Where can our lives take us? The Braid, an L.A.-based Jewish theater company, seeks to answer that in ways both concrete and metaphorical in a new show called “Traveler’s Prayer,” which will play in the Bay Area over two days at the end of January.
“Traveler’s Prayer” features true stories, retold by actors, that are “moving, hilarious, reflective and, above all, deeply meaningful,” director Susan Morgenstern told J.
Congregation Kol Emeth in Palo Alto will host “Traveler’s Prayer” on Jan. 25, as will Congregation Shir Hadash in Los Gatos on Jan. 26. The show is also running in the Los Angeles area and there will be two live Zoom performances on Feb. 2 and 6 open to anyone.
Despite the devastating wildfires in and around Los Angeles this month, the Braid said Monday that the performances are set to continue as planned.
The show’s title comes from Tefilat Haderech, the Hebrew prayer recited when embarking on a long journey. The stories of Jewish travel span from Michigan to South Africa, ancient Rome to Japan. They include a comic story by “Sex and the City” head writer Cindy Chupack, a soul-searching tale by novelist Lisa Pearl Rosenbaum and a story of surprise by Los Angeles rabbi Susan Nanus of L.A.’s Wilshire Boulevard Temple.
“Traveler’s Prayer” features actors Roni Geva, Michael Naishtut, Jill Remez and Amy Tolsky. Songwriter Rhiannon Lewis also joins the troupe.
“It’s such a joyful experience to watch gifted actors make the stories their own,” Morgenstern said. “It’s a beautiful dance between performers and audience that’s different every performance.”
The Braid was founded as the Jewish Women’s Theatre in 2007. Previous shows in the Bay Area have included “The Matzo Ball Diaries,” “True Colors,” “Yearning to Breathe Free,” “I Loved Jew, I Loved Jew Not” and “What Do I Do With All This Heritage?”