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Press play to hear a music sample and watch footage from our critically-acclaimed, audience-favorite world premiere of Hester Street at Theater J.
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Reviews & Press
Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography | Theater J World Premiere
“After more than a century, is there anything new to say about the story of immigration and one family’s acculturation? It turns out, yes. The world premiere, billed as the “largest production” to grace the stages of Theater J in years, goes deeper than the justifiably praised film, with humor, panache and great affection for its characters…
It’s a story that...resonates with millions of Americans.”
“Gitl’s emergence as a woman who takes control of her life is nothing short of a miracle.
She stands in for every immigrant who has gone through the terrors of separation and the bruising, bumpy process of making do in a new world. Rothstein’s tale takes place over a century ago, but it reminds us that starting all over again is ongoing in our uncertain world.”
Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography | Theater J World Premiere
Photo by Ryan Maxwell Photography | Theater J World Premiere
“Rothstein wisely remains faithful to both
Silver and Cahan
(who founded the Yiddish-language newspaper, The Jewish Daily Forward in New York in 1897) in making the struggle to Americanize central to Hester Street. The outstanding cast reveal the conflicts embedded in moving to another country. Hester Street tells the story of how immigrants parse the culture of their new country and figure out how to adapt while also figuring out what elements of their old country they will keep.”
Film & History
Hester Street is based on the classic independent film by Joan Micklin Silver and Abraham Cahan’s novella Yekyl.
Made on a shoestring budget of $400,000 in 1975, completely outside of the traditional studio system, the film Hester Street turned into an unexpected phenomenon.
Bolstered by rave reviews, it opened at New York’s Plaza Theater to lines around the block and went on to over $6 million dollars in ticket sales, the equivalent of over $33 million in today’s dollars. Carol Kane was nominated for the Best Actress Oscar for her performance as Gitl.
In 2011, the film was selected by Library of Congress to be part of the National Film Registry for its “cultural, historical and aesthetic significance.”
In making its selection, the Registry said that Hester Street was “a portrait of Eastern European Jewish life in America that historians have praised for its accuracy of detail and sensitivity to the challenges immigrants faced during their acculturation process”
Joan Micklin Silver’s screenplay was based on a novella by Abraham Cahan. Cahan was a Jewish immigrant from Lithuania who came with the more than two million Jews that emigrated to the U.S. between 1887 and WWI. He became a member of and advocate for the Socialist Labor Party of America. In 1897 he founded the Yiddish newspaper The Forward, which he used as a platform for the Socialist and Labor movements. In The Forward he referred to Jews who cast off the yoke of their religion and adopted socialist philosophy as “Free Thinkers”.
His original novella, Yekl; A Tale of the New York Ghetto focused the story on Jake, whereas Joan Micklin Silver’s screenplay for Hester Street shifted the narrative to Gitl. The play draws on both sources.
All black and white photography from Hester Street, the film.
Production photos by Ryan Maxwell Photography | Theater J World Premiere
About The Play
Hester Street depicts the uplifting journey of Gitl, a young Jewish immigrant from Eastern Europe, who arrives with her son to meet her husband Jake in the tumult of the late-19th century Lower East Side.
Separated from his wife and the provincial limitations of his upbringing, Jake has fully embraced his new American life—one that has little in common with Gitl’s old-time ways. Faced with the disintegration of her marriage in a world she can barely comprehend, Gitl must find her voice, protect her son, and redefine her identity.
The result is an unforgettable show awash in the humor, heartbreak, and hope essential to the Jewish immigrant experience.
Hester Street the play is a deeply moving new stage adaptation by Sharyn Rothstein (Arena Stage’s Right to Be Forgotten), featuring original music by Broadway’s Joel Waggoner, and is produced by Michael Rabinowitz and Ira Deutchman.
Hester Street had its critically- and audience-acclaimed world premiere at Theater J, directed by Oliver Butler (Broadway'sWhat the Constitution Means to Me).
Creative Team
Click headshot to expand bio.
World Premiere (2024)
Assembling a nationally-renowned team of artists, Michael Rabinowitz and Ira Deutchman produced their play Hester Street in association with Theater J in Washington D.C. for its world premiere in the spring of 2024. You can view the ensemble, billing, photo gallery, and director information below.
The process was featured in an article in The Forward titled, "How ‘Hester Street’ made its way to the stage."
Click headshot to expand bio.
Director: Oliver Butler
Assistant Director & Choreographer: Nikki Mizra
Scenic Designer: Wilson Chin+
Costume Designer: Frank Labovitz
Lighting Designer: Colin K. Bills+
Projection Designer: Patrick W. Lord
Sound Designer: Justin Schmitz+
Props Designer: Jason Dearing
Casting: Eisenberg/Beans Casting, Daryl Eisenberg, CSA, Ally Beans, CSA
Production Stage Manager: Anthony O. Bullock*
Assistant Stage Manager: Rebecca Talisman*
Assistant Stage Manager: Delaney Dunster
*Appearing through an Agreement between this theater, Theater J, and Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States
+Member of United Scenic Artists Local 829
Get Involved!
There are several ways in which you can be involved with Hester Street.
If you are interested in an investment in the commercial production or for further information about the play, fill in the form here, and we will get back in touch.