What the Success of “Mikva the Musical” Says about Orthodox Judaism Today

On a June evening in the suburban Orthodox mecca of Teaneck, NJ, a long line of women snaked outside a small independent theater that rarely sees much of a crowd. They were waiting to see Mikva the Musical, which came to the U.S. for a weeklong, women-only run following a successful stint in Israel.

Of course, the terms “mikveh” and “musical” don’t normally go together. A mikveh is a ritual bath, in which, among its other functions, married observant Jewish women immerse themselves each month after completing their menstrual cycles. It’s not something one associates with showtunes and zippy dance numbers: precisely the surprising juxtaposition that gives the play much of its humor and charm.

In this four-woman production, the actresses take turns telling or acting out a wide range of true stories, some collected by the show’s creators and some drawn from a 1996 anthology, Total Immersion. Interspersed with these alternately serious and lighthearted tales are familiar show tunes or classic rock songs revamped with mikveh-related lyrics. In one monologue, the narrator describes the experience of visiting the mikveh when struggling with infertility. Another actress recounts a hilarious “walk of shame” involved when visiting the mikveh on a Friday night, convinced that every synagogue-goer she passes suspects her destination.