New Jersey Stage 2017: Issue 3 | Page 96

girlfriend , Melody ( Landers ). The heroic grandfather has died , and Daphna — she prefers the Hebrew to her given name , Diana — has been staying with Jonah in his Upper West Side apartment . Liam — he prefers that to his Hebrew name , Schlomo — arrives for shiva , with Melody in tow , having missed the funeral because he dropped his cell phone from a ski lift in Aspen . grandfather wanted her to have the chai , and she is unaware that Liam not only wants the necklace but plans to put it to a use that is not , shall we say , kosher . This disagreement , magnified by festering resentments , leads to a battle royal between the cousins while Jonah and Melody fruitlessly try to avoid the shrapnel . Although the immediate bone of contention and much of the

All four are right in what they ’ re saying and thinking , and they ’ re all wrong .

Daphna , who is immersed in Judaism and intolerant of Jews who aren ’ t , is furious at her secular cousin for missing the funeral , scandalized by his excuse , and disgusted by his Gentile companion . In her conversations with Jonah , who doesn ’ t want to get involved , Daphna has expressed her conviction that her dialogue in the play have to do with Judaism and Jewishness , Landers said , the overarching theme can resonate with people of any background . “ It ’ s about family ,” she said , “ and what your family culture is . It ’ s about how we relate to our family and be in our tribe .” If the confrontation between Daphna and Liam spins

NJ STAGE 2017 - Vol . 4 No . 3

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