There’s a new Israeli in town! Her name is Meital Dohan and with John Ventimiglia,meital & gian: happy together? she’s co-starring in the second American production of Scottish playwright Anthony Neilson’s Stitching, opening February 26 at the Lillian Theater in Los Angeles, California. As I encourgaed New Yorkers to do last Spring,  I hope our new found Angeleno friends will support live performance and check it out. This advice might surprise some on both coasts, as I’d not written about the theater much until Stitching revitalized me, Swope.

What the hell happened? Details differ according to the teller but one word is always the same: robots. Aeschylus with robots; Marlowe with robots; Goethe with robots; Büchner with robots; Ibsen with robots; Ionesco with robots— in short, Dear Reader, it came to pass that the last person to have this gig finally cared only to write about theatrical robots, no actors. Meital Dohan is not a robot, even if there are moments in Stitching where she doesn’t look entirely unlike an Israeli Lady Frankenstein.

sewn up!Credit for this is due many people, including the dark Scottish wit of Neilson, director Timothy Haskel & dramaturge, Annie Nocenti (yes, the journalist; see the now classic Gambling issue of Stop Smiling for many examples of her editorial talent, including Brian Berger’s profile of Nick Tosches). As with all great creation, however, there are wondesecret of his failurerments without answer in the megillah or Arthur Miller. Might Meital ever perform Bertolt Brecht at Young Israel of Flatbush? Hanoch Levin at Young Israel of Kensington? Sholem Aleichem at Young Israel of Midwood? Also, as a transgressive artist myself, I’d love to know if Meital still has black the strap-on she wore so well on Weeds a couple years ago— wow.

The Publisher, alas, asked none of these things. Intimidated? Playing opossum? Perhaps so. Shalom! —Lorraine Otsego, Theater Critic

The following was first published June 20, 2008, as “The Four Questions With Meital Dohan”

Brian Berger: In Brooklyn we think all people from Israel are badass cynical chainsmokers who curse a lot— all the secular Israelis at least. Any truth to this and if so, why might this be?

Meital Dohan: I am a badass cynical fake blonde and I like to curse a lot, so what the fuck are you talking about? And what the hell do you want? (more…)