TRAYF
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SYNOPSIS Orthodox teens and lifelong best friends Zalmy and Shmuel are intent on saving the world, one mitzvah at a time. But when a curious outsider draws Zalmy into the forbidden secular pleasures of 1990s New York City, Shmuel must do everything in his power to keep their dreams intact or risk losing his friend forever. This road-trip bromance is a funny and heartwarming ode to the turbulence of youth, the universal suspicion that we don't quite fit in, and the faith and friends that see us through. TIME & PLACE Manhattan and Brooklyn, 1991. CHARACTERS ZALMY: m, 19. Chasidic Jew. Intelligent, curious, hungry for life. SHMUEL: m, 19. Chasidic Jew. Loyal, earnest, hungry for love. JONATHAN: m, late 20s. Prospective convert. Charismatic, impulsive, hungry for purpose. LEAH: f, late 20s. Secular Jew living in Manhattan. All of the above. |
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REVIEWS
"A tidy, consistently smart story... Joelle's comedy is easygoing and confident, and her people have soul." - Washington Post
"Joelle’s writing is so light and graceful, and the pals are so endearing,
that you quickly settle into the swing of their self-contained world." - Washington Post
"The dynamics of this trio are observed by Joelle with a lively wit and genial wisdom...
Although fraught with jealousy, these male relationships are suffused with a delicate tenderness.” - L.A. Times
"The thing about Lindsay Joelle's Trayf, now playing at The Geffen Playhouse, is that it has really excellent dialogue. In every sense of the word. The opening patter between two Chassidic teenage boys fizzes like a sketch comedy routine and the rhythm carries like a current through a lot of silliness and a lot of seriousness." - BroadwayWorld L.A.
"Joelle's prose really cannot be complimented enough. In an hour and half, she is able to dive into issues such as faith, identity, friendship, and purpose
with a clarity and introspectionrarely seen onstage." - BroadwayWorld D.C.
In a world where anti-Semitism is again on the rise, where synagogues are targeted by vandals and terrorists, Trayf is a bulwark against the ignorance that contributes to such acts. - BroadwayWorld Boston
"Joelle’s writing is so light and graceful, and the pals are so endearing,
that you quickly settle into the swing of their self-contained world." - Washington Post
"The dynamics of this trio are observed by Joelle with a lively wit and genial wisdom...
Although fraught with jealousy, these male relationships are suffused with a delicate tenderness.” - L.A. Times
"The thing about Lindsay Joelle's Trayf, now playing at The Geffen Playhouse, is that it has really excellent dialogue. In every sense of the word. The opening patter between two Chassidic teenage boys fizzes like a sketch comedy routine and the rhythm carries like a current through a lot of silliness and a lot of seriousness." - BroadwayWorld L.A.
"Joelle's prose really cannot be complimented enough. In an hour and half, she is able to dive into issues such as faith, identity, friendship, and purpose
with a clarity and introspectionrarely seen onstage." - BroadwayWorld D.C.
In a world where anti-Semitism is again on the rise, where synagogues are targeted by vandals and terrorists, Trayf is a bulwark against the ignorance that contributes to such acts. - BroadwayWorld Boston
PRODUCTION HISTORY |
SELECTED ACCOLADES |
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