A Woman, ‘Her Demon’ and a Cautionary Tale

Spirits are back. They come and go in cycles--big in the ‘70s, with “The Exorcist,” “Seth Speaks” and the like, and then on the wane in recent years. Now, Lars Von Trier’s new film, “Breaking the Waves,” shows a woman moved to sainthood by the spirit; KABC radio host Art Bell chats regularly with a real-life exorcist, and the latest movement in Judaism is the Revival, which explores ancient Jewish mysticism.

When applied to art, a lot of this can get fuzzy-headed. The notable thing about the Menorah Theatre’s production of Isaac Bashevis Singer and Eve Friedman’s “Teibele and Her Demon”: It offers artful mysticism you can trust in.

First done at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, transferred to Broadway in 1979, this two-act adaptation of Singer’s story is a surprisingly emotive tragedy that at first appears to be a jocular “Fiddler”-like comedy. Alchonon (Jonathan Motil), the closest thing to a slacker in the Polish village of Frampol in 1880, pines for Teibele (Amanda Diaz), whose husband is probably dead. Teibele, though, wants anybody in the village but Alchonon, whom she calls “an eyesore.”

Alchonon may be a slacker, but he’s not dumb, and, as do other wily Singer characters, he devises a fraud to make her his: He uses her deep belief in spirits and poses as one, Hurmizah, to seduce her. She falls in love with this sexy demon, and even after he commands her to marry Alchonon, she can’t let her demon lover go. Alchonon sets a trap for breaking his own heart.

Such trap-setting is the sign of a master storyteller, and Singer is one of the century’s greatest. He shares Teibele’s belief in spirits, but he’s also an erotic modernist--which is why this show is not for the kids.

*

Motil manages the Alchonon-Hurmizah change with powerful simplicity and combines it with a commanding voice that’s almost operatic. Diaz is deeply affecting, letting us peer inside a sadly conflicted woman who never sees nor accepts the incredibly cruel trick played on her.

Both actors find themselves in a rather cramped, budget-minded physical production and are surrounded by fairly indifferent acting (though Andrew Kelley as Alchonon’s pal has some amusing moments). The show isn’t grand, but Motil and Diaz have the spirit for high tragedy, and the final power of this cautionary fable disturbs you into the night.

* “Teibele and Her Demon,” the Menorah Theatre at the Jewish Community Center, 250 E. Baker St., Costa Mesa. Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m. Ends Sunday. $12-$15. (714) 755-0340. Running time: 2 hours, 25 minutes.

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“Teibele and Her Demon,”

Jonathan Motil: Alchonon

Amanda Diaz: Teibele

Andrew Kelley: Menasha

Debbi Gordon: Genendel

Ed Hayes: Rabbi

Andy Wolf: Treitel

Stephanie Kane: Leib

A Jewish Community Center Menorah Theatre production of a play by Isaac Bashevis Singer and Eve Friedman, directed by Laurie T. Freed. Set and lights: Gary Christiansen. Sound: Doug Leonard.