The Roundabout Theatre Company’s newest production is stacked with an excellent cast, a beautiful set, and a heartfelt story.
After weeks of previews, “The Wanderers” has finally opened Off-Broadway.
The play is currently running at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre until April 2 and is the new Off-Broadway production from Anna Ziegler. Ziegler is best known for “Photograph 51”, which starred Nicole Kidman on West End in London.
“The Wanderers” had its world premiere at the Old Globe in 2018. Barry Edelstein directed its debut and has now returned to direct the Off-Broadway production. The current cast features Sarah Cooper, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Lucy Freyer, Dave Klasko, and Katie Holmes.
The story follows the journey of two different couples and their Orthodox Jewish faith. Sophie and Abe (Cooper and Thomas) have been together for decades—having met each other when they were children. They now have their own children and are attempting to navigate being successful authors and maintaining their marriage. Both originally come from Orthodox Jewish backgrounds, but are not practicing members during the events of “The Wanderers.”
Katie Holmes, Lucy Freyer, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Sarah Cooper, and Dave Klasko
Throughout the play, the audience sees how the couple view their loss of religion and the effects it takes on their marriage. Every couple has its problems, and for Sophie and Abe they lack communication. This leads Abe to find comfort in Julia Cheever (Holmes), an actress who Abe begins emailing after she attends a book signing of his.
The two have a bond that borders on inappropriate for two people who have spouses and children. Holmes is amazing in the role of Julia Cheever—a bit comical when necessary but stern when she needs to be. The dynamic between Julia and Abe is based on a forbidden love (or lust really) and one shouldn’t root for their relationship to turn romantic but the chemistry between the two is palpable.
Cooper is additionally a standout in the production. It’s great to see her shift from the comedic videos she gained popularity from online along with her standup to a dramatic role Off Broadway. When she stepped on stage it was a shocking, but delightful surprise.
On the other end of “The Wanderers” is Schmuli and Esther (Klasko and Freyer), a couple whose relationship we see in the span of a few years. From marriage to the birth of their last child, we see the peaks in their relationship. Both are practicing, traditional Orthodox Jews, but Esther seems to want something far different than her faith and her community. It leads to a rift in the relationship between the two.
Freyer portrays Esther in the way one would see a young woman struggle to find herself. She’s naive and curious, but brave. Of all the characters in the play, Esther is the one that felt the most real. In the end, she learns to choose herself and that costs her to lose some of the most important things to her.
“The Wanderers” is brilliant in its use of language and emotions. The entire cast successfully elevated every single piece of dialogue. However, the pacing of the show boarded on off-putting at times. With no intermission, it often appeared as though the show had dragged on, especially when it came to the scenes between Julia and Abe. The back and forth email interactions got repetitive at times, however, to the entire plot it assisted in developing their relationship.
Katie Holmes and Eddie Kaye Thomas in “The Wanderers” by Joan Marcus.
The climax of the production was highly worthwhile. I heard literal gasps from audience members towards the end of the play when certain secrets were revealed. Though, the gasps could also be due to the stunning set design by Marion Williams which features thousands of books spread out upstage.
All the elements of the production were put together with immense regard to Ziegler’s words. The story is truly the heart of “The Wanderers” and it’s one that should be seen by audiences of all backgrounds. It felt universal despite its subject matter. And the biggest lesson to be learned from “The Wanderers” is that one will never know true happiness until they put themselves first, no matter how selfish it seems.
“The Wanderers” is running now until April 2 at the Laura Pels Theatre.
