[NEohioPAL] Review of "To the Orchard" at Playwrights Local 4181

[Bob Abelman via NEohioPAL]

Engaging ‘To the Orchard’ pits tradition against desire 



Bob Abelman

Cleveland Jewish News, The News Herald, The Morning Journal

Member, International Association of Theatre Critics



Local playwright Les Hunter’s latest contemporary drama is getting its world premiere as the first full-length production of the newly formed Playwrights Local 4181.  It is taking place at Waterloo Arts in Collinwood and, later in the run, at Dobama Theatre in Cleveland Hts.



“To the Orchard”– which is about making mistakes, repairing the damage, and reconciling religious traditions with personal desires – was a Top-Ten Finalist in the 2016 Jewish Play Project, received a National Foundation for Jewish Culture New Play Development Grant, as well as a production grant from the Arch and Bruce Brown Foundation.  



The play takes place during the thirty days of shloshim – the Jewish ritual of mourning – which happens to coincide with Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and tracks Brooklyn College student Rachel Bergman’s (Kelsey Angel Baehrens) coming to terms with her homosexuality.  



For more of this review, go to www.clevelandjewishnews.com/columnists/. 
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