What is in a name? It can allude to our nationality, history, culture and religion, but does that define us, or dictate where our passions should lie? “My Name is Asher Lev,” directed by Paul Mullins, offers an engaging narrative of a young man’s struggle to reconcile being an art prodigy, born to a strict post-Word War II Hasidic family in Brooklyn.
Noah Averbach-Katz heads up the dynamic three-member cast as Asher, an artist driven to express himself through his drawings despite his father’s objections to the profession. He weaves a tale through time that draws the audience in. Remaining on stage for the entire 90-minute one-act play, Averbach-Katz delivers almost non-stop dialogue.
THEATER REVIEW
WHAT: “My Name is Asher Lev” at Portland Stage
WHERE: 25A Forest Ave., Portland
DATE REVIEWED: April 1; play runs through April 17
TICKETS: $37-$47 (seniors $4 off regular ticket price, students $20)
CONTACT: 774-0465, portlandstage.org
The captivated audience is along for the ride on Asher’s journey of self-discovery as he slips into scenes from the past in between narrating his story. Averbach-Katz captures each shift in age without any change in costume, most notably regressing to an inquisitive six-year-old boy.
Joel Leffert and Patricia Buckley primarily portray Asher’s parents, but also step into the shoes of various other characters throughout the play. Leffert offers a delightful combination of enthusiasm and bluntness as the renowned artist Jacob Kahn and Buckley is barely recognizable as the art gallery owner, Anna Schaeffer. The sharp contrast between roles highlights the actors’ versatility and adds color to the storyline. Brittany Vasta’s minimalist brick set subtly enhances the play, utilizing a sliding wall of windows that allow the audience to be both the insider looking out, and the outsider looking in. As with art, the windows at times reflect reality, capturing a mirror image of the action on stage. They offer an alternate perspective, as well as providing the inspiration for Asher’s heretical painting at the end of the play.
“My Name is Asher Lev” is a moving story of cultural conflict and family drama. Although set in Brooklyn’s post-World War II Jewish community, the play’s message can apply to any culture, nationality, or religious background. As the artist tells young Asher, “Every artist has to free himself from something.”
April Boyle is a freelance writer from Casco. Contact her at:
Twitter: @ahboyle
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