Constructive Fictions has drawn criticism from its real-life lead character. (Photo courtesy of Capital Fringe)
By DCist contributor Kristen Doerer
Reminds us of: Spotlight crossed with Law and Order, set in D.C. jail.
Flop, Fine or Fringe-tastic?: It’s complicated.
Rabbi Barry Freundel (Matty Griffiths) sits in an orange jumpsuit in D.C. jail. It’s a far cry from the black suit he wore in front of his congregations, and the orthodox rabbi can’t shake the feeling that he, Barry Freundel, rabbi of a congregation that included senators and treasury secretaries, shouldn’t be there. So begins Constructive Fictions, the story of the real-life D.C. rabbi who got caught spying on women in the ritual bath of the synagogue he had led for 25 years and his imagined musings after being sentenced to six and a half years behind bars. As he sits in jail, Freundel realizes he’s not alone, and he’s forced to listen to the voices of four of his accusers: Rachel, Rebecca, Leah, and Sarah.
In Constructive Fictions, playwright A.J. Campbell immerses us in the world of Orthodox Judaism, where community reigns and rabbis are seemingly beyond reproach. The story has a personal note for Campbell, who grew up in an Orthodox community in Los Angeles and left the religion after coming out as gay. And perhaps it’s this personal experience that leads her to make assumptions about Freundel’s intentions when he first began videotaping the women. She posits that Freundel wanted to make sure the women who were trying to convert were doing the conversions correctly —that they were scrubbing down, removing the dirt from under the fingernails —and as he continued to tape and watch these women, a more sinister motive took over.
This premise doesn’t sit well. In reality, Freundel didn’t just tape women trying to convert; he also was accused of videotaping other members of his synagogue and Towson University students who weren’t converting. And emotionally, it feels cheap. Why does there need to have been any reason other than perversion, than an old man taking advantage of his position of power?
Campbell does eventually press some of these questions and prods the viewer to consider the complicated (and not-so-complicated) narratives of the powerful exploiting the vulnerable. What happens when the man who you look to for spiritual guidance and who you depend on for conversion betrays you? We see the mix of betrayal, indignation, disgust, and sadness that overwhelms each of the women—though at times the conviction is missing.
Perhaps tellingly, and most controversially, the playwright didn’t talk to the real-life victims of Freundel’s crimes, and it’s their voices that we fail to fully hear in the play. Many of the victims, who live in D.C. and are only two years away from the crime, were upset to hear about the play and that no one reached out to them for their voices, The Washington Post reported. “It was pretty triggering for everyone,” said Bethany Mandel, one of the victims.
Outside of the accuracy and perspective issues, the themes coalesce in a climactic closing scene that will send shivers down your back. For those who followed the peeping-tom rabbi story—and even for those who did not—the play is a dramatic watch. But for those who experienced it, it might well be traumatic. Without speaking to the women of the real-life crime, the playwright makes it difficult to justify.
Where to See It: Gallaudet University’s Eastman Studio Theatre on July 20 at 9:30 p.m., and July 23 at 1:45. Buy tickets here.
See here for all of DCist’s 2017 Capital Fringe coverage. All shows are $17, with a button ($7) required for entry.
