The Jewish King Lear

See it if you'd like to see a smartly revived classic of Yiddish theater (in crisply translated English) or just want to see a warmhearted show!

Don't see it if you have no tolerance for customs, music, dance, ideas that are probably different from those you grew up with.

Also “The Jewish King Lear” is my sleeper hit of the season. A long-time East Village resident, I’ve long been curious about the thriving Yiddish Theater scene that my neighborhood hosted in the late 19th & early 20th centuries. But I’d feared this revival of a Yiddish classic might be a dusty historical exercise. Not at all! It’s smart, sharp & funny—living, breathing, highly effective theater. Because it’s staged in a small theater with the audience on 3 sides, we feel like guests at a beautifully detailed Jewish feast of the time. The story reworks Shakespeare, cuts the Gloucester plot & kills no one off. But there’s deep pathos in the fall of a once-celebrated rabbi to a life of hunger & wandering in the cold, & great exhilaration at his deeply affecting reconciliation with a beloved daughter. And how progressive! Science is good! Allowing women personal agency benefits all! Performances are fine. Jeremy Lawrence is a very funny fool; Joel Leffert as “Lear” is towering.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy a powerful drama about a Jewish family with the father making many of the mistakes of King Lear. Great writing and acting.

Don't see it if you like comedy. This is a drama about family members and all emotions are bared.

Also The Metropolitan Playhouse should be very proud of this production. It is not Shakespeare's King Lear but a story that has similarities. There are striking differences including the wonderful ending. It is also a play ahead of its time showing the younger daughter wanting her independence to pursue her dream of becoming a physician. Great use of a small stage. If you are a fan of King Lear see this play but if you are not see it anyway because this is great writing and I hope to see it in a larger theater.... Read more Read less

See it if you like shows about Jewish traditional culture, family dynamics in this society, hypocrisy, greed and suppression of women.

Don't see it if you dislike stereotyped characters, obvious rather than nuanced scripts and predictable plots.

See it if you enjoy family dramas with Jewish themes.

Don't see it if you want to see a modern play about family issues.

Also I found the play too predictable and simple.

See it if Loosely based on Shakespeare it brings out the best of Yiddish theater in 1892 and still is relevant today

Don't see it if If you don't care about Jewish traditions and immigrant's adjustments to their new home in USA

Also This is in English but with many Yiddish expressions. It is not a translation of King Lear but a separate play... Read more Read less

See it if It is a Jewish twist on King Lear

Don't see it if If you do not have a knowledge of Jewish traditions.

See it if you want to see a cast, across the boards here, giving masterful performances. Joel Leffert & Jeremy Lawrence rise to the top here. A treat!

Don't see it if off-off-Broadway on the Lower East Side is just not your thing.

See it if you are fascinated by the idea of the King Lear story performed in a Jewish 19th Century family setting.

Don't see it if You don't like excellent acting and story telling revolving around 19th century family drama.

See it if You like adaptations of Shakespeare

Don't see it if You expect a Broadway-standard production. This one does a lot with a little.

See it if You appreciate outstanding acting and discovering a piece from long ago that reveals universal truths about human nature.

Don't see it if You don't have the patience for a long show (almost 3 hrs.) or don't like small theater spaces.

See it if An historical gem of the Yiddish theater brought to life by supremely gifted veterans backed by a talented cast in a great translation.

Don't see it if You're a Shakespeare purist.

Also Truly a gift to theatergoers who enjoy great melodrama and appreciate yiddishkeit.... Read more Read less