A mikvah (or mikveh) is a Jewish ritual bath (the picture above is a modern example).
It is rather an orthodox thing and mostly a female thing, so, in truth, I’ve not had much truck with mikv’ot (mikvah, plural) personally. I do remember my father saying that he wanted to apply for the job of lifeguard when they opened a mikvah in Streatham, but he was joking and I am digressing.
The closest I’ve got to actually dipping in a mikvah-like manner personally was my visit to the Fukinomori onsen bath in Japan 18 months or so ago:
Now I am digressing even further.
The Mikvah Project is a cute short play which Janie and I enjoyed very much.
Here is a link to The Orange Tree resource on this production.
The Orange Tree team has made an excellent short video explaining the play, embedded below:
It had a short run at the Orange Tree’s Director Festival 2019, which was very well received by the reviewers, but not seen by many people, so the Orange Tree has, wisely, brought the piece back for a full run with a proper set, including a “bad boy of a pseudo-mikvah” on stage.
Janie and I were both really impressed by the writing, the production and the directing. The performances of both Alex Waldmann & Josh Zare were top rate.
At one level it is a slight piece. Just over an hour; a simple and somewhat predictable plot. It made me think of My Beautiful Laundrette, but without the heavy political and inter-racial overtones.
Yet the play works extremely well. It is a charming piece that shows two young men in semi-detached North-West London suburbia who are semi-detached from their roots and from the expectations their community places upon them.
Janie and I like short plays of this kind; entertaining, thought-provoking and well-produced. Another big tick in the box for The Orange Tree.
If you are reading this during March 2020, we recommend that you go and see this piece; it runs at the Orange Tree until 28 March.
Great post Ian. Btw Mikva’s are used by men, a lot! Some would say much more thank women. Maybe try one 😉