Amy Tolsky, Ari Hagler, Sharron Shayne and Holly Sidell (Photo by Alyssa K. Liu)
Reviewed by Iris Mann
Theatre 40
Through June 21
RECOMMENDED
Ari Hagler and Holly Sidell (Photo by Alyssa K. Liu)
Susan Sandler’s play, Crossing Delancey, debuted off-Broadway in 1985. (The film version was released in 1988.) The play is now receiving a splendid revival at Theatre 40.
The plot concerns a woman who must choose between an attractive, sophisticated man and a simpler but more sincere one who loves her. It’s a scenario that could easily come across as overly conventional and formulaic but, under the skillful, sensitive direction of Jonathan Fahn, it’s transformed into an original, tender and heartwarming story, with characters whose needs and emotions are familiar and universal.
The play depicts a segment of Jewish life in New York and is laced with Jewish humor. It also touches lightly on such themes as familial and romantic love, loneliness, devotion, tradition versus modernity and surface glamour as opposed to an inner strength and constancy.
The heroine of the story is Isabelle Grossman (Holly Sidell), usually called Izzy. She is unmarried, lives alone, works in a bookstore and enjoys mingling with the literary set. She is also enamored of a magnetic, worldly writer named Tyler Moss (Matt Landig). Izzy visits her Bubbie (Sharron Shayne) (the Yiddish word for grandmother) weekly. Bubbie worries about Izzy being alone and unmarried, and hires Hannah (Amy Tolsky), a matchmaker, to find a potential mate for the granddaughter she loves deeply. Hannah puts Izzy together with Sam Posner (Art Hagler), who owns a pickle business, but Izzy resists; she resents the whole, outdated process and can’t see herself involved with a rather ordinary, unglamorous marital prospect.
At one point, Izzie goes to Tyler’s house, where it soon becomes clear that he doesn’t love her in the way she desires, but instead wants her as an assistant with benefits. After decisively rejecting him, she decides to rethink her priorities.
The cast is uniformly excellent, with Shayne delivering the standout performance. She imbues Bubbie with an adorable spunkiness and easily glides through a panoply of emotions —fiercely loving with Izzie while stubbornly persistent about finding her a husband. Watching her character scheme to realize her goal is immensely enjoyable.
Sidell is a very attractive Izzy. She’s vulnerable and open, particularly when addressing the audience. She is also dynamic when her character finally tells off the writer who had been the object of her fantasies.
As the writer, Landig projects a casual narcissism that doesn’t overdo the character’s unattractive qualities but allows him to be seductive and to seem genuinely attracted to Izzie and interested in getting to know her. Landig also effectively portrays the writer’s lack of awareness that he is behaving like a cad.
As his opposite, Hagler is equally persuasive in conveying Sam’s sincerity and kindness and self-respect; a scene where he offers his heart to Izzy is quite touching.
Finally, Tolsky renders the broadest most uninhibited, performance of the evening as a brash, gluttonous, in-your-face practitioner of that rather dated way of making a living, matchmaking. Most of the time, she is hysterically funny but she’s occasionally over-the-top. There are also moments when she hints at her character’s more somber side.
Theatre 40, 241 S. Moreno Dr., Beverly Hills. Thurs.-Sat., 7:30 pm, Sun., 2 pm; thru June 21. https://theatre40.org Running time: Two hours, including one intermission
