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New Play ‘The Sabbath Girl’ Features Great Performances, But Could Use a Bit More Tinkering
A scene from the musical “The Sabbath Girl.” Photo: provided.
There are two good reasons to see The Sabbath Girl, a new musical in Manhattan at 59E59 Theaters. The first reason is that actor Rory Max Kaplan is going to be a star, and you can tell your friends you saw him before he became huge. He looks a bit like Billy Magnussen, and his good looks, great charisma, and comedic timing make the show exciting.
Kaplan, a Jewish actor, plays Blake, a slick, muscular artist looking to show off his work in a gallery. He meets Angie (Marilyn Caserta), and his interests are not only business, but pleasure as well. Caserta is the second reason you should see the show — her acting is spot on, and she is compelling and believable.
Angie is first viewed as a “Shabbos goy” by Seth (Max Wolkowitz), an Orthodox Jewish young man who wears a kippah and is from Riverdale. Well explained in the musical, a “Shabbos goy” is someone who is hired to do tasks that Orthodox Jews cannot perform on Shabbat, such as turning off lights.
Max works with his mother, Rachel, selling knishes ($8.25 seems a bit pricey, but oh well), and she has a strong personality. Played by Jewish actress Lauren Singerman, she performs her role well, and impresses in the comical song “Assets.” Max begins to fall for Angie, and she has to see if she wants to become involved with Max, Blake, both, or neither.
The scenes with Caserta and Kaplan work great. The scenes with Caserta and Wolkowitz don’t, and it’s not the fault of the actors. The main problem of The Sabbath Girl is that other than “Assets” and “I Want To Paint You,” the songs are neither memorable nor are they inspiring.
The show would work much better as a play, where there would be sufficient time for Max to warm up to the idea of being with Angie. To have him take off his yarmulke, have a fight with his mother about it and then decide she is a real possibility for him for a relationship in the span of an hour and a half would be tough on its own; taking time away with songs makes it that more difficult.
Single Jewish men who are older often wonder if it might be easier to find a woman who is not Jewish, and some grapple with their desire and rules of religion. This dynamic could — and should — have been heightened and explored further.
For Max to jump so quickly to Angie makes the audience miss out on seeing what’s happening in Max’s mind. For example, some dialogue between Max and Blake questioning religion could have made things more interesting.
Based on a clever premise, with a knockout performance by Kaplan and a great performance by Caserta, The Sabbath Girl is definitely worth seeing. Some people may prefer average songs to no songs at all, but the crux of the play would have been more authentically explored in a play format that delved deeper into Max’s character, or a musical with a lot more depth. If the songs were better, it would make more sense as a musical.
Directed by Joe Brancato, with music by Neil Berg, lyrics by Berg and Cary Gitter, who also wrote the book, the show has potential, but could have been developed a lot more. Regardless, it’s still entertaining, with a dynamite lead performance.
The author is a writer based in New York.
The post New Play ‘The Sabbath Girl’ Features Great Performances, But Could Use a Bit More Tinkering first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Canada Is Evaluating Ties With Israel After Qatar Attack, Foreign Minister Says
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand speaks during a High-level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution at UN headquarters in New York City, US, July 28, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon
Canada is evaluating its relationship with Israel after the attack on Hamas leaders in Qatar, foreign minister Anita Anand said on Wednesday, in the latest sign of unhappiness with the Israeli government.
Anand reiterated that Canada considered the attack to be unacceptable, especially given Qatari attempts to mediate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
Anand made her comments when asked whether Canada might follow the lead of the European Commission, which said it would propose the suspension of trade-related measures in a European Union agreement with Israel.
“We are evaluating our relationship with Israel,” Anand told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of the ruling Liberal Party in Edmonton.
Asked specifically whether Canada was considering any kinds of sanctions against Israel, she replied: “We will continue to evaluate our next steps.”
Canada has noticeably hardened its line on Israel under Prime Minister Mark Carney, who replaced Justin Trudeau in March. Carney announced in July that Canada would recognize Palestinian statehood, angering Israel.
Trudeau was generally supportive of Israel‘s campaign against Hamas, while occasionally criticizing actions of the Israeli military.
Carney on Tuesday condemned the Israeli airstrike, calling it “an intolerable expansion of violence” that risked escalating conflict throughout the region.
He said last month that Israel‘s plan to take control of Gaza City was “wrong”.
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Iran Says More Talks Needed to Bring About IAEA Inspections
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi speaks during a meeting with foreign ambassadors in Tehran, Iran, July 12, 2025. Photo: Hamid Forootan/Iranian Foreign Ministry/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
A new agreement between Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog does not guarantee inspectors’ access to Iranian nuclear sites and Tehran wants further talks on how inspections are carried out, the country’s foreign minister said on Wednesday.
Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reached a deal on Tuesday on resuming inspections at sites including those bombed by the US and Israel but gave no specifics, and Tehran said the deal was off if international sanctions were re-imposed.
“I have to reiterate the agreement does not currently provide access to IAEA inspectors, apart from the Bushehr nuclear plant,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told state TV in an interview.
“Based on reports that Iran will issue in the future, the nature of access will have to be discussed at an appropriate time,” he added.
Diplomats said the devil would be in the details of Tuesday’s agreement. No joint press conference was held in Cairo to provide details on what the IAEA has been calling “modalities” regarding the resumption of inspections.
The agreement comes against the backdrop of an ongoing threat by European powers to re-impose international sanctions against Iran that were lifted under a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and major powers.
The IAEA‘s Grossi said in a statement on Wednesday that the “technical document” agreed provided for “a clear understanding of the procedures for inspection, notifications, and implementation.”
“These include all facilities and installations in Iran and also contemplates the required reporting on all the attacked facilities, including the nuclear material present at those.”
While Iran‘s enrichment sites have been badly damaged or destroyed, it is less clear what has happened to the stockpile, which includes uranium enriched to up to 60 percent purity, a short step from the roughly 90 percent required for weapons-grade.
Araqchi said the IAEA‘s board of governors’ meeting on Wednesday would be crucial concerning how cooperation with the IAEA develops.
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Israel Attacks Sanaa, Al-Jawf in Latest Strikes on Houthis in Yemen
Smoke billows following an Israeli air strike in Sanaa, Yemen, Sept. 10, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
Israel struck the Yemeni capital Sanaa and the northern province of al–Jawf on Wednesday, with the Iran-backed Houthis rebels who control much of Yemen saying it killed nine people and wounded 118 others in an initial toll.
The strikes are the latest in a series of attacks and counterstrikes between Israel and Houthi terrorists in Yemen, part of a spillover from the war in Gaza.
The Israeli military said it had struck military camps, the headquarters of the Houthi military “propaganda” department, and a fuel storage site.
The Houthi’s military spokesperson denied in a statement later that Israel targeted missile launchers. “Its strikes targeted purely civilian targets,” he said.
He added that two newspapers were targeted, with journalists and passers-by falling between dead and wounded.
Sanaa residents told Reuters the attack was on a hideout between two mountains that is used as a command and control headquarters. The extent of any damage was not immediately clear.
The Israeli strikes also targeted the Houthi defense ministry, witnesses said.
The attack came days after an Aug. 30 strike on Sanaa killed the prime minister of the Houthi-run government and several ministers, in the first such assault to target senior officials.
“The strikes were carried out in response to attacks led by the Houthi terror regime against the State of Israel, during which unmanned aerial vehicles and surface-to-surface missiles were launched toward Israeli territory,” the Israeli military said.
The Iran-aligned Houthis, an internationally designated terrorist group, have attacked vessels in the Red Sea in what they describe as acts of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
They have also fired missiles towards Israel, most of which have been intercepted. Israel has responded with strikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, including the vital Hodeidah port.