Aryeh’s constant travel on missions to create new “yeshivas” (Orthodox Jewish seminaries) worldwide is another source of family tension. His talent revealed itself early, much to his family’s puzzlement-especially his evangelical father, Aryeh (Peter Librach). He takes us through the troubled childhood and adolescence that led him to towards such a dark vision. An adult version of protagonist Asher Lev (Spencer Landis) narrates the play. Potok even had some notable success as a visual artist before becoming a New York Times best-selling author, a Jewish theology scholar, and an ordained conservative Rabbi. The climax of My Name Is Asher Lev reveals a painting named “Brooklyn Crucifixion” by Potok. He, like Asher, spent much of his youth torn between his conservative Hasidic Jewish upbringing and his irresistible artistic drive. The script was written in 2009 by Aaron Posner but is an adaptation of a 1972 novel by Chaim Potok. It’s a memory play chronicling the emotional flight of a young artist from his family, and one on the basis of an author’s tormented personal experiences, if this time an author once removed.

My Name Is Asher Lev reminds me of my all-time favorite, The Glass Menagerie. The West Boca Theatre Company’s current production of My Name Is Asher Lev earns a unique and high compliment: of all the plays I’ve written about in the past 5ish months (my, how time flies), it’s the only one that I left actively inspired to create.

Potok my name is asher lev