Robyn Israel

Reviwed by Renee Silberman, October 7, 2009

****/4

Dateline New York – London’s own versatile writer/actor Robyn Israel, hit the boards Big-Apple style, Off-Off-Broadway last night with her prize-winning, one-woman show, Jewish Girls Don’t Kayak and we are basking in the glory of her achievement.

Poignant insight interwoven with quicksilver wit lit up Israel’s audience, as the tale of self-discovery unfolded. New Yorkers readily identified with the shtick, an outpouring of yearning and insight familiar to anyone capable of finding the humour in life’s complexities.

Israel made an easy transition from the familiar setting of a London stage to the ambitious New York theatre scene. Her poise never abandoned her as she vindicated her belief that her play was suited to the world “out there.” The subjects Israel touched on resonated with the audience, both those who knew the Jewish quarter of Montreal, and those whose frames of reference did not include anything of the Canadian background of the play. In post-play conversation, Israel elaborated on her life and theatrical experiences and was especially amusing on the topic of crossing the Canadian-U.S. border where the authorities were not charmed by the universality of dramatic experience.

Stage Left Studio, ‘The most beautiful little theatre in NYC,’ is the brainchild of Cheryl King, a producer, director and performer who brings experimental works into her clever, intimate setting. As a member of the Dramatist’s Guild, she is well-placed to bring performers new to the New York scene to the attention of an ever-hungry stage-loving public. King presented Jewish Girls Don’t Kayak in The Women at Work Festival. This showcase performance afforded Israel a great moment Off-Off-Broadway. She has every justification to feel stage struck, and we who follow her career have every reason to feel star-struck!