“Café Named Desire” (previously known as "Jew You Love Me?") is an original musical about love, sexuality, and self-discovery. It tells the story of a local café in Golders Green, and the intertwining lives of its customers. Though many of the people who frequent the café are of Jewish/Israeli background, the café is owned by Samira, a queer woman who comes from a strict Muslim background, which she abandoned following the backlash of her coming out as a teen. Sam runs the café with her two flatmates – Gabi; a Jewish professional searching for love in the wrong places, and Will; a bisexual musician whose quest for a Bohemian lifestyle leaves little room for emotional attachment.

We also get to know some of the café’s regulars, including Ethan and Alon, a gay couple struggling with the concepts of monogamy and heteronormativity. We then meet Rachel and Yaakov, an elderly Jewish couple determined to make the most of the time they have left together, and their grand-daughter Bracha, a closeted religious university student who is torn between her religious and sexual identities.

As the musical unfolds, the lives of our characters are weaved together, creating three main storylines: A love triangle turned polyamorous “throuple” between Ethan, Alon, and Will; Gabi and Sam’s failed attempt at turning their friendship into a relationship; and Bracha’s ongoing struggle with her sexuality and its subsequent effects on her relationships with her grandparents and the patrons of the café.

The show was written in a devised process with our cast, it tackled modern issues of love, religion and sexuality. It has since performed successfully in London and in Israel in 2018. After some rewrites the musical is now called “Café Named Desire”. 

Writers - David Djemal, Shachar Shamai
Additional songs by - Emily Rose-Simons (“Swipe to the Right”, “Blessing”)
Developed and produced in a collaborative process with the original cast: Martha Pothen (Sam), Ashley Racov (Gabi), Jack Reitman (Will), Batel Israel (Rachel), Josh Becker (Yakov), Alex Ayliffe (Ethan), Ido Gonen (Alon), Tanya Truman (Bracha), and Adi Loya (Dina).