The Essence (A Yiddish Theatre Dim Sum) to Open on the Upper West Side

This marks the off-Broadway debut of the Yiddish language comedy, which played the New York International Fringe Festival in 2012.

September 14, 2021

Steve Sterner, Yelena Shmulenson, and Allen Lewis Rickman star in The Essence (A Yiddish Theatre Dim Sum). — Steve Sterner, Yelena Shmulenson, and Allen Lewis Rickman star in *The Essence (A Yiddish Theatre Dim Sum)*.

The Essence (A Yiddish Theatre Dim Sum) will makes its off-Broadway debut this fall at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre (home of WP Theater). Previews begin October 10 ahead of an official opening October 17. Performances are slated to run through December 23.

Described by its creators as "an introduction to Yiddish language and culture designed for people who don't give a rat's rectum about Yiddish language and culture," The Essence presents audiences with scenes, sketches, and songs in Yiddish (accompanied by English supertitles) along with some sidebars about the language itself (see the video below for an example).

The Essence is directed by Allen Lewis Rickman (Red Skelton from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), with performances by Rickman, Yelena Shmulenson, and Steve Sterner.

The off-Broadway debut of The Essence will be presented by the Congress for Jewish Culture.