Leah, the Forsaken

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While closed borders and religious profiling are daily in the news right now, Metropolitan Playhouse has revived Augustin Daly’s wildly popular 1860 play, Leah the Forsaken, a melodrama on this very topic. Francis X. Kuhn’s production of this 19^th century potboiler is crisp and trenchant, possibly the best work to have been seen on Metropolitan Playhouse’s stage. On the other hand, the virulent Anti-Semitism expressed by the Austrian villagers in this play makes one wonder if this is what we need to hear from our stage right now with the unleashing of hate and intolerance since the presidential election. There are some good characters in the play, but the redemption that is expected never happens and the bigoted villagers triumph. The play is simply preaching to the converted, as they say. No one will come away changed by the encounter with this play; it may only reinforce existing prejudices.

In spite of the play’s melodrama and old-fashioned theatrical effects like soliloquies to the audience, Kuhn’s shrewd direction which leans toward heightened realism undercuts the play’s sensationalism and treats it naturalistically. In the early part of the 17^th century, Jews were banned from Austria and not allowed to spend one night in the country. Leah, fleeing persecution from Hungary, on the way to America is passing through an Austrian village in the mountains. Rudolf, the son of the magistrate, falls in love with her and they plan to run off to the land of opportunity and religious freedom.

Unfortunately, the intolerant Schoolmaster Berthold (who harbors a secret of his own) discovers this forbidden love and offers to prove Leah is not worthy with a bribe of money. The results of this betrayal and unmitigated bigotry lead to a series of tragedies. Only Madalena, also in love with her childhood friend Rudolf, stands up for Leah but cannot stem the tide against the ingrained centuries of ignorance and hatred of the town’s people. Although the village’s priest Father Herman calls for understanding and charity, the actual villain of the play is revealed to be Jewish which only inflames the villagers more. It is possible a play like Leah, the Forsaken may do more harm than good in our current political and religious climate.

Nevertheless, while the play is startlingly not politically correct, the acting is of a high caliber. In the title role, Regina Gibson (who appeared last season in the rediscovered operetta The Golden Bride by the National Yiddish Opera Folksbiene) gives an impassioned, persuasive performance. In the ingénue roles, Jon Berry (Rudolf) and Noelia Antweiler (Madalena) are charming. Jeffrey Grover captures all of the self-righteousness of the bigoted schoolmaster Berthold. Joe Candelora as the Magistrate Lorenz and Ron Nummi as the Doctor and Barber (which he never stops telling us) give hearty, comic portrayals. The rest of the large cast of 15 also throw themselves into their respective roles.

The clever set design of the Austrian mountains and trees by Michael LeBron runs all around the four sides of the black box theater and includes sliding flats which give it a 19^th century atmosphere. As always, the costumes by Sidney Fortner carry us back to this historical time period. The lighting by Samantha Davis and Patrick Mahaney is generally efficient, while Jacob Subotnick’s sound design with its thunder effects enhances the realistic production. Scott Barrow’s fight choreography is dramatic and vivid. Jonathan Allentown is responsible for the appropriate period music.

Leah, the Forsaken, written by an important playwright in the last half of the nineteenth century who contributed 100 scripts to the American theater including the now classic Under the Gaslight, is of historic value. However, in the fraught times we live in, the outcome of the play does little to convince that tolerance against bigotry is needed. Ironically, this may be the most accomplished production yet produced on the stage of Metropolitan Playhouse.

Leah, the Forsaken (through March 12, 2017)

Metropolitan Playhouse, 220 E. 4^th Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, call 1-800-838-3008 or visit http://www.metropolitanplayhouse.org

Running time: two hours and ten minutes including one intermission