From Generation to Generation at Genesis Theatrical Productions | Theater review

That God allows decent people to suffer doesn’t ever seriously shake the strong faith of the characters in Sokolof Javitch and Jabenis’s sentimental 1999 musical, but they would at least have to concede that He has rotten timing. Heroine Rose Lieberman—aging, widowed, devoutly Jewish—discovers almost simultaneously that she’s dying of cancer and that her adult daughter is finally pregnant after years of trying. Determined to leave behind a legacy for the granddaughter she’ll never see, Rose begins compiling an “ethical will” on the suggestion of her rabbi. This mostly involves toting around a tape recorder so that Rose can make audio messages for the girl, detailing a little of her life story and a lot about 20th-century Jewish history. Her recollections spark songs about the Holocaust, the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, Golda Meir and so on.

There’s nothing wrong with Rose wanting to pass on her cultural heritage to future generations, but we lose sight of her amid all the history lessons (which are presented in pretty shallow terms, by the way), and Rose comes to seem tangential to her own story. Consequently, the show’s relentless heartstring-plucking has little effect. After all, it’s hard to mourn a woman about whom we don’t know a thing aside from her religion and fondness for mahjong. Director Zak’s production benefits from crisp pacing, smooth transitions and an endearingly earnest cast, but everyone involved could stand to up the anguish a bit and tone down the sickly sweetness.