A Letter From the Writer of "Faygele, A New Play"

Letter from the playwright:

Faygele is my baby. It is deeply personal, born from the ache of isolation and the longing for truth. I began writing it in 2021, in the thick of the pandemic, when the world felt like it was crumbling. But in many ways, that unraveling mirrored my own, a decade earlier.

At that time, I was a closeted gay Orthodox Jewish man, married, with four children. My life felt fractured beyond repair. People sometimes tell me I was brave for coming out, for walking away from the only life I’d ever known. But I don’t see it as courage. I see it as survival. The universe pushed me to a place where silence was no longer an option. To stay hidden would have been fatal. I chose to live.

Faygele is inspired by the true story of a teenager from a background much like mine. He didn’t make it. Trapped and unseen, he ended his life. His story haunted me. It compelled me. And through Ari, our beautiful, struggling protagonist, I try to give voice to what he might have said if he had been heard.

The characters surrounding Ari are drawn from a tapestry of lived experience, people I’ve known, interviewed, and sometimes just listened to with an open heart. I spoke with rabbis, parents, friends; people intimately connected to boys like Ari. People trying, failing, and sometimes succeeding at holding faith, family, and identity in the same trembling hand

Though Faygele is rooted in a specific world, I believe its heartbeat will resonate far beyond it. This play is for anyone who’s ever felt like an outsider. For anyone who’s ever loved someone trying to find their way back to themselves.

More than anything, I hope that every Ari out there knows they are not alone. That there are people, maybe not always right beside them, but out there, who see them, who love them and who are waiting to embrace them. Sometimes we just have to look a little harder to find that love.

To those seeing Faygele, thank you. I hope you leave with more compassion, more curiosity, and a deeper commitment to listening to stories different from your own. We often fear what we don’t understand. But behind every quiet pain, every proud smile, there is a story. May this play open the door to hearing them.

With love and gratitude,

Shimmy

Faygele A New Play - London Critic's Review Roundup

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"What Faygele does best is what so much theatre struggles to do. It listens. It lets us hear the quiet suffering, the small joys, the impossible choices. And in doing so, it offers something rare, a moment of recognition for anyone who’s ever had to choose between being loved and being true." - Flicker Magazine

 

https://www.flickermagazine.art/post/opening-night-of-faygele-at-marylebone-theatre

“As I looked around the theatre, and saw tears glistening on people’s cheeks, others reaching for a tissue, it is fair to say that Shimmy’s message does indeed touch the emotions of his audiences.” - Jewish News

 

https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/review-faygele-at-marylebone-theatre/

 

“Several of the play’s revolutionary speeches—particularly those exploring religion and sexuality—are beautifully written and provoke deep reflection.” - Sound and Stage

https://soundsandstage.com/faygele-at-marylebone-theatre-review/

"Braun’s script, brought to life by a standout cast, doesn’t just tell Ari’s story—it demands that we listen." - Adventures in Thatreland

 https://www.adventuresintheatreland.com/post/faygele-marylebone-theatre

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"Faygele is a story of the tensions between tradition and progression, between owning your identity while wanting to conform, and of course of the ‘othering’ of LGBTQI people within religious circles." - Curtain Call Reviews

https://www.curtaincallreviews.co.uk/faygele

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“For anyone interested in queer stories, Jewish representation, or simply great theatre, Faygele is more than a play, it’s a must see." - 

“A standout performance also comes from Andrew Paul as Rabbi Lev, who is perhaps the most quietly revolutionary character. Instead of condemning, he listens. He reflects. He questions. Through his character, the play asks whether faith can grow, evolve, and hold space for queerness without losing its roots. His attempt to guide the family with compassion rather than judgment adds a hopeful thread to the story.” - Spy in the Stalls

https://thespyinthestalls.com/2025/05/faygele/

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“The honesty and generosity that Braun employs in his writing illuminates dark and difficult corners of life's relationships, across generations and genders, in a drama that is moving, revelatory and packs a huge emotional punch.” - Jewish Renaissance

 

https://www.jewishrenaissance.org.uk/blog/faygele

 

“The scene where Sammy confronts Rabbi Lev over his assumptions and prejudices is beautifully written, thoughtful and powerful as Sammy challenges Lev’s adherence to Leviticus.”

 

https://fairypoweredproductions.com/faygele-review/

 

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“Ilan Galkof who plays Ari is a revelation. The show simply would not work without him. Compelling and expressive, the character is three dimensional. He is funny and likeable without being perfect. He feels real, and that is the central reason the show works” - A Youngish Perspective

 

https://ayoungishperspective.co.uk/2025/05/09/review-faygele/

 

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"...after the applause died down many in the audience could be seen holding each others hands and hugging each other for comfort, clearly effected by the moving story and the power of the performances by the actors that told it." - Jack the Lad Mag

 

https://www.jacktheladmag.com/theatre-reviews/faygele

 

“As we head towards Pride Month, this show is an important opportunity to learn the lived experiences from LGBTQI+ people, and serves as a moving tribute to the teenager it’s based on.” Theatre and Tonic

 

https://theatreandtonic.co.uk/blog/faygele-at-marylebone-theatre-review

 

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“The performer (Ilan Galkoff) has a great aura on stage and can make you think of Timothée Chalamet in Call me By Your Name, with his stage presence and physicality.” - Harry Theatre Life

 

https://www.harrytheatrelife.co.uk/post/review-faygele-marylebone-theatre-london

 

"If Faygele saves just one queer person from feeling alienated from their family or feeling their life isn’t worth living, then Shimmy will have a lot to be thanked for.

And most of all, it shows the true power of theatre."

 

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“Shimmy Braun has written a wrenching and solemn tragedy in Faygele, one whose message I will be taking in for days to come.” - Stage On Page

 

https://www.stagetopage.co.uk/2025/05/faygele-review.html

 

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“Like Indecent, there is a play-within-a-play involving a literal turkey prince — yes, really. When Nic Farman’s lighting shifts to glamorous rainbow colours, one of the most brilliant and inventive moments of the play emerges. It’s hilarious, absurd, and unexpectedly moving.” 

 

Theatre Weekly

 

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"Faygele brings freshness to age-old questions of faith, sexuality and identity through its structural inventiveness." - Broadway World

 

https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend/article/Review-FAYGELE-Marylebone-Theatre-20250507

 

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“Faygele is a sharp and necessary reminder, urging us not to forget a history so deeply ingrained in our culture." - Theatre Weekly

 

https://theatreweekly.com/review-faygele-at-marylebone-theatre/

 

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"...there’s a sincerity in Shimmy Braun’s writing which will strike a familiar chord for Jewish audience members, whilst offering sufficient explanation of tradition and language to render the piece wholly accessible, enlightening and engaging for those not of the faith." - London Box Office

 

https://www.londonboxoffice.co.uk/news/post/faygele-review

 

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"Faygele is truthful and beautifully sad, incredibly well-written and directed, a true story from Shimmy Braun that needs to be seen and heard." - London Theatre Reviews

 

https://www.londontheatrereviews.co.uk/post.cfm