Auditions

UNORTHODOX

Based on the memoir Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots written by

Deborah Feldman

Book by Joshua Harmon

Music and Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Shaina Taub

Director: Jordan Fein

Location: Huntington Theatre (LORT B)

First Rehearsal: Saturday, March 27, 2027

Tech Begins: Tuesday, April 27, 2027

First Preview: Thursday, May 6, 2027

Opening: Wednesday, May 19, 2027

Closing: Sunday, June 6 or 13, 2027

Dates are subject to change.

SEEKING THE FOLLOWING:

DEVOIRI – Female, 17–26.

Raised in Brooklyn’s Satmar Hasidic community, Devoiri enters an arranged marriage and becomes a young mother before deciding she will leave her community. Torn between duty and independence, she possesses an unforced sincerity that can read as naivete. Intelligent, curious, and deeply imaginative, she often sees herself in literary heroines like Jo March, and writes a book in hopes of creating the stable future where she can raise her child. Her most important relationship is with her grandmother, Fraida, who raised her. Hopeful, alternately dutiful and rebellious, with a soaring spirit. Excellent singer.

FRAIDA – Female, 22–85.

Seen across multiple stages of her life. As a young Holocaust survivor arriving in America, Fraida believes she may be infertile, unable to build the family she longs for, but a marriage proposal from a young Hasidic man changes the course of her life. In later years, she is the devoted grandmother who becomes Devoiri’s touchstone and protector. Family, faith, and legacy are central to her identity, as well as her beloved garden. Warm, shrewd, resilient, and deeply loving; capable of great sacrifice when necessary. Excellent singer.

CHAYA – Female, 30s–50s. Also plays BAYLA and other roles.

Devoiri’s aunt. Practical, frank, and funny, she shepherds her niece through the matchmaking process and prepares her for the realities of married life. Dry wit and winning frankness. Also plays BAYLA, a woman who has left the Hasidic community and is separated from her child. Bayla’s experience becomes both warning and inspiration for Devoiri. Resilient, grounded, with hard won strength. Excellent singer.

EDITH – Female, 30s–80s. Also plays other roles.

Fraida’s closest friend and confidante, who has a sharp, dry sense of humor in spite of it all. She helped save Fraida’s life in Poland and remains a steadfast presence throughout the decades. Protective of her friend, Edith is skeptical of Menachem and the Hasidic community. Sharp, funny, clear-eyed, and fiercely loyal. Strong singer.

ELI’S MOTHER – Female, 40s–60s. Also plays other roles.

A formidable presence within her family and community. Determined to secure the ideal wife for her son and committed to preserving tradition. Expects obedience, devotion, and many grandchildren from her daughter-in-law. Dry, exacting, and unapologetic; capable of cutting reproach when challenged. Excellent singer.

POLLY – Female, 20s. Also plays SHPRINTZA, ROIZA, and other roles.

A young publishing editor who recognizes the potential of Devoiri’s story and encourages her to claim her own voice. Ambitious, confident, and highly capable, with genuine empathy beneath her professional drive. Also plays ROIZA, another granddaughter of Fraida. A new mother that eagerly squeezes her baby’s cheeks, and can’t wait for her cousin Devoiri to have a baby of her own. Bubbly and bright. Also plays SHPRINTZA, Eli’s exuberant younger sister, who initially welcomes Devoiri into the family before loyalties are tested. High-spirited and self-important. Excellent singer.

MENACHEM – Male, 22–85.  Also plays other roles.

Seen as both a young man and an elder. A Holocaust survivor whose faith, optimism, and love of family shape the life he builds with Fraida. His sincerity and quiet conviction inspire Fraida to join the Hasidic community. In later years, he is the spiritual anchor of the family. Steady, compassionate, and deeply devout. Excellent singer.

ELI – Male, 20s. Also plays other roles.

Devoiri’s husband in an arranged marriage. Raised in a strict Hasidic household, he desires a traditional family and initially embraces Devoiri’s unusual sense of intellectual curiosity. As their marriage is tested, he struggles to reconcile the wife he has with the life he imagined. Sheltered, dutiful, and ultimately kind-hearted. Excellent singer.

Synopsis: Three Broadway icons unite for the first time to create this stunning new musical: composer Benj Pasek (EGOT winner, Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land, Only Murders in the Building); composer Shaina Taub (two-time Tony winner for Suffs); and playwright Joshua Harmon (Tony nominated for Prayer for the French Republic).

Deep in the heart of Brooklyn, Devoiri, just seventeen, enters an arranged marriage in the Hasidic Satmar community. Sixty years earlier, her grandmother Fraida arrives in America at roughly the same age, alone, to begin a new life. In parallel journeys, one woman decides to join this devout world, while another awakens to the realization that she wants to try and leave. Based on the best-selling memoir, Unorthodox is an intimate and emotionally resonant new musical about the impossible choices we face trying to do what is right for our children – and ourselves.

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