Opening Night in NYC For “Becoming Dr. Ruth.”

“Becoming Dr. Ruth,” a play starring Tovah Feldshuh and written by Mark St. Germain, enjoyed a successful evening for its Off-Broadway opening night at Edmond J. Safra Hall at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City on Thursday, December 16. The one-woman show, which was staged to critical acclaim during Bay Street Theater’s 30th anniversary 2021 summer season, ran through January 2 at museum’s newly renovated, state-of-the-art theater in Battery Park City.

The opening night show featured an appearance by Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who joined Feldshuh on stage following the performance and greeted a long line of guests at the opening night after-party. Attendees included President and CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, Jack Kliger; Broadway producers Jamie deRoy, Mary Maggio, and Neal Rubinstein; Broadway HD co-founder and Broadway League member Bonnie Comley and Bay Street board member Stewart Lane; and Bay Street Theater board members Carol Konner, Wendy Hashmall and husband David, and Eric Segal and wife Joyce.

Directed by Bay Street Theater’s artistic director Scott Schwartz, “Becoming Dr. Ruth” chronicles the life of noted psychologist Dr. Ruth Westheimer, from her early years fleeing Nazi Germany, living as an orphan in Switzerland, to her service in the Israeli armed forces as a sharpshooter, and her later life and career in New York. “Becoming Dr. Ruth” is a humorous and heartfelt portrait detailing Dr. Ruth’s remarkable journey against so many odds to become a pioneer in the psychology of human sexuality and the world’s most famous sex therapist. “Becoming Dr. Ruth” reunites Feldshuh and Schwartz in New York for the first time since their major success with “Golda’s Balcony” — which became the longest running one-woman show in Broadway history.