''Underneath the Lintel'' is a

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * Pla ...

Glen Berger Glen Berger is an American playwright and scriptwriter. He has received commissions from the Children’s Theater of Minneapolis, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, the Alley Theatre, and the Lookingglass Theater. In 2010, he co-wrote the book for '' Spi ...

that premièred in 2001. The sole character—the Librarian—embarks on a quest to find out who anonymously returned a library book that is 113 years overdue. A clue scribbled in the margin of the book and an unclaimed dry-cleaning ticket then take him on a mysterious adventure that spans the globe and the ages.

Plot synopsis

The play begins with the Librarian appearing on stage, which is sparsely furnished with a whiteboard and marker pens, a magnetic bulletin board, and a table. The Librarian carries with him a battered suitcase. He informs the audience that he is giving a lecture for only one day about a discovery he has made. The Librarian then opens his suitcase and begins to show the audience what he calls his "scraps": pieces of evidence each marked with numbered tags that provide evidence of a person whose identity is gradually revealed over the course of the play. He starts with a copy of a

Baedeker Verlag Karl Baedeker, founded by Karl Baedeker on July 1, 1827, is a German publisher and pioneer in the business of worldwide travel guides. The guides, often referred to simply as " Baedekers" (a term sometimes used to refer to similar works fro ...

travel guide that was anonymously returned 113 years overdue to the library in the small Dutch town where he used to work. Tracking down the loan records of the book, he finds that the book was borrowed by one "A." who provided a post office box as his address. Inside the book, he finds a 73-year-old dry-cleaning ticket for an unclaimed piece of clothing in a London laundry shop. Intrigued, he takes leave from work to visit London. He finds that the laundry shop is still in business and, using the ticket, redeems a pair of trousers that has not been cleaned because of its poor condition. Eventually, the audience learns that the person to whom all of the Librarian's items relate may be

Ahasuerus Ahasuerus ( ; , commonly ''Achashverosh'';; fa, اخشورش, Axšoreš; fa, label=New Persian, خشایار, Xašāyār; grc, Ξέρξης, Xérxēs. grc, label=Koine Greek, Ἀσουήρος, Asouḗros, in the Septuagint; la, Assuerus ...

the

Wandering Jew The Wandering Jew is a mythical immortal man whose legend began to spread in Europe in the 13th century. In the original legend, a Jew who taunted Jesus on the way to the Crucifixion was then cursed to walk the Earth until the Second Coming. Th ...

, a

mythical Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

figure from medieval

Christian folklore Christian mythology is the body of myths associated with Christianity. The term encompasses a broad variety of legends and narratives, especially those considered sacred narratives. Mythological themes and elements occur throughout Christian ...

Production history

''Underneath the Lintel'' was first produced in 2001 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

The Actors' Gang The Actors' Gang is an experimental theatre and nonprofit group based at the Ivy Substation in Culver City, California. It was founded in 1981 by a group of actors, including Tim Robbins, now a member of the board and Artistic Director of the tr ...

theatre company.

Brent Hinkley Brent may refer to: * Brent (name), an English given and surname Place name ;In the United States * Brent, Alabama *Brent, Florida * Brent, Georgia * Brent, Missouri, a ghost town *Brent, Oklahoma ;In the United Kingdom * Brent, Cornwall *Br ...

directed and Brian T. Finney played the Librarian. It was produced later that same year in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

at the Soho Playhouse with T. Ryder Smith as the librarian. Scott Morfee, Tom Wirtshafter and Dana Matthow were the producers, with Randy White directing. Sets were by Lauren Halpern, lighting by Tyler Micoleau, sound by Paul Adams, costumes by Miranda Hoffman and projections by

Elaine J. McCarthy Elaine J. McCarthy (born May 11, 1966) is an American projection and video designer for theater and opera.David Johnson"The Next Generation of Projection Design" ''Live Design'', May 1, 2003 Early life She was born in Woburn, Massachusetts, and ...

. The play ran for 450 performances, and was voted among the Top Ten Plays of the Year by ''

Time Out NY ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 328 cities in 58 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition becam ...

'' magazine.

T. Ryder Smith T. Ryder Smith (born March 9, 1958) is an American actor. A native of New York state and long-time resident of New York City, he appears frequently on stage, particularly in avant-garde theatre works, as well as on TV, film, and as a voice actor. ...

played the Librarian, and received a

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

nomination that year as Outstanding Solo Performer. The Canadian premiere was produced in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

by Shadow Theatre in 2002. The play received an

Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award The Elizabeth Sterling Haynes Award (also known as the Sterling Award) is a local Edmonton, Alberta award presented annually which honours excellence in theatre. The award covers a number of categories, including production, performance, direction ...

as the outstanding production of the year, as well as awards for actor Andy Curtis and director James DeFelice. The Seattle premiere was at the Empty Space Theatre in March 2003 starring Todd Jefferson Moore. The Metropolitan Baltimore-Washington premier was at

Round House Theatre Round House Theatre is a nonprofit theater company based in Bethesda, Maryland. History Round House began life in 1970 as “Street ’70”, a program of the Montgomery County Department of Recreation that provided educational outreach in th ...

in July 2003 directed by Jane Beard starring Jerry Whiddon. The

Lantern Theater Company Lantern Theater Company is a not-for-profit regional theater founded in 1994 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Led by founding artistic director Charles McMahon and managing director Anne Shuff, the Lantern produces a mix of classics, modern, and or ...

of Philadelphia presented the play in 2003, with Peter DeLaurier as the Librarian, who won a

Barrymore Award The Barrymore Awards for Excellence in Theatre is an annual, nationally recognized award program by Theatre Philadelphia for professional theater productions in the Greater Philadelphia area. Each season culminates in the Fall with an awards cerem ...

as Leading Actor in a Play. He reprised the role at the same venue in 2015. The Houston premiere of the play was in February 2004 at Main Street Theater, produced by Hero Productions, with Jim Bernhard as the Librarian, directed by Roy Hamlin. The play was subsequently produced in Houston in March 2008 by the Alley Theatre with John Tyson as the Librarian, directed by Alex Harvey.

Orlando Theatre Project The Orlando Theatre Project was a nonprofit professional theatre company based in Sanford, Florida, near Orlando. The company was founded in 1985 and operates under an Actors' Equity Association contract. The company was in residence at Seminole ...

presented the US southeastern premiere of this play in May 2004, featuring Kristian Truelsen as the Librarian and directed by Doug Truelsen. Cesear's Forum, Cleveland's small minimalist theatre at Kennedy's Down Under, Playhouse Square, OH, presented the play in an April/May 2004 production. The play received a 2005 production at the

George Street Playhouse George Street Playhouse is a theater company in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in the city's Civic Square government and theater district. It's one of the state's preeminent professional theaters committed to the production of new and established ...

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Richard Schiff Richard Schiff (born May 27, 1955) is an American actor and director. He is best known for playing Toby Ziegler on ''The West Wing'', a role for which he received an Emmy Award. Schiff made his directorial debut with ''The West Wing'', directing ...

as the Librarian. It was then staged again at

Indiana Repertory Theatre Indiana Repertory Theatre, frequently abbreviated IRT, is a professional regional theatre in Indianapolis, Indiana that began as a genuine repertory theatre with its casts performing in multiple shows at once. It has subsequently become a regio ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

, between 21 March and 6 May 2006. Robert K Johansen played the Librarian, directed by John Green. Beowulf Alley Theatre in Tucson, Arizona, produced the play in 2005 with Roberto Guajardo in the lead role.

First Presbyterian Theater First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...

of Fort Wayne, Indiana produced ''Lintel'' at the end of its 2005-2006 season in July 2006 with Joel D. Scribner as the Librarian, directed by Thom Hofrichter. The Irish premiere was produced by

Landmark Productions Landmark Productions is a theatre production company in Dublin, Ireland. Established in 2003 by Anne Clarke, Landmark produces plays in Ireland and tours Irish work abroad. The company has an association with a number of Irish writers including E ...

in September 2006 as part of the

Dublin Fringe Festival The Dublin Fringe Festival is an annual curated arts festival in Dublin, Ireland focusing mainly on theatre. The festival allows artists to submit their work via an application which is subsequently reviewed by the programme manager. The festiva ...

, directed by Joshua Edelman and starring Philip O'Sullivan, receiving nominations for Best Production and Best Male Performer in the festival. The production subsequently played at the

Assembly Rooms In Great Britain and Ireland, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, assembly rooms were gathering places for members of the higher social classes open to members of both sexes. At that time most entertaining was done at home and there were ...

as part of the 2010

Edinburgh Festival Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as The Fringe, Edinburgh Fringe, or Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest arts and media festival, which in 2019 spanned 25 days and featured more than 59,600 performances of 3,841 dif ...

. Schiff reprised the role at the

Duchess Theatre The Duchess Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, London, located in Catherine Street near Aldwych. The theatre opened on 25 November 1929 and is one of the smallest West End theatres with a proscenium arch. It has 494 se ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

's West End from 7 February to 31 March 2007. This production was directed by

Maria Mileaf Maria Mileaf (born in New York City) is an American theater director. She grew up in Highland Park, New Jersey. Mileaf received a BA in literature from Yale College and received an MFA in directing from University of California, San Diego in 199 ...

. A radio version of the play, performed by Richard Schiff, was broadcast by

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

on 5 January 2008. The eastern Canadian premiere of the play opened at the 2007 Fringe Festival of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

at the

Factory Theatre Factory Theatre is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded as Factory Theatre Lab in 1970 by Ken Gass and Frank Trotz, and it was run for almost 20 years by Dian English. Factory was the first theatre to announce that it would ...

in July 2007. The performance was produced by the Book Productions and Celeste Sansregret and starred Canadian actor John D. Huston as the Librarian. In the winter of 2013, Kingbaby Productions mounted the play on Bowen Island, British Columbia starring David Cameron as the Librarian. Original off-Broadway director Randy White directed a new production of the play in Bloomington, Indiana in May 2013 for his company, Cardinal Stage Company, starring Mike Price as the Librarian. In May 2013, Duncan Henderson played the role of the Librarian in a production directed by D. James Newton in Brighton, UK. In 2013, Mick Mize played the role of the librarian in a production performed at the Live Oak Theater in Berkeley, CA. In 2013, the

American Conservatory Theater The American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) is a nonprofit theater company in San Francisco, California, United States, that offers both classical and contemporary theater productions. It also has an attached acting school. History The Ameri ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

presented

David Strathairn David Russell Strathairn (; born January 26, 1949) is an American actor. Known for his leading roles on stage and screen, he has often portrayed historical figures such as Edward R. Murrow, J. Robert Oppenheimer, William H. Seward, and John Dos ...

as the Librarian. In 2014, the local theater Vendsyssel Teater in

Hjørring Hjørring () is a town on the island of Vendsyssel-Thy at the top of the Jutland peninsula in northern Denmark. It is the main town and the administrative seat of Hjørring Municipality in the North Jutland Region. The population is 25,644 (accor ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

presented the play under the name of ''Rejsen ("The travel")''. The Librarian was played by local actor Asger Reher, and the show was directed by

Peter Schrøder Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

. The play premiered on September 4, 2014. In 2014, the

Triad Stage Triad Stage is a regional theatre located at 232 South Elm Street, Greensboro, North Carolina. History Triad Stage began as the dream of creating a professional not-for-profit regional theater to serve the communities of the Triad. Co-found ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, presented the play. The Librarian was played by New York-based actor

Kate Goehring Kate Goehring is an American stage, film and television actress. Early life Goehring grew up on Mason's Island. Her father, Edmund Goehring, Sr., was a Commander in the Navy in World War II and a vice president of sales for an electronics compa ...

, and the show was directed by Triad Artistic Director Preston Lane. The play premiered on September 20, 2014. In 2017, the Godot Cafe Theatre from Bucharest (Romania) presented the play. The Librarian is played by Razvan Vasilescu. In 2017, Chicago theatre ensemble Theatre Y presented the play 26 times over a 38-day period along the Camino de Santiago. The Librarian was played by Darren Hill. In 2019 it was presented at the

Winnipeg Fringe Festival The Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival is an alternative theatre festival held each year for twelve days in July in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. History Founded in 1988 by the Manitoba Theatre Centre with Larry Desrochers as the first Executiv ...

in July. In 2020, it was presented at Playmakers Community Theatre in Grove, Oklahoma. The Librarian was played by Jonathan Elmore from January 31 through February 16. A dual production in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

was jointly staged in 2020 by both the

Segal Centre for Performing Arts The Segal Centre for Performing Arts, formerly the Saidye Bronfman Centre for the Arts, is a theatre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is located at 5170 chemin de la Côte-Sainte-Catherine, in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâc ...

in its original English form and the

Théâtre du Nouveau Monde The Théâtre du Nouveau Monde (TNM) is a theatre company and venue located on rue Sainte-Catherine in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in , it launched with the classic play ''L'Avare'' by Molière. Initially located at the Gesù (1951–1958), it su ...

as ''Zébrina'', a French translation by Serge Lamothe.

J. Kelly Nestruck James Kelleher Nestruck ( ; styled as J. Kelly Nestruck) is a Canadian journalist and theatre critic. He is currently the chief theatre critic for ''The Globe and Mail''. Life and career Nestruck was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was raised in Mo ...

, "Bilingual actor Emmanuel Schwartz brings Montreal together, reopening stages in French and English". ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', September 23, 2020. Actor

Emmanuel Schwartz Emmanuel Schwartz is a Canadian actor and playwright from Montreal, Quebec. J. Kelly Nestruck, "Bilingual actor Emmanuel Schwartz brings Montreal together, reopening stages in French and English". ''The Globe and Mail'', September 23, 2020. He is ...

performed the role of the Librarian in both versions. In 2021, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre produced it, directed by Brent Hazelton with Elyse Edelman as the librarian. It ran from April 9, 2021 to May 2, 2021. The Criterion Theatre in Coventry, UK, gave 7 performances in 2021, from 28 August to 4 September. This production was directed by Richard Warren, with Jon Elves as The Librarian.

Publication

''Underneath the Lintel'' is published by

Broadway Play Publishing Inc Broadway Play Publishing Inc (BPPI) was established in New York City in 1982 to publish and license the stage performance rights of contemporary American plays. The Broadway Play Publishing Inc catalog consists of over 1,000 plays and nearly 400 ...

in both the original version and one in which the Librarian is female.

Notes

External links

''Wandering Jew and Jewess''
screenplays by Robert Douglas Manning {{ISBN, 978-1-895507-90-4
Official website of Broadway Play Publishing
* ttp://www.underneaththelintel.ca The Website of the 2007 Toronto Production of Underneath the Lintelbr> The Official Website of Canadian Actor John D. Huston
2001 plays Jewish American plays Plays for one performer Plays based on European myths and legends Wandering Jew