Love Sick at Theater J

Love Sick

Theater J
1529 Sixteenth Street, NW Washington

From an extraordinary collaboration of international artists comes Love Sick, the critically-acclaimed new musical that fuses a thrilling original score, Middle-Eastern harmonics, dazzling choreography, and an inspired story of passion and awakening. Based on the "Song of Songs," Love Sick tells the story of a young wife in a lifeless marriage who discovers she has a secret admirer. Intrigued, she begins a mysterious and dizzying journey of sexual and personal empowerment. The creative team includes Tony Award nominee Christopher Renshaw, internationally-acclaimed Israeli actress/writer Ofra Daniel, and celebrated Palestinian musician Ali Paris. The San Francisco Chronicle called it "extraordinary...lush...full of surprises."

Thru - Sep 29, 2019

Box Office: 202-777-3210

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Love Sick Reviews

Average Rating based on 7 reviews

Highly Recommended
Recommended
Somewhat Recommended
Not Recommended

Washington Post - Somewhat Recommended

"...Yet even over a relatively taut 90 minutes, "Love Sick" wears a little thin as a dramatic offering. Once Theater J's production reveals its framework - an old woman of Jerusalem in rags, taking us back to her constricted, lovelorn youth - the piece lingers over her longing, like a storm hovering in idle. My patience for it waned, as its purplish lyricism, adapted from the language of the Bible, asserted primacy ever more emphatically over the evening's more seductive facets."

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- Peter Marks

DC Theater Arts - Highly Recommended

"...The Theater J production is terrifically served by the lively music under the direction of Paris. He also has sparkling skills with a rare Middle-Eastern instrument called a Qanun. It is a 76 string zither. Along with Paris, the live music is performed by a fiery band of musicians who are active participants in Love Sick. They are not hidden away. The band includes a Klezmer-like clarinet, animated percussion, soulful violin, and more."

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- David Siegel

MetroWeekly - Somewhat Recommended

"...After a season's sojourn away from the company's own stage, Theater J returns to its newly renovated home at Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center with an uneven production of Ofra Daniel and Lior Ben-Hur's new musical Love Sick"

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- Andre Hereford

MD Theatre Guide - Highly Recommended

"...This is lush, deeply felt work that will reward an audience with a different type of theatrical experience-one that stirs the imagination and reminds us of how much power the poetry of words can bring to our lives."

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- Mary Ann Johnson

Theatre Bloom - Highly Recommended

"...Never rouse love. But once love has been awakened, never put it back to sleep! The chilling and inspiring message behind a new musical now on stage with Theater J, not only kicking off their 2019/2020 season, but welcoming the company home to their space in residence at the Edlavitch DC Jewish Community Center on The Trish Vradenburg Stage inside the Aaron & Cecile Goldman Theater. Love Sick, an evocative and timeless musical, written and adapted by Ofra Daniel with Music by Ofra Daniel and Lior Ben-Hur, tells the soul-searing and moving story of love in a profound and relatable fashion to people of all walks of life. With a riveting, original score, Love Sick sets the ageless quest of awakened passion against an almost mystical imagination of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Directed by Christopher Renshaw, with Musical Direction by Ali Paris, and Choreography by Matt Cole, this clever and beautiful musical story will enchant the hearts of audiences everywhere, giving them something tangible and relatable to take home with them when it comes to the experience of love."

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- Amanda N. Gunther

DCTheatreScene - Recommended

"...In its best moments Love Sick-the opening show of Theater J's 2019-20 season in its newly renovated space-is a brilliantly woven tapestry of competing forms. The music, written by Ofra Daniel and Lior Ben-Hur, blends mellifluent middle-eastern melodies with the plucky refrains of modern musical comedy. Daniel's script, adapted from the Hebrew bible's Song of Songs, is replete with melancholic melodrama dotted with wink-to-the-audience moments and playful choreography."

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- Meaghan Hannan Davant

BroadwayWorld - Somewhat Recommended

"...And yet, despite a strong cast and well-executed technical elements, Love Sick suffers from a slight disconnect. It may be the source material - even as someone who read Song of Songs long ago, I had trouble remembering the poem, and since a summary wasn't included in the program, anyone unfamiliar with the source material might have been confused. Love Sick presents a compelling story, but with a narrator we simultaneously trust and know is unreliable, it's difficult to understand without some background. As a result, the audience is unsure how much to trust - what is real, and what is the result of Tirzah's love-induced madness?"

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- Rachael Goldberg