Credit: ogata_photo
In his one-person show Other, Ari’el Stachel honestly and hilariously brings to the stage his experiences of anxiously navigating his Mizrahi Jewish identity. Ari’el’s long running success on stage and on screen awarded him Tony and Grammy awards for his singing, acting, and writing. Now, Ari’el feels it’s time to bring his own story to audiences, a story that has often been left out of American Jewish narratives.
Born to a Yemenite Israeli father and an Ashkenazi American mother, Ari’el embraced Other as an opportunity to bring to the stage a story he didn’t get to see growing up.
“I wanted to write this because I’d never seen my culture reflected on stage,” Ari’el explains. “It felt like I was hiding, and so many people feel like they have to hide parts of who they are. By pushing myself to share my journey—in a way that’s entertaining—I hoped it could create an opening for people to look at their own lives in new ways.”
Acting has offered Ari’el an outlet for navigating the complexities of his identity since childhood. “Playing characters was my most natural talent as a kid,” he recalls. “It later became survival at school—hiding the parts of myself I was scared to reveal. Once I made it on Broadway, I felt this urge to create something of my own.”
In Other, Ari’el performs every role himself, weaving humor and vulnerability into his story of identity, anxiety, and the search for belonging. “Writing helps me process myself and the world,” Ariel explains. ”And performing connects me to people in a way nothing else can.”
Other is an invitation for audiences to connect to Ariel’s story at a time when he feels it’s essential to share diverse Jewish stories and experiences that show humanity and challenge Jewish stereotypes. “It’s never felt more important to tell the story of a Mizrahi American Jew without apology,” Ari’el shares. “To showcase the full spectrum of my humanity—not just what’s expected of me as a Jew.”
Ari’el has found a way to bring humor into the storytelling of identity and anxiety. Directed by Tony Taccone and produced by LaChanze Productions, arrives Off-Broadway after acclaimed runs at Berkeley Rep and Berkshire Theatre Group. The play doesn’t give audiences easy answers, but instead offers opportunity for reflection.
“I don’t have a particular message I want people to take away,” says Ari’el. “The play seeks to ask questions. Everyone has their own unique relationship to the story based on their experiences. I want people to feel invited into that exploration of self—because at its heart, Other is about learning to love all the parts of who we are.”
Vulnerably anxious, unapologetically Mizrahi, watch Ari’el story hilariously come to life on stage now through December 6 at the Greenwich Theater. Get your tickets at www.OtherThePlay.com.
Credit: ogata_photo
About Ari’el Stachel
Ari’el Stachel is a Tony Award® and GRAMMY® Award–winning actor, singer, and writer. His new solo play OTHER arrives Off-Broadway after acclaimed runs at Berkeley Rep and Berkshire Theatre Group. Stachel received the 2018 Tony Award® for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for originating the role of Haled in The Band’s Visit, a performance that also earned Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk nominations.
On screen, he stars in the upcoming feature Death Do Us Part and has appeared in Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling (Warner Bros.) and A24’s Zola. His television credits include Law & Order: SVU, Billions, Jessica Jones, Blue Bloods, and The Night Agent.
