Supporters and volunteers of the New Jewish Theatre (NJT) gathered for an afternoon of tea and entertainment at the first annual NJTea fundraiser on Sunday, August 4. During the event, NJT Creative Director Rebekah Scallet announced the highly anticipated lineup for the 2025 season.
The New Jewish Theatre will kick off its 2025 season in grand style with the Tony-Award winning musical “Cabaret,” opening March 20. With music and lyrics by the iconic writing team of John Kander and Fred Ebb, “Cabaret” explores the dark and heady life of Bohemian Berlin as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich.
Next up: “The Heidi Chronicles,” which earned its Jewish playwright Wendy Wasserstein the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Opening May 29, the play is a moving examination of the progress of a generation, from the socially and politically activist 1960s to the success-oriented ‘80s—a time during which the status of American women underwent profound, and sometimes unsettling, change.
“Two Jews Walk into a War,” by Seth Rozin, will open July 24. This unconventional comedy is inspired by the true story of the last two Jewish men living in Kabul, Afghanistan. Part “Odd Couple,” part “Waiting for Godot,” this modern-day vaudeville will make audiences laugh and think.
This will be followed by the delicate and surprising play “The Wanderers,” by Anna Ziegler, opening Sept. 11, 2025. Highlighting two very different Jewish marriages – one Orthodox Jewish couple, one secular. Both couples find themselves growing apart as they strive to balance their individual identities with the families they’ve created.
Closing the 2025 season with a dose of holiday fun will be “Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery,” opening Nov. 20, 2025. Written by the master of farce and one of the most produced playwrights in the country, Ken Ludwig (Jewish author of NJT’s 2022 “Dear Jack, Dear Louise”), this is a fast-paced comedy about everyone’s favorite detective solving his most notorious case. Five actors portray over 40 characters in this theatrical adventure.
“I am thrilled to produce these five unique and exciting productions in 2025,” says NJT Artistic Director Rebekah Scallet. “While they are all very different, they each speak to our shared humanity as we see individuals go up against a variety of foes: from Nazis to giant Hounds, to the Taliban, and even themselves, as they strive to make their way in the world, find love, and perhaps leave a lasting legacy. It should be a great journey for NJT audiences.”
NJT’s 2025 season is also its 27th season of producing professional plays and musicals at the Jewish Community Center. Each season strives to bring beloved shows by celebrated Jewish authors, as well as new work that presents unique perspectives on the Jewish experience.
The shows will premiere at the J’s Wool Studio Theatre, 2 Millstone Campus Drive. Season subscriptions go on sale on Nov. 21, 2024, and single tickets will be available for purchase on Feb. 1, 2025. Tickets are available by phone 314-442-3283 or online at newjewishtheatre.org.
