‘It absolutely stinks of Eastern Europe in a good way’

Odessa is a special place for playwrights Joseph Sherman and Simon Starr. 

The Ukrainian port city is where Sherman was born and spent his early childhood before he migrated to Australia, while Starr’s ancestors travelled through Odessa on their way to Israel.

It’s also the setting of their latest creative collaboration – All is Good... in the Glow of Moonlight – a play inspired by the “remarkable” story of acclaimed Russian-Jewish writer Isaac Babel, who similarly took inspiration from Odessa.

“[Babel] was unlucky enough to come into his own in the 1920s when Stalin took over the whole meshuga game in the Soviet Union,” explained Sherman. 

“The stories he wrote are really brilliant. On the one hand, there’s his horrific stories of Red Cavalry, which talk about the atrocity but also the beauty of humanity. On the other hand, you’ve got Odessa Stories, of which the main character is a Jewish gangster, Benya Krik, which was [Babel's] way of imagining his Talmudic humanist self.” 

All is Good... in the Glow of Moonlight has been years in the making. Set over 70 minutes, it follows the moment Babel encounters his most notorious imagination, Jewish gangster Benya Krik. As the two relive their past, share stories and challenge each other, they ultimately ask: what happens when the characters we create demand answers? 

“We sat down a lot over the last couple of years. We ate a lot of fruit buns, we drank a lot of water, and we talked a lot about the world, as it is now and as it was then, and it turned into this thing. It’s kind of the result of where mine and Joseph’s love for Odessa and Isaac Babel meet,” Starr told The Jewish Independent. 

Sherman added: “We invite the audience into a very particular afterlife that's inhabited by a writer and a character, and the relationship between them hasn’t been quite resolved. They’re in a purgatory or limbo, and they stay there forever unless they resolve the problem.” 

The play combines original music, from classical Soviet songs to rapping, and narrative interactions in English, Hebrew, Yiddish and Russian to create a rich, humorous and heartbreaking story. In one scene, for example, Starr plays a Communist era double bass to complement a soliloquy delivered by Sherman, while in another, Sherman speaks about Odessa while Starr takes on a tango on the trumpet. 

Sherman, Starr and lighting designer Shane Grant will all feature on stage, which will be filled with sculptures by Soviet-born Melbourne-based artist Nina Sanadze.

“It’s the story of who's really in charge of the story, because Benya Krik is really upset about all the stuff that his author, Isaac Babel, made him do. It's a little bit Being John Malkovich. It's 'Being Isaac Babel',” added Starr. 

“It’s essentially Jewish. To me, it absolutely stinks of Eastern Europe in a good way.” 

Sherman and Starr have worked together on a number of creative endeavours, while simultaneously balancing other professional pursuits – Sherman is a doctor, while Starr is a musician and university teacher. “Isn’t there a book called Tuesdays with Morrie? I had Tuesdays with Simon... There’s two of us and about 500 opinions,” Sherman joked. 

But this play may be their most personal project yet. From its name – a tribute to a favourite poem of Sherman’s mother, who recently died from Alzheimer’s – to its timing as the war in Ukraine continues, both playwrights are deeply invested in staging this show.

“You feel so helpless,” said Sherman, breaking down in tears as he discussed the Russian-Ukraine war. 

“Isaac Babel must be turning in his grave with what’s going on, what's being done in the name of the Russian language, what atrocity is being perpetrated to this amazing country and place. For me, I know it’s not going to fix it, but it made me want to do this play. It’s a protest piece against war.” 

Starr agrees, believing All is Good... in the Glow of Moonlight to offer an important opportunity for healing.

“One thing [Joseph and I] absolutely agree on is that the world is a mess. I always think of the glass that is smashed under the chuppah, and how the world won't be healed until we put all the pieces of glass back together. I just feel like this play is going to be one of the tiny little bits of glass,” Starr concluded. 

All is Good... in the Glow of Moonlight runs from June 25 to July 5 at the Explosives Factory in St Kilda. Learn more information and book tickets online.