National Yiddish Theatre Celebrates "Hannah Senesh" Opening

(New York, NY)—The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF), winner of a 2019 Drama Desk Award, on Sunday night celebrated the opening of Hannah Senesh, an award-winning play based on the diaries and poems of a heroic young woman who risked her life to save European Jews from the Holocaust, and who paid the ultimate price.

The reviews already are in. Broadway World says, “Hannah Senesh celebrates the incredible heroism of a young woman driven to face fascist oppression head on. The story is inspirational, remarkable and heartbreaking.” Award-winning author Meish Goldish writes, “The show’s star, Lexi Rabadi, illuminates Hannah’s light with a stellar light of her own. This gifted actress, with boundless talent and energy, is destined to become a star in her own right.” The Times of Israel says Lexi Rabadi “commands the stage.” And, WBAI’s David Rothenberg says, “Hannah Senesh is a story to be told and retold as political tides shift and there is an insistence that there be beacons of light to serve as guidelines for decency, honor and a struggle for survival.”

"Hannah Senesh is an incredibly moving tribute to the human spirit during the worst of times,” said NYTF Artistic Director Zalmen Mlotek. “Every performance during previews received a standing ovation, not only fueled by Lexi Rabadi's inspiring performance but a testament to Hannah's legacy of courage and hope."

Fresh from the stellar success of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, Hannah Senesh is part of NYTF’s season of “Spiritual Resistance,” which features artistic and theatrical works that explore themes of struggle against oppression. The programming provides artistic expression concurrent with the exhibition Auschwitz: Not long ago. Not far away. being presented at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, Edmond J. Safra Plaza, 36 Battery Place, NYC. Hannah Senesh is being performed (in English) through August 18. Tickets start at $49 and are available at www.nytf.org or by calling 212-213-2120 Ext. 200. For group sales and membership call 212-213-2120 Ext. 204.

Presented with music and song, this one-woman show tells the true story of Hannah Senesh, one of many Jews who escaped from Axis-allied Hungary in 1939 to the safety of British Mandate Palestine. There she joined Haganah and then bravely volunteered for a daring Special Operations mission to parachute back into Europe to save Jews from Nazi hands. She was ultimately caught by Nazi forces, tortured, and executed at the age of 22. Despite these circumstances, she refused to betray her companions.

Hannah’s story and indomitable spirit, along with the moving diary and poetry that she left behind, serve as an enduring inspiration to people everywhere standing up to the powers of hatred and oppression.

The play, written and directed by David Schechter, was originally developed in collaboration with Lori Wilner, the actress who first played Hannah onstage in 1984. The script was adapted from Hannah Senesh's diaries which were translated from the Hungarian by Marta Cohn and Peter Hay. Music for Hannah Senesh was composed and arranged by Steven Lutvak.

Hannah Senesh features Lexi Rabadi as Hannah Senesh/Catherine Senesh, with Michael Bobenhausen as the Young Man. Rebecca Brudner is the understudy for Hannah Senesh/Catherine Senesh.

Lexi Rabadi is a graduate of Pace University, with a BFA in Musical Theatre and a minor in Arts & Entertainment Management. Her credits include roles as: Laura in The Glass Menagerie, Belle in Disney's Beauty and the Beast (Fulton Theatre), Chava in Fiddler on the Roof (Maine State Music Theatre), Belle/Mrs. Fred in A Christmas Carol (Actor's Theatre of Louisville), and Rabbi in Angels in America (Pace University).

The Creative Team includes Court Watson, Scenic Designer; Izzy Fields, Costume Designer; Vivien Leone, Lighting Designer; Kenneth Goodwin, Sound Designer and Stephanie Gonzalez, Props Master.

Jamibeth Margolis, CSA is the Casting Director/General Manager. Emily Paige Ballou is the AEA Stage Manager, and Britni Serrano is the Production Manager.