Women's Minyan

Since its debut nearly four years ago, over a quarter of a million people have flocked to Israel's national theatre, The Habimah, to see Women's Minyan. Perhaps they're drawn to it because of the powerful-and highly relevant-social themes that it explores, because it certainly couldn't have been for the witty dialogue.

After being performed solely in Hebrew, this performance at Duke is its English-language and American debut. A viewer would be justified in wondering if something was lost in translation.

Based on the true-life story of a woman known as Rachel S., playwright Naomi Regan illuminates a very real injustice: Merely for divorcing her husband, a woman is denied the right to visit her twelve children and ostracized from her ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.

After two years of exile, Chana-the mother in the play-returns to her former home only to hear chants of "slut" and "whore," begging to see her children. After a lengthy period of exposition (warning: the play itself is long, long, long), it becomes clear to Chana, though it was obvious to the audience much earlier, that forgiveness was not going to be granted.

Parts of the play seem to stand still, while others are so rapid that it's almost impossible to understand the plot progression. Still, since much of what is said in this play is said over and over again, if you missed it the first time around, you'll probably pick it up the second, third or fourth time a character mentions it. Unless, of course, you get confused when actors use accents inexplicably and inconsistently.

Nonetheless, the debate about the role of women and their rights in a fundamentalist society is interesting. Bottom line: With a couple of spare hours, a bit of patience and a keen sense of hearing, you might learn something.

Women's Minyan premiered at Duke Oct. 15th and runs through the 30th in the Bryan Center's Reynolds Theatre.