'Dybbuk' possessed by poetic writing, strong acting

Traveling Jewish Theatre production expertly realized

By Chad Jones, STAFF WRITER

THE demonic possession scene in Traveling Jewish Theatre's "Dybbuk" is so unsettling, you half expect to see an actor's head do a 360-degree spin.

Sort of a spiritual folk tale version of "The Exorcist," "Dybbuk" is a still-powerful,

84-year-old play that comes out of the Jewish storytelling tradition.

Originally produced in 1920 in Vilna, Lithuania, "Dybbuk" is the story of a young Polish couple destined to be married but whose romance turns into a horror show.

Two fathers, best friends, make a sacred pact that if their families include a son and a daughter, those children shall wed. But that pact is broken. The young woman is betrothed to a wealthy man, and the poor young man, whose spiritual quest takes him to dark places, dies of mysterious causes in a synagogue.

On the eve of her wedding, the young woman and her grandmother visit the graveyard to invite the spirit of the young woman's dead mother to the festivities. But the young woman has ulterior motives. She also invites the spirit of her beloved young man so fresh in his grave.

At the wedding, while the young woman sings a song from her childhood, her body is visited by a "dybbuk," a disembodied soul that enters a living being and won't let go.

This dybbuk, of course, is the soul of the young man, and it takes an exorcism by one of the greatest of all rabbis to dispel the unhappy spirit.

Sunday's opening of "Dybbuk" marks the third time Traveling Jewish Theatre has produced Bruce Myers' late 1970s adaptation of the original play, and it's easy to see why the play is so frequently revived.

With only two actors, two candles, a dark stage and a powerful ghost story, "Dybbuk" pulses with the raw power of stark theatrical storytelling.

Although nothing is fancy in this "Dybbuk," all the elements come together beautifully, beginning with Karine Koret and Keith Davis, two grounded and intensely focused actors playing multiple roles under the direction of TJT co-founder Corey Fischer.

There's no set to speak of except for a table, three chairs, a few books and, most important, two candles.

The stage is a black void illuminated by crisp, shrewdly designed lighting by David Robertson. There's very little light hitting the actors straight on -- it's mostly from the side and behind to create dramatic silhouettes and eerie shapes in the dark.

Even Annie Kunjappy's simple costumes have tremendous power. The young woman's maroon head scarf is augmented by a simple white veil for her wedding, but after the possession, the veil disappears and the scarf becomes a face-hiding mask.

Perhaps the most effective costume is the rabbi's voluminous white robe. In Robertson's lighting, the hooded clergyman often looks more like a ghost than a human.

Luminous Koret is extraordinary as the young woman who becomes possessed. Her graceful beauty as the bride turns into writhing, screaming, agonizing pain as she is taken over by the dybbuk. It's an astonishing, visceral performance.

Davis is equally as good in a variety of roles ranging from the soul-searching young man to a well-meaning grandmother to the hooded exorcist who doubts his abilities and his connection to God.

This expertly realized "Dybbuk," which heads to Berkeley's Julia Morgan Theater at the end of May, is only about 75 minutes long but has the weight of an epic and the chilling charm of a well-told ghost story.