Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts has announced that tickets are now on sale to the tour de force theatrical show “Becoming Dr. Ruth,” marking six-time Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor Tovah Feldshuh’s return to the stage in New York City after eight years. The one-woman show, written by Mark St. Germain, follows a sold-out run at Bay Street Theater during its 2021 Mainstage Season, and is presented Off-Broadway at Edmond J. Safra Hall at the Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust.
The limited-run show begins previews on Saturday, December 4, and opens Thursday, December 16, through Sunday, January 2, 2022, at the Museum of Jewish Heritage’s newly renovated, state-of-the-art theater in Battery Park City.
Tickets start at $59 and are now on sale at baystreet.org for Bay Street Theater Patrons and Subscribers. Tickets for the public will be available starting October 25. The production — presented on the same stage as National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene’s smash hit “Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish” — will have a runtime of 90 minutes with no intermission and be performed in compliance with current New York State health and safety requirements for indoor performances.
The play marks Tovah’s return to the stage in New York City since she starred in “Pippin,” and comes on the heels of her acclaimed performance as noted sexologist Dr. Ruth Westheimer in “Becoming Dr. Ruth,” which Bay Street Theater presented in association with North Coast Repertory Theatre as one of the first professional live theatrical productions since the pandemic began.
Jack Kliger, President and CEO of the Museum, said, “We are excited to welcome audiences back for the first live theatrical production since we upgraded our theater with new lighting, sound, and other technological improvements to provide a stellar experience. Audiences are in for a treat when Tovah returns to the stage in New York City after eight years as the inimitable Dr. Ruth Westheimer. This is a performance not to be missed!”
“Bay Street Theater was thrilled to produce a sold-out run in the Hamptons this past summer, and we can’t wait for New York City audiences to witness this tour de force performance by Tovah Feldshuh,” said Tracy Mitchell, Executive Director, Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center of the Arts.
“Playwright Mark St. Germain captures Ruth’s journey magnificently,” said Tovah Feldshuh, “and I am overjoyed to be reunited once again with the gifted and remarkable Scott Schwartz who directed me in ‘Golda’s Balcony.’ Becoming Dr. Ruth is our fourth collaboration, and our work together feels like coming home as we bring this production joyously to our home: Manhattan.”
Directed by Bay Street Theater’s Artistic Director Scott Schwartz, “Becoming Dr. Ruth” chronicles the life of noted psychologist Dr. Ruth Westheimer, from her early years fleeing Nazi Germany, living as an orphan in Switzerland, to her service in the Israeli armed forces as a sharpshooter, and her later life and career in New York. “Becoming Dr. Ruth” is a humorous and heartfelt portrait detailing Dr. Ruth’s remarkable journey against so many odds to become a pioneer in the psychology of human sexuality and the world’s most famous sex therapist.
“Becoming Dr. Ruth” reunites Feldshuh and Schwartz in New York for the first time since their major success with “Golda’s Balcony” — which became the longest running one-woman show in Broadway history.