The cast of Zoetic Stage's world premiere play “Wicked Child,” from left, Margery Lowe, Wayne LeGette, Gracie Blu, Ben Katz, Jeff Brackett, Jeni Hacker, and Michael McKeever. (Photo by Justin Namon)
When Miami native David Rosenberg wrote the first draft of his play, “Wicked Child” seven years, he knew the play would always be timely. However, Rosenberg had no way of knowing just how timely the play would become.
“We could not have anticipated anything like this,” says Rosenberg.
“Wicked Child,” which centers at least in part on the state of Israel, will have its world premiere by Zoetic Stage at the Adrienne Arsht Center from Jan. 12-28, with a preview performance on Jan. 11. The production will open a little more than three months after Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented assault on Israel from the Gaza Strip, killing 1,200 people and taking about 240 people hostage.
The Israeli military responded with air strikes on Gaza and launched a ground offensive. More than 21,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. During a temporary truce at the end of November, Hamas released 105 hostages and Israel freed 240 Palestinian prisoners in exchange.
At left, Jeni Hacker as Fay, at right and Michael McKeever as her husband in Zoetic Stage's "Wicked Child." (Photo by Justin Namon)
Since the Oct. 7 attacks, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) warplanes have carried out air strikes across Gaza while its troops have moved through the territory. And, according to published reports, thousands of Americans have left everything behind to join Israel’s war in Gaza.
In Rosenberg’s play, which takes place before the Oct. 7 attacks, one of the central characters joins the IDF. More specifically, when Ben leaves his lucrative associate’s job at a New York law firm to join the IDF, his family must reexamine its secular Jewish identity and its position toward the state of Israel.
Zoetic’s production stars Jeni Hacker, Michael McKeever, Margery Lowe and features the Zoetic Stage debuts of Wayne LeGette, Jeff Brackett, Ben Katz and Gracie Blu.
The play’s creative team features scenic design by BJ Duncan, properties design by Natasha Lopes Hernandez, costume design by Laura Turnbull, lighting design by Rebecca Montero and sound design by Matt Corey.
Zoetic Stage Artistic Director Stuart Meltzer, who is directing the production, stressed that “Wicked Child” is not about the Israel-Hamas war. Indeed, the play’s action unfolds over the course of two Passover Seders – the first one during Passover 2022, the second one a year later.
Margery Lowe as Fay's sister Cindy in Zoetic Stage's "Wicked Child," a world premiere by Miami native David Rosenberg (Photo by Justin Namon)
“At its heart, this play is about family,” says Rosenberg.
Meltzer adds: “Audiences can expect to see a play about family, family love and family dynamics and family conflict.”
In addition, the play examines how politics can affect a family, according to Meltzer.
Rosenberg, 32, says he became inspired to write the play after reading writings about the Israel-Palestinian conflict by academics, artists and “most importantly” ordinary citizens. The playwright decided to read about the conflict after realizing that he was “coming up against the limits” of his own knowledge.
Rosenberg started writing the play in 2016 after his extensive readings.
He says that before he writes a play, he conducts a lot of research. And like any good student, he wants to show his work.
"But over time, you strip that away and find something more human than academic.”
Expect to experience a play “with a lot of heart” about family and how families process difficult conversations, Rosenberg says.
“It’s my hope that the play will resonate with families of all backgrounds and inspire more of those conversations,” he adds.
In addition to serious drama, the play contains an ample amount of humor, Rosenberg and Meltzer say. “There certainly is humor,” Rosenberg says, adding that he became a playwright to, in part, make people laugh.
In fact, he says he is “incapable of writing something without at least some humor.”
The family at the center of the play “loves and knows each other and is comfortable pushing each other’s buttons and being vulnerable with each other,” Rosenberg adds.
He says part of his inspiration for the play was how his step-family came together after his biological parents got divorced.
Rosenberg, who lives in New York, says he is thrilled that “Wicked Child” will receive its world premiere production in his native Miami.“
As a Miami native who first fell in love with theater seeing plays at the Arsht Center, it’s a very particular thrill to be premiering ‘Wicked Child’ at Zoetic Stage,” he says.
“Miami is a very special place to me and it’s a real privilege to do this in this community.”
At left, Wayne LeGette plays Leo and, at right, Jeff Brackett plays Ben in Zoetic Stage's "Wicked Child." (Photo by Justin Namon)
Rosenberg attended Miami Palmetto Senior High School. He says he never had the chance to appear in plays as a youngster, but did appear onstage the summer before his eighth grade year as the Ugly Duckling in the musical “Honk!”
Ultimately, the chance to make people laugh got Rosenberg hooked on live theater. While he grew up in Miami and attended high school there, he did not remain in South Florida.
Instead, he moved to New York in 2009 to attend college. Rosenberg says the fact that many artists populate New York City and that area’s many opportunities to do art drew him there. And although he misses South Florida “dearly,” he visits home a few times a year.
He attended Julliard and NYU and pursued a career as a playwright. In addition to “Wicked Child,” Rosenberg’s plays include “What Else is True,” “Revelation,” “Undecidable Propositions,” “Every Other Weekend,” and the post-Soviet musical extravaganza “Absolutely!”
His play, “I Would Never Lie to You” was commissioned by Julliard’s Center for Innovation in the Arts, where it was to premiere in March 2020. However, the pandemic got in the way. Rosenberg says while his plays tend to be “pretty different,” one thing that ties them together thematically is the affect of stress and time on relationships.
“Wicked Child’s” first time on a Miami stage came in 2022 during Zoetic Stage’s Finstrom Festival of New Work.” Its namesake is the late Tony Finstrom, a playwright, patron, arts journalist, and theater lover who died in 2018 at age 71 following a battle with cancer.
As part of the festival, Zoetic Stage invited playwrights to submit new work. Members of a judging panel would read the plays and choose a number of them to undergo a workshop. It would include time to work on the play with actors and directors, as well as a public reading.
“This was one of the highest scored plays for that year,” Meltzer says, referring to “Wicked Child.” He adds that judges found the play to be “remarkably intelligent and well thought out.”
Meltzer and others continue to praise the play.
“His writing is honest, funny, intelligent, and biting. I hope this play gives space for conversation, listening, and compassion while highlighting the real-life family dynamics and discussions happening now,” says Meltzer.
Ben Katz, left, and Gracie Blu play a couple in Zoetic Stage's "Wicked Child." (Photo by Justin Namon)
Rosenberg says he is “heartened” to hear that people view “Wicked Child” as a family drama. In addition, Rosenberg, who is Jewish, is pleased that non-Jews have remarked that the play feels relevant to them.
“I think that this play is about the challenges of contemporary Judaism and Passover is about the challenges of ancient Judaism, so there’s a nice parallel between the two.”
Does Rosenberg have hopes for the play beyond its world premiere production? He says he tries not to focus on things that are beyond his control. For now, the goal is to mount Zoetic Stage’s production. Beyond that, he will be “thrilled” if anyone else wants to stage the play.
Rosenberg praised Zoetic Stage for being champions of “Wicked Child” and providing it with valuable resources such as space, time, and people. Zoetic’s staff, including Meltzer and producing director Michael McKeever, have also helped to shape the play and gave it its title.
Speaking of the play’s title, during a Passover Seder, a ritual feast recounting the Israelites slavery and exodus from Egypt, participants talk about four sons referred to in the Bible. There’s the smart one, the wicked one, the simple one, and the one who doesn’t even know how to ask. The four figures represent a way to kick off a discussion of the Passover story.
The Wicked Child asks, “What are all these things to you?”
Zoetic Stage and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County present “Wicked Child” opening Friday, Jan. 12 with previews on Thursday, Jan. 11. The show runs through Jan. 28. The performance is in the Arsht Center's Carnival Studio Theater at 1300 Biscayne Blvd, Miami. Tickets are $55 and $60. Information by calling (305) 949-6722, or online at arshtcenter.org. Zoetic Stage will continue its Second Sunday Talkback series immediately following the matinee performance on Sunday, Jan. 21.
