THE BIRTHDAY GAME

by Judah Skoff

FULL LENGTH: THE BIRTHDAY GAME is a romantic epic about a wayward generation of American Jews at the turn of the twenty-first century.

Aspiring novelist Henry Jacobson is exiled from his family, as his father, a doctor, defends a devastating malpractice lawsuit. Henry arranges to spend the summer in the beautiful Upper East Side penthouse apartment of family friends who are expected to be away for the season...

FULL LENGTH: THE BIRTHDAY GAME is a romantic epic about a wayward generation of American Jews at the turn of the twenty-first century.

Aspiring novelist Henry Jacobson is exiled from his family, as his father, a doctor, defends a devastating malpractice lawsuit. Henry arranges to spend the summer in the beautiful Upper East Side penthouse apartment of family friends who are expected to be away for the season. At the last moment, however, daughter Chelsea Weiss decides to remain home, leading Henry and Chelsea, two young American Jews, to unexpectedly share the same apartment for the long, hot summer. Chelsea attempts to recover from the devastating end to her junior year of college, which involved an anxiety-inducing relationship with an ultra-conservative literature professor, a man long accused of anti-Semitism, but who still looms large in her mind. Henry works on his novel about an American serviceman after World War II, recovering in a hospital on the Amalfi coast of Italy, who learns to paint.

Drawn to each other, and trapped in an increasingly claustrophobic space, Henry and Chelsea navigate their growing attraction and fraught identities. Matters are complicated further when Henry meets Sylvia, a woman with roots in Libya's vanished Jewish community, challenging his understanding of Judaism and his relationship with Chelsea. As Chelsea's birthday approaches, she introduces Henry to a bizarre and terrifying family ritual, the birthday game…

Set during the summer of 2000, against the backdrop of the presidential race between Bush and Gore, at the dawn of reality television, when the Twin Towers stood proudly over Manhattan, and when there was real hope for Palestinian-Israeli peace, THE BIRTHDAY GAME is a love story about two people, and a nation, on the knife’s-edge of a new century.

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THE BIRTHDAY GAME

Recommended by

  • Mary DeCarlo: THE BIRTHDAY GAME

    I was lucky enough to see a reading of The Birthday Game at the Valdez Theatre Conference. I felt like I was invited to a summer getaway with charming philosophers. The Birthday Game challenges audiences to think about big questions surrounding religion and politics through the lens of two young people who are drifting aimlessly through life trying to find their footing. The characters are deeply detailed and their intimate conversations are breathtaking. The themes and questions raised will stay with me for a long time. Crossing fingers to see a full production someday soon.

    I was lucky enough to see a reading of The Birthday Game at the Valdez Theatre Conference. I felt like I was invited to a summer getaway with charming philosophers. The Birthday Game challenges audiences to think about big questions surrounding religion and politics through the lens of two young people who are drifting aimlessly through life trying to find their footing. The characters are deeply detailed and their intimate conversations are breathtaking. The themes and questions raised will stay with me for a long time. Crossing fingers to see a full production someday soon.

  • The Depot for New Play Readings: THE BIRTHDAY GAME

    Ostensibly a love story between two Millennial Jews, Chelsea and Henry, “The Birthday Game” establishes suffering and struggles for power as central to human experience. Heartsore by her father’s infidelity, Chelsea embraces the philosophy of a conservative Catholic professor, “the salvation of violent death,” while aspiring novelist Henry defends the redemptive possibility of progress. Set before 9/11, when peace between Israel and Palestine seemed possible and a Jew had been nominated for Vice President, Judah Skoff’s multi-layered drama lays bare that era's naivety with vivid imagery...

    Ostensibly a love story between two Millennial Jews, Chelsea and Henry, “The Birthday Game” establishes suffering and struggles for power as central to human experience. Heartsore by her father’s infidelity, Chelsea embraces the philosophy of a conservative Catholic professor, “the salvation of violent death,” while aspiring novelist Henry defends the redemptive possibility of progress. Set before 9/11, when peace between Israel and Palestine seemed possible and a Jew had been nominated for Vice President, Judah Skoff’s multi-layered drama lays bare that era's naivety with vivid imagery, piercing monologues, and the surprising game of the play's title. Strongly recommended.

  • Austin Shay: THE BIRTHDAY GAME

    The Birthday Game is a marvelous piece of theatre. Skoff has developed a set of characters that are believable and ever evolving. I love the moments between Henry and Chelsea because they bring out a sense of carelessness in a pre-9/11 world. Overall, beautiful language and characters.

    The Birthday Game is a marvelous piece of theatre. Skoff has developed a set of characters that are believable and ever evolving. I love the moments between Henry and Chelsea because they bring out a sense of carelessness in a pre-9/11 world. Overall, beautiful language and characters.

View all 5 recommendations

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Valdez Theatre Conference, Year 2022
  • Type Reading, Organization The Depot for New Play Readings , Year 2021
  • Type Reading, Organization Play Readings With Friends, Year 2020
  • Type Reading, Organization Cut/Edge Experimental Playwrights Collective, Year 2020
  • Type Reading, Organization Caravan Theatre, Year 2020
  • Type Workshop, Organization The Pharmacy Theatre, Year 2020
  • Type Residency, Organization Athena Theatre, Year 2018

Awards

  • New American Voices Playwriting Festival
    Landing Theatre Company
    Semi-Finalist
    2020