Behind the Poster: ‘Yentl’ at the Cleveland Play House

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By TAHLIB

OHIO---Judaism is considered by religious Jews to be the expression of the covenantal relationship God established with the Children of Israel, and all the laws and conventions are intended to satisfy that covenant. So, what happens when a young woman defies those conventions her dream? That's the story of "Yentl" a love story based on Isaac Bashevis Singer's short-story "Yentl the Yeshiva Boy." It's currently being produced at the Cleveland Play House but it’s the provocative poster that is drawing almost as much attention as the show. "The idea was to come up with a simple illustration that was going to be stark and eye catching," Brian Tatsumi, the Cleveland Play House’s creative director, told The New York Times. "We wanted 'Yentl' to be a pop of color. If you count white as a color, it’s blue and black and white. The blue is a reference to the Israeli flag. We thought that would resonate with our Jewish audience. The simplicity, we were hoping, would make it stand apart."

"Yentl” continues at the Cleveland Play House through Feb. 2. More information is at clevelandplayhouse.com.