The Jewish Theatre San Francisco (TJT) in association with The Friend Center for the Arts at the JCCSF presents Wendy Wasserstein’s award-winning comedy The Sisters Rosensweig from January 7 – 17, 2010 in Kanbar Hall. This will be the second year of collaboration between TJT and the JCCSF, giving both organizations the opportunity to expand their reach and serve their community.
Regarded as one of the playwright’s most accomplished works, the play is set in 1991, when three Jewish-American sisters come together for the celebration of the oldest sister’s 54th birthday in London.
Over a period of several days at Sara’s stylish townhouse, each sister is forced to face her life, and confront issues concerning romance, careers, childhood and family. United by sisterhood, they are in fact as different as sisters can be, but each tries to live up to the family expectations. The play was admired by critics for its humor and insight, and earned the playwright both an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Tony Award nomination for best play in 1993.
The work also captures several social and political issues that gave shape to the late part of the 1980s—the fall of the Soviet Union, Reaganomics, and the plight of the homeless, to name a few. In fact, the events discussed in the work are merely a reflection of what Wasserstein experienced in her own travels, first in eastern Europe, before the fall of the Soviet Union, and in Poland, in a town where she could see no evidence of her Jewish ancestry. It was her goal not only to raise certain political and social questions but also to illuminate her Jewish heritage, using her work as her vehicle.
The Sisters Rosensweig premiered in 1992, featuring Jane Alexander as the oldest sister Sara, an over-achiever and successful banker; with Madeline Kahn as Gorgeous, middle sister, housewife, mother and radio personality; and Frances McDormand as Pfeni, a somewhat eccentric globe-trotting journalist.
For this production Sara will be played by Jeri Lynn Cohen, returning to The Jewish Theatre where she previously appeared as Linda in Death of a Salesman and created roles in The Magic Barrel and The Jewbird. She is a charter member of Word for Word Performing Arts Company and has worked throughout the Bay Area, and has toured internationally with both Word for Word and the San Francisco Mime Troupe.
Nancy Carlin will appear in the role of Gorgeous Teitelbaum. An associate artist of the California Shakespeare Theater, an affiliate artist of the Foothill Theatre Company, Carlin is a former longtime company member of the American Conservatory Theater, and has performed and directed for many local theater companies. She directed The Floating Light Bulb for The Jewish Theatre last spring and co-author of a new musical, Max Understood, developed at the Eugene O’Neill Center’s National Music Theater Conference last summer.
Deb Fink, who was last seen with the company in Dead Mother, will play Pfeni. She has been acting in theater, film, television, and voiceover since childhood, and has been part of Central Works in Berkeley for 19 years, and has performed locally with numerous companies. Her film credits include Happily Even After, Save Me, This Space Between Us, Nine Months, and Half-life.
The men in their lives are portrayed by Dan Hiatt (Mervyn) Cassidy Brown (Geoffrey) Matt Hooker (Torn) and Victor Talmadge (Nicholas). Sarah Schwartz rounds off the cast as Tess.
The play is directed by The Jewish Theatre’s Artistic Director, Aaron Davidman, Nina Ball is the scenic designer, with lighting by Lucas Krech and costumes by Eli Magid.
The Sisters Rosensweig opens in Kanbar Hall on Saturday, Jan. 9 at 8 pm, with two previews preceding on Jan. 7 and 8.. It will play on Sunday, Jan 10 at 2 pm, and continue the following week Thursday – Saturday (Jan 14 – 16) at 8 pm, and Sunday, Jan 17 at 2 pm.
Tickets priced from $24 - $34 may be purchased at the JCCSF Box Office 415/292-1233 or on-line at www.jccsf.org/arts. The JCCSF is located at 3200 California Street at Presidio.
