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The New York Times reports that a new musical stage adaptation of Yentl the Yeshiva Boy is in development, with a book and lyrics by Tony Award winner Lisa Kron, the Fisher Center at Bard announced Tuesday. The production will be directed by Barrie Kosky and features a score by Adam Benzwi.
The show is one of three inaugural projects selected for the newly established Civis Hope Commissions, a program designed to support artists reimagining American narratives to envision a more hopeful future. The commissions are backed by a $2.5 million gift from the Civis Foundation, matched by Bard College to establish a $5 million endowment.
Isaac Bashevis Singer’s short story, which inspired Barbra Streisand’s 1983 film adaptation, will see a new interpretation that returns more closely to the source material. The adaptation will draw from Yiddish theater and music hall traditions, according to the Fisher Center.
The Yentl musical marks Kosky’s first production developed entirely in the United States. Kosky, a prolific director known for opera and musical theater across Europe, will collaborate again with Benzwi, a longtime musical partner.
In addition to Yentl, the Civis Hope Commissions include Jubilee, a new musical based on Scott Joplin’s opera Treemonisha with a libretto by Suzan-Lori Parks and directed by Steve H. Broadnax III, and a new opera adaptation of Tennessee Williams’s Suddenly Last Summer, with music by Courtney Bryan and direction by Daniel Fish.
All three projects were already in progress but were formally selected to launch the Civis Hope Commissions due to their thematic alignment. “It’s not polemical, but they all turn out to be stories about strong women who are challenging the status quo,” Lester said.
