Yael Elisheva invites you to a roast of the Jewish men in their life by retelling stories from Jewish folklore with a modern twist. A one-person show that is part-drag, part-performance art, part-theatre, it’s packed with witty commentary about religion, masculinity and even current day politics in Israel and Palestine. Yael, the creator and performer, is Yaya and plays as themselves and as a number of Jewish American and British characters. It’s a physical undertaking which they pull off with enormous skill and ingenuity. Costume changes, facial hair application, music and video projection all come to their aid in welcoming the audience into Yaya’s very own “City of Fools”.
These will be familiar stories for many Jewish audiences but, for the benefit of those who aren’t clued in, The Wise Men of Chelm are East European stories set in an imaginary city called Chelm inhabited by fools who imagine that they are wise men and come up with very foolish solutions to problems facing the people of Chelm. A Jewish Canterbury Tales if you will.
The one-hour show starts with an old movie-style projection which immediately gets laughs from the audience. The tone for the show is established, nothing is to be taken seriously, and it’s refreshing to give in to the nonsensical——especially in today’s heightened political climate which problematically polarises Jewish representation. “Yaya As… The Wise Men of Chelm” offers a much-needed respite. It reminds us of the power of laughter, the limits of our knowledge, and of a Jewish history and culture that existed before, and does exist still outside of, Israel.
Yael gives the disclaimer that this is not a man-hating show. Yaya LOVES men and, indeed, the characters are (mostly) lovable. Just John is a cisgendered heterosexual feminist and loves to take every opportunity to prove it to his date whilst monologuing the night away. It’s a little embarrassing how familiar I was with the Just Johns of the world but vindicating to see the artful caricaturing by Yael which included a hilarious sex scene with a wig on a mic stand that verged on the acrobatic. Mordy, the camp counsellor, gives us an insight into the American Jewish tradition of summer camps and Aaron into the pressures of the coming of age ceremony, the Bar Mitzvah. The way Yael slips into different personas is seamless, and the rapid-fire costume and accent changes keep the audience on their toes.
“Yaya As… The Wise Men of Chelm” is an hour of pure, unadulterated joy that will leave you laughing and thinking long after the curtain falls. Whether you’re familiar with Jewish folklore or not, Yael Elisheva’s performance transcends cultural boundaries, inviting everyone to appreciate the humour and wisdom found in the tales of Chelm.
By Tasnim Siddiqa Amin
The Wise Men of Chelm is next showing at the Camden People’s Theatre on 12 and 13 August and the Kings Head on 17 August.
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