REVIEW: THE WANDERERS by Anna Ziegler at Marylebone Theatre 17 Oct – 29 Nov 2025
‘Love and angst among the American Literati’ ★★★★
Self-obsessed writer Abe develops an online relationship with a famous actress. He barely pays attention to his wife Sophie or his children, and in his selfishness fails to notice his marriage slipping away. At the same time his emotional bond with a woman he has never met grows stronger until he convinces himself he is in love with her.
Meanwhile he is writing the story of his parents, a tale of a couple torn apart by the strict religious rules that govern their life: his father deeply immersed in his orthodox Jewish community and his mother straining against the constraints this imposes on her.
The visual story telling of this production was exquisite, always supporting and never dominating the unfolding narrative. Igor Golyak’s direction is beautifully judged, packed with clever touches and perfectly paced, but there was never any cleverness for the sake of it. Every unexpected moment was always in service of the story.
When I saw that the cast was full of screen actors, I did pause, as sometimes they can struggle on stage. Theatre acting is such a different craft. I needn’t have worried. All the performances were on point, but a special shout out to Katerina Tannenbaum who played Abe’s mother Esther. She shone, every time she stepped on the stage.
Writer Anna Ziegler’s dialogue is precisely crafted and a joy. She made the most of this story of a middle aged, egotistical man having a mid-life crisis, but the story itself was intrinsically a bit dull.
Far more interesting was the tale of Abe’s mother Esther, a story that was told in fragments, although seamlessly stitched into the main narrative. I craved more of Esther’s story, and her ending in the play came as too much of a jolt. I wished Ziegler had put the same care and attention into Esther’s story as she had with Abe’s. However, I really did not anticipate the twist at the end of the play, which is always a joy.
The monochrome tones of the set and costume designs worked well, with the only shot of vibrant colour coming with Esther’s moments of joy and self-expression. All in all, this was a great show. Catch it while you can. The universality of this story of a Jewish family makes it compelling in so many ways.
The Wanderers by Anna Ziegler, Marylebone Theatre, 17 October – 29 November 2025, boxoffice@marylebonetheatre.com
Performers: Anna Popplewell, Katerina Tannenbaum, Paksie Vernon, Alexander Forsyth, Eddie Toll
Playwright: Anna Ziegler
Director: Igor Golyak
Set design: Jan Pappelbaum
Costumes: Sasha Ageeva
Lighting Design: Alex Musgrave
Composer: Anna Drubich
Sound design: Julian Starr
Casting Director: Harry Armytage
General Manager: Alex Turner
Producers: Sarig Peker, Keren Misgav
Photography: Mark Senior
Reviewer: Srabani Sen
Srabani is a theatre actress and playwright. As an actress she has performed at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse (The Globe), the Arcola, Southwark Playhouse, The Pleasance and numerous fringe theatres, in a range of roles from Shakespeare to plays by new and emerging writers. She has written several short and full length plays. Her play Tawaif was longlisted for the ETPEP Finborough award, and her play Vijaya was shortlisted for the Sultan Padamsee Playwrights Award in Mumbai.
