Leopoldstadt features a cast of twenty four actors playing twenty seven characters over the course of nine scenes that span fifty six years. It's a lot to keep track of, so here's a quick summary of who's who in this epic drama.

The Merz Family

Emilia

The matriarch of the Merz family. Mother of Hermann and Eva. Grandmother of Jacob, Pauli, and Nellie. Great-grandmother of Leo. In 1899, Emilia is giving chocolate cake out to the children and adding missing names to the family photo album.

Emilia is played by Barbara Robertson.

Hermann

Son of Emilia. Husband of Gretl. Father of Jacob. Brother of Eva. Hermann is the owner of Merz & Co., a successful textile manufacturing company he took over from his father. He converted to Catholicism sometime before marrying Gretl. In 1899, Hermann is reading a copy of Theodore Herzl's Der Judenstaat, which he disagrees with.

Hermann is played by Ian Barford.

Gretl

Wife of Hermann Merz. Mother of Jacob. Gretl is not Jewish but shows great interest in learning about the rituals and customs of her husband's family. She is having her portrait painted in 1899.

Gretl is played by Kate Fry.

Jacob

Son of Hermann and Gretl Merz. His parents had him baptized as a Christian but also still chose to have him circumcised. Jacob is one of the children decorating the Christmas tree in 1899. He later serves in the Austrian army during World War I where he is severely wounded. Jacob appears as an adult with his injuries in 1924.

Jacob is played by Levi Charnay and Theo Clark Leber (alternating performances) in 1899-1900, and Sam Bell-Gurwitz in 1924.

The Jakobovicz Family

Eva

Daughter of Emilia Merz and sister of Hermann. She married Ludwig Jakobovicz and the couple has two children, Pauli and Nellie. Eva is talking with Gretl at the Christmas party in 1899 about a book she read and a play given to her husband by the playwright Arthur Schnitzler.

Eva is played by Emma Rosenthal in 1899-1900, and Barbara Robertson in 1938.

Ludwig

Husband of Eva. Father of Pauli and Nellie. Brother of Wilma and Hanna. The Jakobovicz family is from Chernowitz, Galicia, an eastern region of the Empire (present-day eastern Poland and western Ukraine). Ludwig is a mathematician and teaches at the university in Vienna, although he is not a full professor because of being Jewish. He is friendly with the psychologist Sigmund Freud and is talking about Freud's book The Interpretation of Dreams with Ernst at the Christmas party in 1899.

Ludwig is played by Joey Slotnick.

Pauli

Son of Eva and Ludwig Jakobovicz. Brother of Nellie. Pauli is one of the children decorating the Christmas tree in 1899. He later serves in the Austrian army during World War I where he is killed in the Battle of Verdun. His cousin Jacob, who also served in the war, talks about Pauli and his death during the 1924 scene.

Pauli is played by Sebastian Rus and Caleb Scherr (alternating performances).

Nellie

Daughter of Eva and Ludwig Jakobovicz. Sister of Pauli. Nellie is an infant during the Christmas party in 1899. She grows up and marries Aaron Rosenbaum, a socialist activist. In 1924, Nellie is cutting up an Austrian flag to make a red socialist one instead. Nellie and Aaron later have a son, Leo. After Aaron's death, Nellie becomes engaged to English journalist Percy Chamberlain who is trying to persuade her to flee to England with him during the 1938 scene.

Nellie is played by Emma Rosenthal.

Aaron

Husband of Nellie. Aaron meets Nellie at school and the two share left-wing political views. They marry and have a son Leo. Austria's right-wing government banned left-wing paramilitary groups in 1933. A government raid on an illegal meeting in Linz in February 1934 sparked armed resistance from leftists across Austria. Vienna's Karl-Marx-Hof housing complex, where Aaron, Nellie and Leo lived, was shelled by the Austrian military, and Aaron was killed.

Aaron is mentioned but never seen in this production of Leopoldstadt.

Leo

Son of Nellie and Aaron Rosenbaum. In 1938, Leo is playing cat's cradle with his cousin Nathan and grandfather Ludwig. During the Nazi raid, Leo cuts his hand on a broken cup. Leo later escapes Austria with his mother and is raised in England by his stepfather, Percy, and adopts the name Leonard Chamberlain. He becomes a writer and in 1955 is visiting Vienna to participate in a panel of British humorists.

Leo is played by Sebastian Rus and Caleb Scherr (alternating performances) in 1938, and Sam Bell-Gurwitz in 1955.

Wilma

Sister of Ludwig and Hanna Jakobovicz. Wife of Ernst Kloster. Mother of Sally and Rosa. At the 1899 Christmas party, Wilma is looking at Emilia Merz's family photo albums and talking with her relatives about celebrating Passover Seder back in Galicia with the Jakoboviczs.

Wilma is played by Sarah Coakley Price.

Ernst

Husband of Wilma. Father of Sally and Rosa. Ernst is a doctor and a Protestant. At the 1899 Christmas party, he is talking with his brother-in-law Ludwig about Sigmund Freud.

Ernst is played by Sean Fortunato.

Sally

Daughter of Wilma and Ernst Kloster. Twin sister of Rosa. Sally is one of the children decorating the Christmas tree in 1899. She later marries Zac Fischbein and they have a son Nathan. In 1924, Sally is having doubts about going ahead with the bris for Nathan. Sally and Zac later have two more daughters, Mimi and Bella.

Sally is played by Ella Boparai and Adeline Rosenthal (alternating performances) in 1899-1900, and Grainne Ortlieb in 1924 and 1938.

Zac

Husband of Sally. Father of Nathan. In 1924, Zac is arguing with his wife Sally about going ahead with the bris for Nathan. Sally and Zac later have two more daughters, Mimi and Bella. Zac isn't seen in 1938, but it is mentioned he is at work where he cleans latrines at the German army barracks.

Zac is played by Justin Albinder.

Nathan

Son of Sally and Zac Fischbein. Nathan is an infant in 1924 when his family is holding a bris for him. In 1938, Nathan is playing cat's cradle with his cousin Leo and his great uncle Ludwig. Nathan survives the holocaust and later returns to Vienna and joins the mathematics faculty at the University of Vienna. In 1955, he is testifying to a committee about the portrait of Gretl that was stolen from the family. He later visits the Merz family home with his aunt Rosa and cousin Leo.

Nathan is played by Justin Albinder.

Mimi

Daughter of Sally and Zac Fischbein. Sister of Nathan and Bella. In 1938, Mimi and Bella listen to their mother read them a story.

Mimi is played by Ella Boparai and Adeline Rosenthal (alternating performances).

Bella

Daughter of Sally and Zac Fischbein. Sister of Nathan and Mimi. In 1938, Mimi and Bella listen to their mother read them a story.

Bella is played by Asha Dale Hopman and Morgan Medina (alternating performances).

Rosa

Daughter of Wilma and Ernst Kloster. Twin sister of Sally. Rosa is one of the children decorating the Christmas tree in 1899. In 1924, a now adult Rosa tells her relatives about receiving a visa to move to America. In 1955, Rosa has returned to Vienna to visit the Merz family home with her nephew Nathan. The two also discover their cousin Leo is in Vienna and invite him to join.

Rosa is played by Asha Dale Hopman and Morgan Medina (alternating performances) in 1899-1900, and Jessie Fisher in 1924 and 1955.

Hanna

Sister of Ludwig Jakobovicz and Wilma Kloster. In 1899, Hanna is visiting Vienna from Galicia, where she still lives with her parents. At the Christmas party, Hanna plays the piano and tells Gretl about the handsome Austrian military officer she met recently. Hanna later moves to Vienna and marries Kurt Zenner. The two have a daughter, Hermine. In 1924, Hanna isn't present for the bris as she is preparing for a piano recital to be held in Salzburg. In 1938, Hanna plays the piano for the family now all living in the Merz home.

Hanna is played by Brenann Stacker in 1899-1900, and Hanna Dworkin in 1938.

Kurt

Husband of Hanna and father of Hermine. Kurt is a Marxist activist and this leads to him being sent by the Nazis to Dachau concentration camp.

Kurt is mentioned but never seen in this production of Leopoldstadt.

Hermine

Daughter of Hanna and Kurt Zenner. In 1924, Hermine dances to music and chats with her cousins before the bris. She meets Dr. Otto Floge when he arrives for a business meeting with her uncle Hermann. Hermine and Otto later marry and have a son Heini. However, Otto is forced to divorce Hermine in 1938 after the Anschluss in order to keep his position at the bank.

Hermine is played by Brenann Stacker.

Heini

Son of Hermine and Otto Floge. In 1938, Heini plays with a toy piano with his mother.

Heini is played by Levi Charnay and Theo Clark Leber (alternating performances).

Others

Poldi

A housekeeper and cook in the Merz household. She helps with the Christmas party in 1899, Seder in 1900, and the bris in 1924. She has passed away by 1938.

Poldi is played by Hanna Dworkin.

Hilde

A parlor maid in the Merz household in 1899.

Hilde is played by Jessie Fisher.

Jana

A nursemaid working for Ludwig and Emma Jakobovicz helping with baby Nellie at the Christmas party in 1899.

Jana is played by Grainne Ortlieb.

Fritz

An officer in the Austrian armed forces. He meets Hanna Jakobovicz on the street in Vienna in 1899, and she takes a liking to him. Fritz and Gretl soon begin having an affair.

Fritz is played by Erik Hellman.

Otto

An employee of the bank who arrives at the Merz home in 1924 for a business meeting with Hermann. However, the family mistakes him as the mohel arriving to perform the bris. Hermann has asked Otto to draw up paperwork transferring ownership of Merz & Co. from Hermann to his son Jacob. Otto later marries Hermine, who he meets that day, and the two have a son Heini. However, Otto is forced to divorce Hermine in 1938 after the Anschluss in order to keep his position at the bank.

Otto is played by Andrew Mueller.

Percy

An English journalist. Percy has met and become engaged to Nellie in 1938, several years after the death of her husband Aaron. Percy tells the family about the Evian conference he has just returned from where the Allies declined to allow more Jews to immigrate to their respective countries. He is trying to persuade Nellie to marry him and escape to England with her son Leo.

Percy is played by Erik Hellman.

Civilian

An unnamed Austrian now working for the Nazis. He arrives at the Merz home in 1938 to tell the family they will have to move to the Leopoldstadt Jewish quarter of Vienna and to force Hermann to sign paperwork relinquishing ownership of Merz & Co.

Civilian is played by Andrew Mueller.