Max Wolkowitz, Marilyn Caserta. (Photo: Dorice Arden Madronero)

The Sabbath Girl

By Fern Siegel

Romantic comedies work best when opposites attract. That's the case for The Sabbath Girl. Finding love is hard — overcoming cultural and religious differences is harder. But as the new musical, now off-Broadway at 59E59 Theaters suggests, love is the great leveler.

What's enjoyable: Cary Gitter's musical is not trite. It doesn't make his characters, Jews or non-Jews, one-dimensional. And he flips the script on expectations. Divorce, unhappiness, longing and desire are all explored with a light, but moving touch. There is a difference between stereotypes and the nuances of real life.

The show is set in New York. Angie (Marilyn Caserta) is a gallery curator with a passion for art, especially modern, cutting-edge artists. She explains that growing up in suburban New Jersey, she felt separate from others. What excited her were trips to Manhattan museums with her grandmother (Diana DiMarzio). There, her soul awakens to the beauty of painting, underscored by the song "A Life in Art."

Now, having broken up with a cheating boyfriend, she lives in a small apartment and rejects relationships. Yet, much to her eventual surprise, life is about to change — by a simple knock on the door.

Seth (Max Wolkowitz), the guy down the hall, is an Orthodox Jew. It's Friday night, the Sabbath, and he requires a "Sabbath goy." That is, a non-Jew who can perform everyday tasks, such as turning electrical appliances on and off, actions forbidden to observant Jews during the 24-hour Sabbath period. Seth owns a knish shop on the Lower East Side, the same neighborhood as Angie's gallery. He inherited the shop from his father and runs it with his sister, Rachel (Lauren Singerman). She's upset that Seth abandoned their Riverdale, Bronx community after his divorce.

A divorced Orthodox Jew may be rare, but it happens. And as Seth explains in his case, inevitable. He and his ex-wife bowed to familial expectations with unhappy results. Undeterred, Rachel wants to set him up anew. Seth balks at the prospect, preferring to chart his own future.

Those themes — tradition vs. modernity, religious community vs. secular life — are addressed with sensitivity. Whatever religion or group, there are behavioral expectations. In the Orthodox world, which prides itself on close community ties, departure from set practices is frightening. Or as Rachel sings in a poignant number, there is "Something Bigger Than Us." Survival depends on unity, on embracing the warmth that Judaism can bring.

Max Wolkowitz, Lauren Singerman (Photo: Dorice Arden Madronero)

Seth agrees — but at what price? He is a thoughtful, nice-looking guy who respects tradition, but harbors creative desires. He longs to express himself and be understood as a totality ("The World He'd Never Seen.") Angie, busy wooing Blake (Rory Max Kaplan), a narcissistic hot artist for her gallery, is confronted with an emotional dilemma: What values does she want in a man? Is her attraction to Seth viable, given the chasm between them?

Bottom line: How do you live your own life, yet keep your family and beliefs alive?

Sabbath Girl, a clever, often sweet show, raises these difficult questions. It's aided by a wonderful cast, especially Caserta (blessed with a great set of pipes) and Wolkowitz who click. Singerman realistically captures the Orthodox fear of outsiders, given the current harassment of Jews. Her body language speaks volumes. Yet each performer, and a special shout-out to DiMarzio's rendition of "Roseland," hits the right notes.

The show is directed with humor and sensitivity by Joe Brancato, Penguin Rep's artistic director, where it first opened. Neil Berg and Gitter wrote the lyrics; Berg is responsible for the melodious score. The economical set is by Christopher and Justin Swader, costumes by Gregory Gale and lighting by Jamie Roderick.

Because it's a small theater and no Broadway orchestra to play over actors, every word is heard, thereby furthering the narrative. That's refreshing. Gitter has produced a musical that entertains and, on occasion, enlightens.

The Sabbath Girl, 59E59 Theaters

Running time: 90 minutes, no intermission

Tickets: https://www.59e59.org/