Playwright Nick Cassenbaum has brought a whole new dimension to a Jewish Christmas thanks to his immensely popular Jewish pantomimes.
The first, in 2023, was Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Pig, and in 2024 we saw the launch of Goldie Frocks and the Bear Mitzvah. Jewish panto has become something of a Christmas tradition, appealing to diverse audiences ranging from the ultra-orthodox Jews to non-Jewish theatregoers.
But for accomplished playwright Nick, panto is a diversion from his widely acclaimed mainstream work and now his hugely successful play Revenge: After the Levoyah opens in London.
Premiering at the Edinburgh fringe last year, Revenge: After the Levoyah was voted the Edinburgh Fringe Sellout Show, the Summerhall Lustrum award winner 2024, The Scostman Fringefirst award, named as one of The Stage newspaper’s top Fringe Five and given a Popcorn award.
Nick started writing the play in 2017 after the death of his beloved grandfather. Raised in Woodford Green in North East London, Nick says the play is a “love letter to Jewish Essex. It was the time of Jeremy Corbyn when there was a lot of antisemitism in the country. And I wanted to address that, to speak to a moment of people feeling anxious and scared.”
Nick Cassenbaum
Nick continues: “That was then but the current events in the Middle East make the play every bit as relevant today. From the germ of my grandfather’s death and shiva, I mulled round ideas. I wanted to see how far I could push the situation and develop it into a performance.”
And the result, far from being depressing, is a five star show that tears through antisemitism in the diaspora, the dangers of collective hysteria, and how far you can throw a jar of chraine from a moving vehicle.
The story centres around Malcolm Spivak, who corners twins Dan and Lauren with a proposition: help him kidnap Jeremy Corbyn. What follows is a chaotic Jewish heist comedy that blends madcap comedy and biting political satire.
“British people are good at finding humour in sad situations,” says Nick. “The idea of gallows humour. And with Jewish jokes there is a rhythm, comedy that is both funny and warm. There is a long tradition dating back to comics like Bud Flanagan, who not only entertained but also wrote music such as the theme tune for Dad’s Army.”
The characters in Revenge: After the Levoyah will seem familiar to many audiences.
“I was inspired by the people I knew when I was growing up in Essex. They had their own identity and were very different from North West London Jews. Many were people who had left the East End to build new lives in and around Ilford, a place that had one of the world’s largest growing Jewish communities.”
And finally, is Nick planning on writing a panto for 2025? Oh yes, he is! He is already hard at work writing Cinderella and the Matzo Ball. The show promises to be even bigger and better than ever, so put it in your diary now, because tickets will doubtless sell out fast.
Revenge: After the Levoyah is sixty minutes long, with a cast of two playing up to 50 characters. Playing at the Yard Theatre, Hackney Wick from 9-25 January. Recommended age 16+. theyardtheatre.co.uk
