Ugh, what can’t Katrina Lenk do?

Over the last year, Lenk has appeared on Broadway in Indecent, had a small role on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and currently stars in The Band’s Visit (she’s definitely a contender for a Tony nomination). That’s a lot of Jewish art for someone who isn’t actually Jewish, but Lenk wasn’t content to stop there. At MCC’s annual Miscast Gala (actors perform gender-swapped numbers), she took on that granddaddy of all Jewish American culture— Fiddler on the Roof.

Lenk wonders what it would be like if she were a wealthy man. And just to blow our minds all the more, she plays violin while she’s singing. It’s not even fair.

Even without the violin, it’s a hell of a performance, sultry, and full of comedy. She does act a bit cruelly skeptical that Tevye would use his wealth to study Talmud all day, but that is perhaps where the cultural gap between Jews and Gentiles comes in. Also, she’s wearing all white with red pumps, and she looks even more amazing than usual.

I can’t stand it. Watch the video of “If I Were a Rich Man” for yourself:

Image via YouTube

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After our piece last week about Camp Ramah alumni starring (or about to star) on Broadway, we have a few updates.

In addition to the leads in Dear Evan Hansen, Frozen, and SpongeBob SquarePants (the musical), there is a current Ramahnik on Broadway. One of the child performers in School of Rock as “Katie” is Rachel Katzke (Camps Berkshires and Nyack). She brings her Ramah backpack to her performances, and took a week off of the show this summer to go back to camp for just a little while. In addition to acting and singing onstage, she also plays the bass in the show. How many actors make their Broadway debut before their Bat Mitzvah?

Jewcy is on a summer residency! To read this piece, and our others for July and August 2017, go to our big sister site, Tablet Magazine!

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Last night was the 62nd annual Obie Awards, the prizes awarded to off-Broadway New York theatre (founded by The Village Voice and co-presented with the American Theater Wing, which is a co-producer of the Tonys). Sure, individual Jews win this sort of thing every year. But this year also included Jewish narratives in winning productions.

For example, while Oslo is not written from a Jewish perspective, the play is about the 1993 peace accords and includes Israeli characters, including former Israeli president Shimon Peres. The play, which has since transferred to Broadway and is nominated for a slew of Tonys, won big last night. The play was one of the winners for Best New American Theatre Work, as well as an Ensemble Award.

One of Oslo‘s current Broadway rivals, Indecent, is also a recent off-Broadway transfer, and Rebecca Taichman took home one of the Best Director awards last night. In addition, the show’s playwright, Paula Vogel, received a Lifetime Achievement Award.

But remember, if Jews kill it in anything, it’s musicals, and this year’s winner not only has a Jewish creative team, but is set in a small Israeli town, about the local population breifly bonding with a group of Egyptians. The Band’s Visit, based off of the famous Israeli film, won the Obie Musical Theatre Award (the prize goes to its writers, Itamar Moses and David Yazbek), and David Cromer was another winner for Best Director. (It must have been a nice night for Katrina Lenk, who was in The Band’s Visit between stints in Indecent, in which she currently performs. She also performed a number from the former show.)

While the Obies don’t necessarily overlap with Tony-eligible shows, could last night be a predictor for the upcoming Broadway Awards show (June 11th, y’all!), when Oslo and Indecent once again face off? In fact, the Obies was just another feather in Oslo‘s cap; it’s taken comparable best play awards from other important competitions like the Lucille Lortel Awards and the Outer Critics Circle.

For now, mazel tov to both shows for their wins.

Photo of Katrina Lenk and Tony Shalhoub in Atlantic Theater Company’s ‘The Band’s Visit,’ by Ahron R. Foster. Via Tablet.

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