We take a look at how critics have been reacting to this revival of the story.
Broadway World: **** ” If the philosophical and religious discussions erode some of the pace from the drama, particularly in the final 30 minutes or so, the play demands that its audience confront what are today called culture wars. What is the damage wrought by insisting, with the full force of law backed a howling media discourse, that individuals deny their specific manifestation of humanity in order to conform to another’s version of what they should be?”
WhatsOnStage: *** “It’s a fun yarn, and the cast and crew are clearly trying to tell Yentl’s story in earnest. But perhaps because of the original short format, or perhaps because half the play is in Yiddish with English surtitles, there are so few moments in which someone isn’t explicitly explaining what’s happening. This is understandable given the audience has to contend both with the Yiddish and the many Jewish customs that are key to the plot. But if you’re going to make a short story a two-and-a-half-hour play, it’s going to need more subtext, less exposition.”
A Young(ish) Perspective: **** 1/2 “The wonderful Amy Hack brilliantly portrayed the titular character of Yentl, who skillfully developed her from naive to gaining a strong maturity and achieving a fulfilling sense of self. “
The Jewish Chronicle: **** “It is a performance that captures mysticism and humanity of Singer who, one feels, would enjoy this version of Yentl much more than he did Streisand’s. I certainly did.”
Everything Theatre: *** “While it could push the boat further, Yentl is a compelling, funny, sometimes stressful adaptation that’s worth the watch.”
London theatre Reviews.co.uk: **** ” So, take whatever expectations you may have from the movie, whatever view you have on these controversial issues – the role of religion, the nature of identity, what it means to be a man and a woman both then and now – and make your way to the Marylebone Theatre. The entertainment is preordained; your reaction to it, like Yentl, will be entirely your own.”
All That Dazzles: ***** “The result was a show that got better with each passing minute, with its final scene and ultimate revelation among the best theatre I have seen so far this year.”
Theatre & Tonic: **** “It is bold, impactful, and steeped in a distinct cultural atmosphere while brimming with universal human emotions.”
London Pub Theatres Magazine: ***** “The other aspects, the set, the costumes, sound and lighting, are all cleverly at the service of the story and the portrayals of these really strong characters. It is an absorbing play full of deeply human desires, and the forces that get in way of fulfilling them. It also has a very satisfying ending, perhaps not the one we would have written ourselves, but one that feels right.”
The Stage: *** “Tightly wound, richly theatrical adaptation that finds modern resonance in an old story.”
First Night Magazine: ** 1/2 “Modern audiences could have still bonded with a turn-of-the-century woman striving to find her place where her own kind isn’t welcomed. Its potential exploration of genderless identities across history and religion could have led to a most galvanising experience. Unfortunately, this new adaptation of Yentl has produced the opposite outcome, leaving us with a hasty, superfluous iteration, where no light illuminates the night, the way, or the soul.”
Plays To See: “Intellectually ambitious and visually imaginative, the production ultimately presents Yentl as a woman who finds her true home within a male-dominated intellectual world. Her spiritual, intellectual and sexual awakenings become inseparably intertwined, culminating in the defiant final image of her donning tzitzit and tefillin. The result is a nuanced and thought-provoking meditation on identity, learning and self-realisation that lingers long after the curtain falls.”
Adventures in Theatreland: *** “Whilst this story, taken from its origins as a short tale by Isaac Bashevis Singer, may feel dated in terms, it also holds a striking modern reverence. Gender inequality, dysphoria and activism are themes that linger throughout the piece in a form that still felt strikingly relevant to the modern day.”
Theatre Weekly: ***** “This production of Yentl is an international affair, brought to London by the Melbourne‑based Kadimah Yiddish Theatre. The play is bilingual, with Yiddish sections subtitled via projection – another inspired touch. It’s right that this play should be seen far and wide, because it’s beautiful and clever enough to deserve a large audience.”
To book tickets visit: https://www.marylebonetheatre.com/productions/yentl