urban excavations

Becoming Eve
Featuring Tommy Dorfman, Judy Kuhn, Tedra Millan, Rad Pereria, Richard Schiff, and Brandon Uranowitz
New York Theatre Workshop | Abrons Arts Center
March 20, 2025 – April 27, 2025 [extended]
production site

Becoming Eve is a surprising and inspirational play based on a memoir of a woman born a man, who left a Jewish orthodox upbringing to live her true trans self. A play of many transitions that works beautifully in a New York Theatre Workshop production on the Abrons Arts Center stage. Puppets, costumes, and splendidly crafted writing including layered liturgical debates that inspire intellectually and dramaturgically inspired me to read long passages of the playscript post show.

Becoming Eve by Emil Weinstein, based on the memoir of Abby Chava Stein and directed by Tyne Rafaeli, roots us in a progressive Jewish sanctuary where Chava has elected to come out to her estranged Hasidic father as trans. The action of the play is primarily set in this one location, designed by Arnulfo Maldonado, lit by Ben Stanton, with characters costumed by Enver Chakartash, with multiple flashbacks in areas successfully carved out with little more than light and shadow. It is a gorgeous and flexible choice by the production to utilize puppets designed by Amanda Villalobos of various ages, little boy to adolescent to young man, to represent the pre-transitioned Chava, still voiced (in shadow) by the actress Tommy Dorfman.

The play wisely does not structure the primary action of the play as progressive life events, instead relies on flashbacks with puppetry and more contemporary scenes with mom Mami (Judy Kuhn) to fill in some blanks, while rooting our action in “the present” in the progressive sanctuary where Chava will meet with his father Tati (Richard Schiff) as organized by the rabbi of a progressive congregation Jonah (Brandon Uranowitz). This play’s beating heart is a debate of biblical commentary found by Chava to present and argue with her father to support her case of the the validity of transitioning and finding her true self. Dorfman as Chava and Schiff as Tati engage in this Talmudic debate and intellectual argument with precision and grace. The playwright and the director pitch the play at a smart audience, and you feel yourself rising to the occasion.

The playwright doesn’t look for villains — mom is a no-show (we are to believe she can’t quite force herself to meet up with Chava yet, if ever) and Chava’s ex-wife, who granted her a divorce pre transition (oh, yes Chava was married as a man and has a child) holds no grudges. It’s the community, the play presents, that creates and maintains the rift keeping Chava from her family connections.

We watch this show and weep; we feel this show and have hope for recognizing the humanity of all people.

© Martha Wade Steketee (April 8, 2025)

Playwright | Emil Weinstein, based on the memoir by Abby Chava Stein
Director | Tyne Rafaeli
Set Design | Arnulfo Maldonado
Costume Design | Enver Chakartash
Lighting Design | Ben Stanton
Sound Design| Uptown Works