Review of ‘Faygele’: “Mensch plot but absent plotz”

The Marylebone Theatre hosts the UK premiere of Shimmy Braun’s queer-themed play, exploring the struggles of a gay teenage boy as he faces rejection from his orthodox family. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show, to let us know if its real-life inspired narrative is worth a Mazel Tov.

We won’t succeed on Broadway if we don’t have any Jews… Or homosexuals. And especially, homosexual Jews. Sorry to break it to you… whatever you think I’m breaking. But yes, that’s a fag-tual statement — at least, in my case. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that a story exploring the struggles of a gay teenager tormented by his orthodox environment has made it to the stage — suffice to say that it doesn’t lead to a pretty ending.

I’ll admit I was hooked by its premise. But you can already guess where this review is heading to. Yes, every gay man (guiltyyyyyyy) can relate to a tale of family ostracism. And yes, the fact that author Shimmy Braun has used the script as an exercise of self-liberation is an added value to the resonance of the material. But none of those features are enough guarantee for the success of a show. And they certainly haven’t been for this one at all.

Don’t get me wrong… Just get me in… Sorry, I lost my focus. In a time when LGBT+ rights are back at stake by a fearsomely growing conservative mindset, any act of resilience against oppressive convictions should be embraced — especially if they come in the form of artistic expression. But much like everything in life, good intentions are never enough to get things done. And although Faygele (which is Yiddish for f*ggot) proves that the writer’s heart is in the right place, his dramatic skills sadly seem to have taken a sabbatical year.

There’s little praise to be given other than its core idea and themes. All the rest feels wistfully flawed and unprepared for the stage. Unable to build any rhythm, one of its most noticeable problems stems from its unpolished dialogue. With the exception of just a few rare examples, the general vibe comes across as clunky and incredibly cliched — displaying no naturalness or credibility whatsoever and expecting audiences to fall for lazy expositional techniques whose sole contribution is to increase the phoniness of the piece.

With a confusing structure, compromising its pacing by giving away many essential elements in the plot too early on, the play is incapable of triggering any emotion in the viewer — bringing up stirring subjects but depriving them of any pathos due to the flatness of its characters and overall clumsy execution of the narrative. As a result, our disconnection with the story is almost imminent. And no matter how hard it tries to win us back, its scarce resources and poor aptitude makes every attempt hopeless.

Unfortunately, the company doesn’t provide much to counterbalance the writing’s issues. Though their commitment to the roles is somehow visible, the absence of chemistry and flair casts out every outstanding possibility of audience investment. None of their portrayals comes off as believable — all in all, they feel wooden and without any layers, thus cementing our lack of sympathy towards their plight.

I take no pleasure in bad-mouthing others — when I review, that is. And trust me when I say that it causes me great pain to make such comments on a piece that, as a gay man with Jewish heritage, should hold so much meaning to me. But there’s nothing else to do when something so promising leaves you such a burning sensation of disappointment. If handled properly, Faygele‘s blending of Hebraic and queer realities could have become a reference for both kinds of literature – and even continue the legacy of Martin Sherman’s work. Instead, they gave us the Dhar Mann version.

All pictures credit to Jane Hobson.

Faygele plays at London’s Marylebone Theatre until 31 May. Tickets are available on the following link.

By Guillermo Nazara