The ambition is impressive and the results are equally so in Marvell Rep's mounting of "The Dybbuk," a seminal work of classic Yiddish theater. The play, by Russian-Jewish writer S. Ansky, was first produced in Poland in 1920. It exudes a folkloric sensibility, elevated and darkened with heady religious mysticism.
This ambience is captured with total conviction in both director Lenny Leibowitz's staging and the performances of his cast of 20 as they enact the tale of Leye, a young bride who, on the day of her arranged wedding to a wealthy merchant, is possessed by a dybbuk, a ghostly spirit whose destiny in life was left unfulfilled. The dybbuk is Khonnon, a pious student of Kabbalah, who fell dead when he invoked the Devil in his thwarted passion for Leye. The exorcism of Khonnon leads to the Liebestod conclusion.
While not all the faces on stage look like they'd be at home in a shtetl, Leibowitz has melded his actors into a totally responsive ensemble, whether they're portraying the grumblings of wedding guests about the food or the awe and terror of villagers witnessing Leye's dybbuk transformation. This creates a solid foundation for several strong principal characterizations.
As Reb Azrielke, the sage who conducts the exorcism, William Metzo shows us a man assured of his spiritual power and yet all too aware of his vulnerability in the interplay of the living, the dead, and the Almighty. It's a magnetic performance. There is also fine work by Jerry Matz, as a local rabbi who at one point is also possessed by a ghostly presence; Marc Geller, as the bride's caring father; and Barbara Spiegel, as Frade, the bride's loving nanny.
Rachel Claire gives Leye's state of possession a terrifying violence and then becomes quietly touching at the play's end, while Perri Yaniv makes an appropriately ephemeral Khonnon. In the most problematic role, Loni Ackerman acquits herself well as a mysterious messenger given to omniscient pronouncements. The live musical underscoring, composed by Adam Knauss for cello and bass, contributes tellingly to the mood, as do Tijana Bjelajac's scenery, Nicholas Houfek's lighting, and Susan Nester's costumes, which are not all quite period but not distracting.
Leibowitz doesn't break new theatrical ground here or unearth new meanings in Ansky's play. What he has achieved is a straightforward and highly believable rendering of an old story with complex undertones, made readily accessible in Joseph C. Landis' English translation. And he has done it with artful use of basic stagecraft. There are no spooky videos to announce a ghost; when Khonon's spirit appears to Leye, the actor simply walks from the wings with a shift in lighting. It's chilling enough.
Imbuing a classic with immediacy, this is the kind of production that with a few more embellishments might commendably occupy a theater with considerably more seats than the small venue in which it's playing. Making Leibowitz's accomplishment more remarkable is that "The Dybbuk" is only part of Marvell's inaugural season. It's also presenting, in rotating rep, Federico García Lorca's "Blood Wedding" and a double bill of "Nora," Ingmar Bergman's adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll House," and John Millington Synge's "In the Shadow of the Glen." Leibowitz, Marvell's artistic director, directed them all. Let's hope he hasn't worn himself out. His Marvell could be a potent addition to New York theater.
Presented by Marvell Rep at the Abingdon Theatre Arts Complex, 312 W. 36th St., NYC. March 17–April 3. Schedule varies. (212) 352-3101, (866) 811-4111, www.theatermania.com, or www.marvellrep.com.