THE WEIGHT OF HERITAGE

A thoughtful work that
doesn’t always come together

Charity Schultz, Freya Churchwell, Zach Kunde, Douglas Levin

An unusual and ambitious production, L.M. Feldman’s A People is a sort of theatrical mosaic. Mounted by Arts Judaica and YI Love Jewish and currently playing at Theater Wit in Lakeview, the show attempts to condense five thousand years of Jewish culture and heritage into a 90-minute program; a tall order, to say the least.

(front) Freya Churchwell, Daniel Boughton, Charity Schultz, (back) Douglas Levin, Jin Ai, Xavier Mattison

Dugan Kenaz-Mara‘s scenic design is fairly simple. A large Star of David is outlined on the floor of the theater. The points of the star are occupied by various chests and crates. These contain costumes and props (also Kenaz-Mara) that the eight-member ensemble uses throughout the show. A set of chairs and light globes are arrayed in the back, and that is it.

Daniel Boughton, Haley Schenk

There is a lot going on here. A bit too much, in fact. In their zeal to cover as much ground as possible, Feldman returns far too often to carefully constructed mayhem: scenes in which actors deliver their lines rapidly in near synchronicity, hitting on multiple issues at the same time. There are times when this approach works quite well: the sequence where the cast argue and debate about what exactly connects them to each other and, more specifically, what it is that makes them Jewish, is the play’s finest moment; religious, cultural, and historical criteria are thrown out and, almost immediately, rebuttals follow, with the entire scene eventually devolving into a beautiful chaos that answers the question without spelling it out explicitly. But more often than not, the rhythms don’t quite click. The issue is not the actors, who are strong across the board, but that a lot of Feldman’s individual scenes don’t feel fully worked out.

(back row) Freya Churchwell, Jin Ai, Charity Schultz, Xavier Mattison, Zach Kunde, Douglas Levin, (front row) Haley Schenk, Daniel Boughton

Director Avi Hoffman clearly has affection for the material, and his cast is excellent, but despite the near-constant movement of the actors, there are a number of dead spots because there is no connective tissue between the vignettes. I wondered multiple times if a more sustained abstract approach might have served the material better. More problematic is that the play is targeted to a very narrow demographic; some of its sharpest moments require considerable familiarity with Judaica and religious practice, and while I know the subject well, a good chunk of the play would be bewildering to a newcomer.

Jin Ai, Zach Kunde, Xavier Mattison, Douglas Levin, Daniel Boughton

At its best, A People achieves startling clarity and grace. A vignette that draws a line from Yiddish poetry through American folk music—using Dylan, natch—is particularly well done; another, involving Freya Churchwell reading from a scroll while the other cast members declaim over her, achieves a poetic rhythm that evokes Dylan Thomas’s memory plays. It is a haunting and starkly beautiful passage.

Daniel Boughton, Charity Schultz, (back) Xavier Mattison

But more often than not, the production is done in by the rough edges of the vignettes. It makes me feel like an ogre to be harsh on something that is so obviously a labor of love, but despite the best efforts of its talented cast and production team, A People is a few drafts away from a genuinely satisfying theatrical experience.

Jin Ai, Charity Schultz, Freya Churchwell, Zach Kunde, Douglas Levin

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photos by Logan and Candice Conner

A People
Arts Judaica & YI Love Jewish
Theater Wit, 1229 W. Belmont Ave. in Chicago
90 minutes, no intermission
Thurs–Sat at 7:30; Sun at 2
ends on July 5, 2026
for tickets ($36), call (773) 975-8150 or visit Arts Judaica

for more shows, visit Theatre in Chicago

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