion. Devorah says of her character Ruth that “she doesn’t know what will be or if things will really work out, but she tries them anyway.” And Mordechai Buxner says of his character Jimmy that he “puts himself out there in a way I would never have the guts for… I love his intellectual curiosity, his sensitivity, and his sense of humor.”
Three Reasons to Come
It’s hard to write about the show without divulging critical spoilers. So I’ll keep it vague… while also trying to show you what you’ll get when you come see Miracle on South Division Street. Here are three reasons you should come:
First, it’s a professional-level talent. Jerusalem is a city, in my opinion, starved for entertainment. Most of us can’t afford the time or price tag to go to the many amazing events happening every week in Tel Aviv and other major cities. Yet right here in our backyard there’s a hidden gem. Fantastic actors who’ve learned to work together under the expert direction of Yael Goldstein Valier. She says of her crew, “This cast is talented, and they often have an unexpected take on a line that renders it hilarious.”
For a relatively small amount of money you can have all the great things you might expect if you were to head out to a professional stage in New York City or London right here in Jerusalem. It’s completely worth it.
Second, it’s legitimately funny. And all of us could use a good laugh right now. Life in Israel is complex and painful. And never slows down, not for a minute. How nice it is to just shut down for a couple of hours to laugh at other people’s fictional problems! And it’s not just funny. It’s laugh-out-loud funny.
Finally, the play is meaningful, and gets you thinking. Whether it’s the interesting theme of the play, or the intriguing discussion led by the speaker to follow, you are bound to walk away from Miracle on South Division Street with what to think about. The combination of entertaining and funny is always a good one. But it’s common and expected. But entertaining, funny, and thought-provoking is an elusive mashup most of us rarely get to experience. Yet it’s happening right around the corner at the Jerusalem Theater, yours for the taking. In the words of the director, “I love how they make me laugh so much that I don’t notice how much I’m thinking and absorbing.”
Laughing through our Hard Times
After chatting with the whole cast, it seems one of the biggest motivations driving them in these extraordinarily complex times is giving people a pleasant and comical experience, a break from the complexities of life in 2024. Mordechai says, “As an Israeli and as an American, I think this current moment in history is a very good time to be thinking about what it means to face reality head on.” Sarit agrees and adds, “We will never stop asking these questions. It’s nice to laugh while we do.“
Devorah continues, “I fell in love with comedy a few years back. The experience of making a room laugh, there’s not much like it. I hope it provides a breath of fresh air. A night out to just laugh and have a good time… watch someone else’s woes for a night and be able to laugh at the craziness of life for a couple hours.” And Andrea brings the idea home stating, “The play is funny, warm, cynical, upsetting, and inspirational. These days we just need to enjoy… [to] just laugh and rejoice in the typically atypical Nowak family.”
Theater and Theology
This is the third performance I’ve watched from the theater group Theater and Theology. I’ve been impressed each and every time (granted I’m slightly biased… since I proposed to my wife after one of them…). The shows are complex and entertaining, the actors are uber-talented and professional, and the format is designed to not just entertain, but to inform and cause everyone in attendance to walk away with something important to ponder.
And they deliver. Each and every time.
It’s a privilege to watch the company grow as well. For the first two shows I saw, they performed in a cramped, cavelike room in the Kahn Theater. It was smaller than their talent deserved. Now they’re moving up in the world, performing at the exalted and luxurious Jerusalem Theater, and they’re only missing one thing: Your butts in their seats!
I could not possibly recommend the show more. If you haven’t already purchased your tickets, what are you waiting for?
