The Western New York premiere of The God of Vengeance, performed by the Brazen-Faced Varlets, opened on March 8 at Rust Belt Books, located at 202 Allen St.
According to Artvoice, “back in 1923, The God of Vengeance, the English language version of Sholem Asch’s 1907 Yiddish play, was the first drama on Broadway to feature a lesbian love scene. The play’s producer and cast, and the theater owner were arrested on obscenity charges.“
The storyline takes place in Poland and deals with controversial topics, including prostitution and homosexuality.
The Brazen-Faced Varlets IS a feminist theater company and the members chose to perform The God of Vengeance because it deals with a lot of strong female roles, as well as lesbian content.
"We picked Rust Belt because they're very open to working with starting out artists,” said Lara D. Haberberger, director and founder of Brazen-Faced Varlets. “They're very warm and welcoming and it's a nice intimate space for this so it makes people actually feel like they're in the house where the play is happening.”
The play is being performed on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. through March 23. It is open to the public but requires a $12 entry fee at the door on Fridays and Saturdays. Thursdays are pay as you can.
"We're very lucky to be able to bring this play and we're very surprised that people have been responding so well to it,” said Haberberger. By Anna Dinger and Kevin Freiheit
