Faygele, of Yiddish origin, meaning 'a little bird' but also a derogatory slang for faggot; this is also the name our protagonist Ari is referred to by his family. In this play, directed by Hannah Chissick, Ari Freed (Ilan Galkoff), battles with his identity as a young gay man in the midst of a Jewish family that can't accept him. His father (Ben Caplan) treats him horribly, and his mother (Clara Francis) battles with the hardship of motherhood and her controlling husband while truly wanting the best for her son.
At the start of the play, Galkoff appears at the side of the audience, startling to some extent, as he talks directly to us, as his family sits on the stage, at Ari's funeral. Galkoff takes on the role of Ari exceptionally, managing the complexity of hard emotions with the comedy of a young man witnessing his own funeral in the afterlife. He is captivating and humorous in all the right places, especially with the way he moves around on stage and comments on his family's emotions at the funeral. As an audience, we begin the play in fits of laughter, and by the end we are all silent as we journey through the heartwrenching story.
There is a perfect balance of Ari speaking to us and commenting on his funeral, with the flashbacks of different scenarios of his parents, the Rabbi (Andrew Paul), and friend Sammy (Yiftach Mizrahi). Each scene builds up the story so we get a full, rounded understanding of Ari's struggles and what led him to take his own life. At times, Faygele is hard to watch, and it is by no means an easy play to sit through, but it is truthful, if not being beautifully sad too.
The set, crafted by David Shields, is interesting with a framed photo of Ari always present on stage, while chairs and desks are moved around, whether at the funeral, in a kitchen, or in an office. However, at the start, the scenes seem to be quite short and the music and moving around of set pieces sometimes feels quite lengthy and doesn't flow as well as they could have.
Ultimately, Faygele is incredibly well-written and directed, crafted by a brilliant creative team and acting to tell a story about trying to survive in a religious space that doesn't understand your identity. It is about the complexity of adolescence, acceptance, and change - the battle between love and what you think is duty. It is the story of Ari, a young gay man, who is let down - a true story from Shimmy Braun that needs to be seen and heard.
It runs until 31 May.
Review: Cara-Louise Scott-Lapish Photos: Jane Hobson