A day in Gabi Epstein's life: The Who Knew Jew (2024)

She has played everything from funny girl Fanny Brice to one of the titular playthings in Disney’s Toy Story: The Musical, but for her next role, Gabi Epstein takes on an entire culture. Starring in the Harold Green Jewish Theatre’s production of Stars of David, Epstein will explore the Jewish experience as told by notables from Gloria Steinem to Aaron Sorkin, filtered through songs by some of Broadway’s biggest lights. Here, Gabi reflects on how the show has affected her notions of “Jewishness.”

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No, this post is not about me. Gabi Epstein is certainly not the “Who Knew Jew” of Toronto.

This title refers to Gwyneth Paltrow — one of the many stars highlighted in The Stars of David — the musical I am currently rehearsing here in Toronto with the Harold Green Jewish Theatre and Angelwalk Theatre. In fact, “Who Knew Jew” is the title of her song in the show. Each of the songs in this practically sung-through show have been written based on a book of interviews by Abigail Pogrebin calledThe Stars of David, where Jewish personalities were interviewed not about their lives or accomplishments, but about their experiences being Jewish.

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Gwyneth Paltrow, for instance, talks about how she, a blonde-haired “WASP-y” looking actress is actually born to a Jewish father whose grandfather was a rabbi with the last name “Paltrowicz.” These stories are truly fascinating. One of the other actors in the show, Will Lamond, sings about how long before Star Trek, long before Spok, Leonard Nimoy was “Lenny the Great,” lover of magic and card tricks — but he gave all that up during the war, when Jews were being reprimanded. Lisa Horner sings about feminist Gloria Steinem and how she decided to create a Passover Seder for all women so that they didn’t have to hide in the kitchen preparing the food for the men and hiding their good clothes under their aprons. Darrin Baker sings about designer Kenneth Cole and how he and his Catholic wife decided to raise their children without any Jewish identity. He didn’t think this would matter to him as he was never all that connected to Judaism … until it did.

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This show makes me think a lot about my own “jewishness” in life. Another song I sing is forThe Nanny star Fran Drescher — a song about how her publicists and acting coaches told her nobody who “looked and squaked” like her could ever be famous. But because she stayed true to herself she was able to overcome all of this and have one of the most successful sitcoms of the ’90s.

In rehearsing The Stars of David I feel I have a little inside peak into these celebrities’ personal lives, and it really makes me reflect on my own values as a Jew and as a person

When I was starting out in the business I had thoughts about dropping the Epstein and just adopting my middle name “Fay” as my last name — making me “Gabi Fay” or “Gabrielle Fay.” It could have worked … maybe … but I think in doing that I would have lost the essence of who I am as a performer. I’m not saying that I need to play “Jewish” in every role I do. I just know that as an “Epstein” I am true to myself and never try to be anyone or anything I’m not.

It’s interesting, I’ve been dating my (non-Jewish) boyfriend for over a year now and because he isn’t Jewish it has turned me into exactly the kind of Jew I want to be, because it has made me evaluate what is important to me and how “Jewish” I want to be throughout my life — not just what has always been done in my/my partner’s family.

In rehearsingThe Stars of David I feel I have a little inside peak into these celebrities’ personal lives, and it really makes me reflect on my own values as a Jew and as a person. So… come and see the show! Who knows, you may learn something about yourself. And if nothing else, you’ll find yourself saying, “I didn’t know they were Jewish!”

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