REVENGE: AFTER THE LEVOYAH

Soho Theatre

★★★

“chaotic and irreverent”

What do you get when you mix action movies, gangsters and Judaism? ‘Revenge: After The Levoyah’ of course, a mad farce that tackles antisemitism through breakneck comedy and slick multi roling. Though the structure and escalation leave me wanting more, the show’s originality and audacity make for a refreshing seasonal offering.

In pre pandemic Essex, Jewish twins Lauren and Dan mourn their grandfather who – unbeknownst to them – was more than your average butcher. When ex-associate Malcolm Spivak turns up to offer condolences – and end Jeremy Corbyn’s antisemitism by kidnapping him – they steer clear. At least, until neo-Nazi harassment forces them back, plunging them into murder, abduction and chaos. Can they escape before they’re in too deep?

Nick Cassenbaum’s ‘Revenge: After The Levoyah’, winner of a Fringe First at Edinburgh 2024, earns its buzz with an irreverent script blending sincerity, politics and farce. Two actors conjure a chorus of characters, with some hilarious transitions and characterisations. Genuinely touching moments are mixed into the levity. That said, the reliance on Jewish archetypes and untranslated Yiddish leaves some humour beyond my reach. Some of the many gangsters fade away, and the two main characters lack meaningful development beyond Lauren’s radicalisation. With Corbyn captured too easily and his imprisonment falling short of true farcical chaos, the stakes and absurdity never quite launch, leaving the ending feeling incomplete.

Emma Jude Harris’ direction, with fight direction by Robin Hellier, ground the play in realism before spiralling into chaos, demonstrating crisp comic timing and well judged shifts in pace. Yet what initially feels like a hard left at Corbyn’s capture fails to go full mettle, leaving the climax lacking oomph and shading the irony with perhaps unintended darkness. Also, I find framing the stage with two bookcases of unused props somewhat puzzling. That said, the use of lighting and sound succeed in evoking the pulse of an action movie, transporting us convincingly from Essex to somewhere more fantastical.

Alys Whitehead’s set and costume design is simple yet striking, keeping the focus on the actors as they flit between characters. The initial sparseness evokes the solemnity of a levoyah (funeral), with a few items of furniture effectively creating new spaces and even characters. The towering blackboard is a hilarious addition though feels underutilised, as do the bookcases of untouched props. The ripped, grimy costumes immediately foreshadow the chaos to come.

Amy Daniels’ lighting design, with associates Abigail Sage and Graham Self, proves effective and arresting. Shifts in tone convey changes in mood, with pops and flashes punctuating dramatic peaks. The gameshow style sequence adds irony to the introduction of the motley crew of gangsters.

Adam Lenson’s sound design, with musical supervision by Josh Middleton, integrates effects seamlessly, earning laughs in their own right. Music and ambient cues – from helicopters, police sirens, and more – conjure an action film. Foreshadowing the ironic final music is a clever touch, underscoring the stark contrast between the play’s beginning and end.

Gemma Barnett and Charlie Cassen embody twins Lauren and Dan respectively as well as a host of other characters with impressive commitment. Their slick transitions and strong physicality make the entire cast believable. Their stage presence is magnetic, aided by deft shifts in pace, and their dynamic movement maintains momentum across the performance.

‘Revenge: After The Levoyah’ is chaotic and irreverent, if in need of a little development. Though for anyone eager to step off the seasonal path, this could be just the ticket.

REVENGE: AFTER THE LEVOYAH

Soho Theatre

Reviewed on 11th December 2025

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by David Monteith-Hodge

REVENGE

★★★★

“a fascinating piece much like the women it presents”

If you’re intrigued by the idea of particle physics presented as a cabaret show involving four energetic performers stepping in and out of a variety of roles, Emma Howlett’s Aether is for you. Sixty minutes on the subject of an inscrutable universe will also give you a glancing introduction to female scientists from Hypatia in ancient Alexandria to Vera Rubin, who discovered dark matter. Meanwhile Sophie, the high powered PhD student and our protagonist, attempts to juggle particle physics and a troubled relationship with her physician girlfriend in the present day.

The feminist angle to Aether is important because it highlights perennial problems faced by female scientists working in fields dominated by men. From Hypatia’s brutal murder in ancient Alexandria to undeserved obscurity for ground breaking discoveries in recent times, women’s discoveries have been ignored or even erased. Sophie, on the other hand, has begun her career as a physicist by talking herself into a prestigious research programme that has included time at CERN, the place where every ambitious PhD student hopes to work. She is further encouraged to keep going by her tough and determined supervisor, even when Sophie is tempted to quit because she isn’t finding any answers in the enormous amounts of data she has to work through. But is it the unanswerable nature of the questions she is asking about the universe the real reason Sophie wants to quit, or is it her faltering relationship with her girlfriend? It’s not a dilemma that male scientists have admitted to in the past. Nor is it likely to gain much sympathy in any academic field where the stars are on track to win a Nobel Prize early in their careers.

There’s almost too much packed into the sixty minutes, even with the inventiveness of performers Gemma Barnett, Sophie Kean, Anna Marks Pryce and Abby McCann. Aether is part lecture, part drama. Some of the women we’re introduced to, such as magician Adelaide Herrmann, or medium Florence Cook, fit uneasily alongside a detailed explanation of Plato’s Cave, and a list of quarks to memorize. The show dazzles with the sheer amount of information presented, but there’s a risk of audience burnout. It’s not hard to identify with Sophie’s description of protons being hurled out of a Large Hadron Collider. Perhaps a longer play, and a slower pace with the lecture parts, might give the audience a chance to catch up. It is about important themes, and Sophie’s ambition, like that of playwright Howlett, deserves a chance to find the answers that every woman working in a difficult field deserves.

This play is a fascinating piece much like the women it presents. If it sends you out of the theatre with more questions than answers, don’t feel disappointed. Aether reminds us that good theatre, like good science, is worth the work it takes to understand. There’s a large universe out there, just waiting to be explored.

Tag Archives: Gemma Barnett

REVENGE: AFTER THE LEVOYAH

★★★

Soho Theatre

REVENGE: AFTER THE LEVOYAH

Soho Theatre

★★★

“chaotic and irreverent”