Gordon Edelstein
Long Wharf Theatre has canceled plans to stage a world-premier production of Sophie’s Choice. The organization will instead present Aaron Posner’s adaptation of the Chaim Potok novel My Name is Asher Lev.
Steven Scarpa, Long Wharf Theatre’s director of marketing and communications, said, “We’d been working on the (Sophie’s Choice) script for about 18 months,” but Artistic Director Gordon Edelstein did not believe the material was ready for production.
Sophie’s Choice was to be staged May 2‑May 27. My Name is Asher Lev will be presented according to the same production schedule.
“Carla Gugino (who was to star in Sophie’s Choice) and the New York producers (who were attached to the production) agreed with Gordon’s assessment,” Scarpa said. “It was a very difficult decision for Gordon. … The source material is so iconic in a lot of ways … we wanted to make sure it was done justice.”
Scarpa said Posner’s adaptation of My Name is Asher Lev met the qualifications Edelstein was looking for as the organization searched for a piece with which to replace Sophie’s Choice.
Edelstein was quoted in Long Wharf’s press release as saying: “I was looking for a play with gravitas, high literary content and seriousness of purpose. Happily, I found an adaptation of a much loved and much read novel by a distinguished writer. My Name is Asher Lev is a beautiful story about the coming of age of an artist whose God given gift is in conflict with his strict religious upbringing. … The play asks timeless questions about community, God, family and artistic talent.”
For details about Long Wharf’s production of My Name is Asher Lev, visit the organization’s website.