Following a 5-star, sold-out triumph at the Sydney Opera House, Kadimah Yiddish Theatre’s acclaimed production of Yentl transfers to London’s Marylebone Theatre for a strictly limited six-week engagement.
This thrilling new bilingual staging reimagines Isaac Bashevis Singer’s revolutionary tale with urgency, intimacy and a vibrant celebration of Yiddish culture. When a young woman dares to defy Orthodox law by disguising herself as a man to study Jewish scripture, she steps into a world alive with possibility and conflict. As Yentl’s search for knowledge deepens, faith, gender, desire and tradition collide—propelling her toward a destiny that challenges every boundary.
Bold, lyrical and unapologetically contemporary, Yentl is a powerful story of courage, identity and the fight to live your truth.
We sat down with playwright Elise Esther Hearst to learn more.
What can you tell me about Yentl?
Yentl is a stage adaptation of a short story written by Isaac Bashevis Singer, a Polish-born Jewish writer who was one of the most important Yiddish authors of the 20th century. The story is set in Poland in the late 1800s and revolves around Yentl, a young woman who desires to study the holy and religious Jewish texts forbidden to women at the time. After her father dies, Yentl makes the decision to flee from her town and begin a new life as Anshl - a young man. So ensues the tumultuous events of Yentl/Anshl’s life, as one lie creates another and then another and then another, until it all comes crashing down. It’s a powerful story that reckons with the cost of self-determination, asking how far one must go, and what one must sacrifice to remain true to oneself.
Yentl is a stage adaptation of a short story written by Isaac Bashevis Singer, a Polish-born Jewish writer who was one of the most important Yiddish authors of the 20th century. The story is set in Poland in the late 1800s and revolves around Yentl, a young woman who desires to study the holy and religious Jewish texts forbidden to women at the time. After her father dies, Yentl makes the decision to flee from her town and begin a new life as Anshl - a young man. So ensues the tumultuous events of Yentl/Anshl’s life, as one lie creates another and then another and then another, until it all comes crashing down. It’s a powerful story that reckons with the cost of self-determination, asking how far one must go, and what one must sacrifice to remain true to oneself.
What inspired you to write this piece?
I was brought on to collaborate on this project by the wonderful team at the Kadimah Yiddish Theatre. I had a vague familiarity with the story, thanks to Barbara Streisand’s adaptation, which I watched as a teenager in a Jewish studies class at school! But as soon as I read the original short story I knew I was hooked. The story offers a complex and nuanced take on what it means to not belong - in place, in time, and in your own body. Bashevis Singer’s themes hint at the darker hidden aspects of ourselves, and his story is imbued with Jewish folklore, spirituality and mysticism, all of which makes it incredibly fun and thought-provoking territory to explore.
I was brought on to collaborate on this project by the wonderful team at the Kadimah Yiddish Theatre. I had a vague familiarity with the story, thanks to Barbara Streisand’s adaptation, which I watched as a teenager in a Jewish studies class at school! But as soon as I read the original short story I knew I was hooked. The story offers a complex and nuanced take on what it means to not belong - in place, in time, and in your own body. Bashevis Singer’s themes hint at the darker hidden aspects of ourselves, and his story is imbued with Jewish folklore, spirituality and mysticism, all of which makes it incredibly fun and thought-provoking territory to explore.
How did you approach the writing process alongside the co-writers Gary Abrahams and Galit Klas?
I came on board the project in the thick of Covid, and so most of our writing took place across Zoom. We approached the process with a great deal of mutual respect and trust. Each of us brought something different to the work - different strengths, perspectives, and instincts - and we allowed these differences to deepen the piece. The process was both rigorous and generous, and I think the richness of the work reflects that collective spirit.
I came on board the project in the thick of Covid, and so most of our writing took place across Zoom. We approached the process with a great deal of mutual respect and trust. Each of us brought something different to the work - different strengths, perspectives, and instincts - and we allowed these differences to deepen the piece. The process was both rigorous and generous, and I think the richness of the work reflects that collective spirit.
How do you approach making the story not be a tale of nostalgia or victimhood?
For us, Yentl is an incredibly contemporary story. At its heart, it’s about identity, autonomy, desire and the right to self-determination - questions that feel perhaps even more urgent now as they did in the time the story was written. Yentl is an empowered figure. We witness her dare to break the rules in the most transgressive of ways, refusing to be the victim of her own narrative. By leaning into the moral complexity, the folklore, and the humanity of the characters, we hope the piece feels dynamic - a story about people who are flawed, searching and deeply alive. In that sense, it becomes less a tale of the past and more a conversation with the present.
For us, Yentl is an incredibly contemporary story. At its heart, it’s about identity, autonomy, desire and the right to self-determination - questions that feel perhaps even more urgent now as they did in the time the story was written. Yentl is an empowered figure. We witness her dare to break the rules in the most transgressive of ways, refusing to be the victim of her own narrative. By leaning into the moral complexity, the folklore, and the humanity of the characters, we hope the piece feels dynamic - a story about people who are flawed, searching and deeply alive. In that sense, it becomes less a tale of the past and more a conversation with the present.
What is your creative process like when you are adapting literary work and bringing it the stage?
I have found that in adapting prose for the stage, you need to lean into the themes at the heart of the work, and see how these can be expanded upon, dramatised, and played with. For us, we sought out consultation with experts on the Kabbalah, Jewish religious life, and Yiddish linguists to round out our understanding of the world we were entering into. As always with theatre, there was a lot of trial and error, work on the floor, and a great deal of collaboration from an incredible creative team to create a rich and immersive experience for the audience.
I have found that in adapting prose for the stage, you need to lean into the themes at the heart of the work, and see how these can be expanded upon, dramatised, and played with. For us, we sought out consultation with experts on the Kabbalah, Jewish religious life, and Yiddish linguists to round out our understanding of the world we were entering into. As always with theatre, there was a lot of trial and error, work on the floor, and a great deal of collaboration from an incredible creative team to create a rich and immersive experience for the audience.
What challenge does writing in two different languages bring?
None of the writing team are fluent Yiddish speakers, so the decision was made to write the script in English, and then with careful consideration decide which parts of the play would be best served in Yiddish with the assistance of a Yiddish translator. Yiddish is such an expressive and lyrical language, and its addition to the work is evocative of another time and place, instantly transporting the audience. I can’t imagine the play without it. It truly honours the original heart of the work, some of which can and arguably should only be expressed in the language Bashevis Singer was writing in.
None of the writing team are fluent Yiddish speakers, so the decision was made to write the script in English, and then with careful consideration decide which parts of the play would be best served in Yiddish with the assistance of a Yiddish translator. Yiddish is such an expressive and lyrical language, and its addition to the work is evocative of another time and place, instantly transporting the audience. I can’t imagine the play without it. It truly honours the original heart of the work, some of which can and arguably should only be expressed in the language Bashevis Singer was writing in.
How different is the process of writing a play to writing a novel?
Writing a play - especially one when you have co-writers - requires a great deal of collaboration. I relish bouncing ideas off others, and feeling the aliveness of the work as early as its inception. Novel writing in comparison is a very solitary experience until you begin working with an editor.
Writing a play - especially one when you have co-writers - requires a great deal of collaboration. I relish bouncing ideas off others, and feeling the aliveness of the work as early as its inception. Novel writing in comparison is a very solitary experience until you begin working with an editor.
How do the themes of Yentl cross with the themes in your debut novel One Day We're All Going To Die?
Whilst my novel is set in contemporary Melbourne, it too is a kind of coming-of-age story about a young Jewish woman named Naomi. While Naomi is not governed by the strict rules of Jewish orthodoxy, she has her own constraints that she is pushing against; heavy familial expectations, intergenerational trauma, sexual relationships, and a desire to truly know herself when she is being dragged in many different directions. In this way I do see an overlap between the two pieces of work.
Whilst my novel is set in contemporary Melbourne, it too is a kind of coming-of-age story about a young Jewish woman named Naomi. While Naomi is not governed by the strict rules of Jewish orthodoxy, she has her own constraints that she is pushing against; heavy familial expectations, intergenerational trauma, sexual relationships, and a desire to truly know herself when she is being dragged in many different directions. In this way I do see an overlap between the two pieces of work.
Have you had to approach the London run any differently to the hit run at Sydney Opera House?
Only in the sense that we will have some new cast members joining the production. Otherwise audiences should expect to see the same production as it was in Sydney.
Only in the sense that we will have some new cast members joining the production. Otherwise audiences should expect to see the same production as it was in Sydney.
Why do you believe this piece is important for now and for a 2026 audience?
Yentl is an extraordinary tale of longing to understand oneself. This condition is something that everyone can relate to, Jewish or not, orthodox or not, queer or not. It teaches us that all is not what it seems, the world is not black and white, and to question given circumstances,
to be a critical thinker, is a necessary path forward to understanding. In such a chaotic and divided world, this feels more important than ever.
Yentl is an extraordinary tale of longing to understand oneself. This condition is something that everyone can relate to, Jewish or not, orthodox or not, queer or not. It teaches us that all is not what it seems, the world is not black and white, and to question given circumstances,
to be a critical thinker, is a necessary path forward to understanding. In such a chaotic and divided world, this feels more important than ever.
What was the first piece of theatre that had a big impact on you?
My mother used to take me to children’s theatre when I was little on a Saturday morning. I used to love attending with her. She remembers me standing up in my seat, pointing to the stage and saying, “one day I’m going to be up there”, and from there my love of theatre bloomed.
My mother used to take me to children’s theatre when I was little on a Saturday morning. I used to love attending with her. She remembers me standing up in my seat, pointing to the stage and saying, “one day I’m going to be up there”, and from there my love of theatre bloomed.
What keeps you inspired?
My kids, my family, my friends, the stories we share and pass down from one generation to the next.
My kids, my family, my friends, the stories we share and pass down from one generation to the next.
What would you hope someone takes away from Yentl?
Be yourself! There is a way, and you will find it.
Be yourself! There is a way, and you will find it.
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