The bare necessities for horny yeshiva boy Ashley
Jewish Telegraph, January 2026
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A NEW production of Yentl that is being staged in London later this year is “timely”, according to Mancunian actor Ashley Margolis.
Ashley has been cast as yeshiva bocher Avigdor in the classic Isaac Bashevis Singer play, which was made famous by the Barbra Streisand film.
It is being staged at London’s Marylebone Theatre from March 6 to April 12 by Kadimah Yiddish Theatre. It has already been a huge hit in Australia, including a sold out run at the Sydney Opera House.
“I’d not read the book, I’d not seen the film, and so when I read the script for the first time, I realised this story is so timely for now,” Ashley told me. “It’s all about identity, and what it’s like to be in a community — and a community where things get shared.
“Everyone has their way, and that’s how it has to be, especially in the 1900s in the shtetl.”
Ashley describes his character — who was played by Mandy Patinkin in the film — as “a broken boy from a tragic background whose brother committed suicide.
“Everyone in the town knew about it, so their family was shunned. You meet Avigdor as this defensive character who is drawn to something in Yentl, or Anshel, as the character is when she’s a man.
“It’s like that real inner journey of what it is to be free. He’s a horny boy who’s obsessed with sex, and wanting to love, and wanting to be there, but he also knows that in his community that’s sinful.
“So he has to abide by the rules of the Torah, and he has to be this kind of scholar, or do these things, and this is the way it has to be in order to remain straight, otherwise he’s just going to be wild.”
For anyone who doesn’t know the story of Yentl, it’s about the titular character disguising herself as a male, named Anshel, so she can attend yeshiva.
Ashley’s days in Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks seem a long way in the past as he has carved out an impressive career on stage.
The former Manchester King David Primary School pupil has, in recent years, starred in Bad Jews, The Band’s Visit and the recent three-hander The Shark is Broken, about the making of Jaws.
His television roles have included Father Brown, Holby City, Casualty, The VAR Room, Silent Witness and Brassic.
He has also been a regular in BBC Radio 4 dramas, appearing in 15 in the last 10 years.
Coincidentally, one of the BBC radio directors Gary Brown appeared in the film Yentl as a student.
Ashley, whose father, Robert, is Manchester’s Jewish Theatre Company director and whose mother, Lindy, is costumes and wardrobes mistress, was sent the Yentl script just before Christmas.
“I didn’t know whether it was going to be a musical or a play,” he said. “But it’s a play, it’s not got any of the songs from the film. I just thought it was really interesting. So, I sent off my audition, and then met director Gary Abrahams on Zoom.
“I’ve been trying to grow my beard out again. I thought I’d got away with it after The Shark is Broken, I’d shave it and let it go, but now it’s back, and I’m trying to inhabit my inner yeshiva boy.”
It’s not just how his beard looks that Ashley is thinking about. In the script, his character appears fully naked on stage.
“Let’s hope that the venue is warm,” he joked.
There are only four characters in the play — Yentl, Hodes, Avigdor and The Figure, “who is basically the inner voice of Yentl”.
Yentl — co-written by Gary Abrahams, Galit Klas and Elise Hearst, with Yiddish translation by Professor Rivke Margolis — is also being staged bilingually in Yiddish and English.
“There’s some Hebrew in it, too, but the majority of it’s in English,” Ashley told me.
“Yiddish is a dying language. My grandparents spoke it a little bit, but not massively, and, as the generations go, it leaves the majority of us. And there’s something quite dramatic and sad, but also passionate about it.
“So it’s quite interesting that it’s used sporadically through the play.
“The whole thing about our identity is that we’re made up of so many different parts and places and from all over the place. So to be in a space where all of that exists is pretty special, and you don’t get that often anymore in theatre.”
He added: “Marylebone Theatre is doing a lot of Jewish work, which is celebrated and great. It’s really amazing that there’s a space in London for that. And I hope that it brings a wider community of people to it.
“It’s trying to become one of those Almeida-type venues, where it’s attracting a lot of amazing talent and the work that they’re producing is great. And after the time we’ve all had, to still be celebrating Jewish work is pretty special.”
Ashley is the only actor who did not appear in the Australian production.
He said: “It’s a challenge to step into something that’s already been done. I’m only doing a couple of weeks of rehearsals, which is kind of crazy as well, so it’s a really special kind of opportunity for me to try something new and step into uncharted territory.
“We’re doing a lot of Zoom meetings because they’re all in Australia, so it’s a lot of early mornings.
“I’m really excited to finally meet them all.”
Ashley starts rehearsals on February 16, but the cast have been doing prep work this week.
He has also been sent a video of the Australian production, but is holding off watching it.
“There’s certain elements that will stay the same, like the set and things, but there will definitely be an opportunity to find some new things,” he told me.
“I’m coming as a Brit into a different production, so I’m sure that inevitably will bring a difference, because we are quite different in a lot of ways.
“It will be interesting to see if my way of thinking aligns with the guy who did it before. From speaking to Gary on Zoom, I think he’s very open to exploring this play, and I think that that’s what’s fascinating about it. It’s all about the exploration of identity.”
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