Old photo of Tom Stoppard as a young boy and his parents.

LEOPOLDSTADT

NOV 30 – DEC 29
Harman Hall

Photo of Tom Stoppard as a young boy and his parents courtesy of the playwright.

Leopoldstadt is one of Stoppard’s most heartfelt and expansive works” —Arts Fuse

“One of Stoppard’s most powerful of stories.” —METR Mag

“There’s a sureness to Perloff’s handling of Leopoldstadt.”
—Boston Globe

“Satisfyingly poignant…a triumphant saga.” —Stage and Cinema

“This theme of lost identity due to circumstance and history is woven throughout the narrative, beautifully underscored by director Carey Perloff.” —WBUR

By Tom Stoppard
Directed by Carey Perloff
Produced in association with The Huntington

A Jewish family grows and struggles over the course of nearly 60 years, beginning with their initial assimilation into Viennese culture, negotiating the outbreak of two World Wars through to the aftermath of the Holocaust. Traversing decades of joy and strife, the family strives to maintain their delicate bonds of shared history. Directed by celebrated playwright/director Carey Perloff, in a new arrangement she crafted with Stoppard, the Tony and Olivier Award-winning play Leopoldstadt offers “an intensely personal family drama” (Variety) for the holiday season.  

Runtime: Two hours and 37 minutes, with one 15 minute intermission.

A joyous family gathering, filled with people in period dress. A fantastical sequence with a man with an eyepatch stands in front of a dancing couple, with projections of historic art on the walls. The couple seems to be in a different reality to the man. A young man and a boy playing the string game Cat's Cradle, while an older man comments. A wide shot of the family during the holiday; children on the floor playing, adults at tables sipping tea or talking. A man and woman in foreground smiling at each other during a holiday celebration. A darkly lit scene featuring a man and woman half dressed, the woman seated atop the table while intensely gazing at the man, standing and equally as focused on her. A wide shot of a dinner or seder. Hebrew text is projected onto the back wall of the home.

The cast of Leopoldstadt.
Mishka Yarovoy, Nael Nacer, and Brenda Meaney in Leopoldstadt.
Holden King-Farbstein, Joshua Chessin-Yudin, Quinn Murphy, Firdous Bamji in Leopoldstadt.
The cast of Leopoldstadt.
The cast of Leopoldstadt.
Brenda Meaney and Samuel Adams in Leopoldstadt.
The cast of Leopoldstadt.

Photography by Liza Voll, courtesy of The Huntington.

Cast

Samuel Adams*
Samuel Adams*
Fritz, Percy
Firdous Bamji*
Firdous Bamji*
Ludwig, Kurt
Joshua Chessin-Yudin*
Joshua Chessin-Yudin*
Zac, Nathan
Sarah Corey*
Sarah Corey*
Wilma
Anna Theoni DiGiovanni*
Anna Theoni DiGiovanni*
Hanna, Hermine
Adrianne Krstansky*
Adrianne Krstansky*
Hanna, Poldi
Samuel Douglas*
Samuel Douglas*
Otto, Civilian
Maboud Ebrahimzadeh*
Maboud Ebrahimzadeh*
Ernst
Rachel Felstein*
Rachel Felstein*
Eva, Nellie
Phyllis Kay*
Phyllis Kay*
Eva, Grandma Emilia
Rebecca Gibel*
Rebecca Gibel*
Hilde, Rosa
Brenda Meaney*
Brenda Meaney*
Gretl
Nael Nacer*
Nael Nacer*
Hermann
Anna Slate
Anna Slate
Jana, Sally
Mishka Yarovoy*
Mishka Yarovoy*
Jacob, Leo
William Morford
William Morford
Pauli, Young Leo
Teddy Schechter
Teddy Schechter
Pauli, Young Leo, Heini, Young Jacob
Adrianna Weir
Adrianna Weir
Young Sally, Mimi, Young Rosa, Bella
Mila Weir
Mila Weir
Young Sally, Mimi
Harrison Morford
Harrison Morford
Heini, Young Jacob
Audrey Ella Wolff
Audrey Ella Wolff
Young Rosa, Bella
Jacob Schmitt
Jacob Schmitt
Understudy
Jackie Scholl
Jackie Scholl
Understudy

Full Cast List

Fritz, Percy: Samuel Adams*
Ludwig, Kurt: Firdous Bamji*
Zac, Nathan: Joshua Chessin-Yudin*
Wilma: Sarah Corey*
Hanna, Hermine: Anna Theoni DiGiovanni*
Hanna, Poldi: Adrianne Krstansky*
Otto, Civilian: Samuel Douglas*
Ernst: Maboud Ebrahimzadeh*
Eva, Nellie: Rachel Felstein*
Eva, Grandma Emilia: Phyllis Kay*
Hilde, Rosa: Rebecca Gibel*
Gretl: Brenda Meaney*
Hermann: Nael Nacer*
Jana, Sally: Anna Slate
Jacob, Leo: Mishka Yarovoy*
Pauli, Young Leo: William Morford
Pauli, Young Leo, Heini, Young Jacob: Teddy Schechter
Young Sally, Mimi, Young Rosa, Bella: Adrianna Weir
Young Sally, Mimi: Mila Weir
Heini, Young Jacob: Harrison Morford
Young Rosa, Bella: Audrey Ella Wolff
Understudy: Jacob Schmitt, Jackie Scholl

Artistic Team

Director: Carey Perloff
Playwright: Tom Stoppard
Scenic Designer: Ken MacDonald
Costume Designer: Alex Jaeger
Lighting Designer: Robert Wierzel
Sound Designer and Composer: Jane Shaw
Projection Designer: Yuki Izumihara
Wig & Hair Designer: Tom Watson
Voice and Dialect Coach: Lisa Beley, Lee Nishri-Howitt
Fight and Intimacy Consultant: Jesse Hinson
Movement Director: Daniel Pelzig
Dramaturg: Charles Haugland, Drew Lichtenberg
Resident Casting Director: Danica Rodriguez
Associate Director: Dori A. Robinson
Production Stage Manager: Laura Smith*
Assistant Stage Manager: Anthony O. Bullock*, Rebecca Talisman*

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers

Content Advisory

Leopoldstadt includes depictions and discussions of adult themes. Use of cocoa cigarettes, haze and fog effects, and loud noises are included in this production. Click read more below for full details and possible spoilers.

If you have any additional questions, please contact our Box Office at STCBox@ShakespeareTheatre.org or 202.547.1122 and we’ll be happy to give you more info.

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Lead Sponsors

Michael R. Klein & Joan I. Fabry

Production Sponsors
Jerrilyn Andrews & Donald Hesse
John & Meg Hauge
John & Eleanor Spoor
Mark Tushnet & Elizabeth Alexander