Pangs of the Messiah

By Motti Lerner
Directed by Edward Einhorn
October/November 2011

New York Premiere

The year is 2014, and Israel is on the verge of signing a peace accord; in the West Bank settlements that Israel may soon abandon, no one is celebrating. Lerner’s tense drama focuses on the Head of the Council of Settlements and his family as they struggle to retain the life they have built in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah. The play provides a rare window into the lives and psyches of the settlers from an insider’s perspective. It is a family drama with broad political implications.

Translation: Anthony Berris
Original music: Henry Akona
Sets: Jane Stein
Costumes: Carla Gant
Lighting: Jeff Nash
Dramaturg: Sarah Ollove
Assistant Director: Patrice Miller
Stage Manager: Becky J. Doster
Assistant Stage Manger: Elizabeth Irwin
Clarinet: Jenny Lee Mitchell*

With: Sidney Fortner*, David J. Goldberg, Gusta Johnson, Elliott Mayer, J. M. McDonough*, Paul Muriillo*, Yvonne Roen* and Max Wolkowitz