“Wonder Woman: A How To Guide for Little Jewish Girls.” Performance artist Cyndi Freeman’s solo show about her journey from being a little suburban Jewish girl obsessed with Wonder Woman to her career as a burlesque queen, Cherry Pitz. Feb. 23- March 5 at the Red Room Theater, 85 E. Fourth St. For tickets, $10, call SmartTix at (212) 868-4444 or visit www.smarttix.com.
“My Pal, Izzy—The Early Life and Music of Irving Berlin.” A musical comedy tribute to the great American Jewish composer, featuring a dozen of his early, mostly unknown songs such as “If You Don’t Want My Peaches (You Better Stop Shaking My Tree).” Feb. 24-March 5 at the Kraine Theatre, 85 E. Fourth St. For tickets, $16, call SmartTix at (212) 868-4444 or visit www.smarttix.com.
“Year of the Slut.” Jennifer Lieberman’s one-woman comedy, in which she plays ten different characters, about a teenage virgin who moves from Canada to New York City in search of romance. Feb. 24-March 5 at the Red Room, 85 E. Fourth St. For tickets, $15, call SmartTix at (212) 868-4444 or visit www.smarttix.com.
“The Merchant of Venice.” The Theatre for a New Audience production of the Shakespeare play, starring F. Murray Abraham as Shylock, returns for a limited run. Feb. 27-March 13 at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University, 1 Pace Plaza at Spruce Street. For tickets, $40-$75, call OvationTix at (866) 811-4111 or visit www.ovationtix.com.
“Mother of God!” Michele A. Miller’s comedy, a Jewish mother’s take on the “ultimate Jewish Mother,” a woman named Miriam who gives birth to the Messiah. March 10-26 at the Richmond Shepard Theatre, 309 E. 26th St. For tickets, $18, call TheaterMania at (212) 352-3101 or visit www.theatermania.com.
“Birds on Fire.” Brenda Kahn’s play tells what might have been the lives of four unknown victims of the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. March 17-April 3 at Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave., at 10th Street. For tickets, $12, call (212) 254-1109.
“JewQueen.” A raucous retelling of the Book of Esther by the Little Lord Theater Company, which, according to its publicity materials, creates “vibrantly bawdy, offbeat, intelligent, queer, funny (and often musical) theater.” March 17-April 2 at the Under St. Marks, 94 St. Marks Place. For tickets, $18, call SmartTix at (212) 868-4444 or visit www.smarttix.com.
“The Intelligent Homosexual’s Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures,” Tony Kushner’s new play, which deals with a retired Italian longshoreman in Brooklyn who asks his three children to vote on whether or not he should kill himself. The play takes up big themes of marriage, sex, politics, and real estate. March 22-June 12 at the Public Theatre, 425 Lafayette St. For tickets, $75-$85, call the box office at (212) 967-7555 or visit www.publictheater.org.
“Mr. M.” Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre, directed by Vit Horejs, presents a new work based on a novel by Prague-based writer Ladislav Fuks, a contemporary of Franz Kafka’s. The story centers on Theodore Munstock, a Jew who tries to prepare himself psychologically for deportation. April 14-May 1 at the Theater for the New City, and May 5, 7 and 8 at the JCC in Manhattan. For information, call the TFNC at (212) 254-1109 or the JCC at (646) 505-5708.
“25 Questions for a Jewish Mother” Kate Moira Ryan’s play, starring comedienne Judy Gold from the Rosie O’Donnell Show, is based on interviews with more than fifty Jewish women. When it ran off-Broadway in 2006, the Times called it “fiercely funny, honest and moving.” One performance only, Sunday, May 8 at 2 p.m. at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Pl. For tickets, $25, call the box office at (646) 437-4202 or visit www.ticketweb.com.
“The Adventures of Hershele Ostropolyer.” Last season’s hit musical, starring Mike Burstyn, returns to the Folksbiene. Eleanor Reissa directs this show about a real-life Eastern European Jewish trickster. Lawrence van Gelder of the Times called it “heartwarming, good-humored, tuneful entertainment.” May 15-June 6 at the Baruch Performing Arts Center, 25th Street between Lexington and Third. For tickets, $45-55, call the box office at (646) 312-5073 or visit www.ovationtix.com.
The New York Jewish Week brings you the stories behind the headlines, keeping you connected to Jewish life in New York. Help sustain the reporting you trust by donating today.
