Orthodox Jews won’t work on the Sabbath. Work includes simple tasks, such as turning on air conditioners and lights. Over the years they have enlisted the aid of a Shabbos Goy, a non-Jew who helps by performing some of these chores. Some famous people who have been Shabbos Goys include Barack Obama, Elvis Presley, and Colin Powell.

Using that concept, the new musical The Sabbath Girl, with book by Cary Gitter, connects Angie, an assertive modern Italian woman (Marilyn Caserta)) and Seth, an Orthodox Jew (Max Wolkowitz.) Angie’s dream is to run a successful art gallery and Seth and his sister Rachel (Lauren Singerman) own a knish store founded by their grandfather. When Angie moves into Seth’s building, she unintentionally becomes his Shabbos goy when he forgets to turn his AC on and later needs a light bulb replaced. Despite their vast differences, the two fall in love. But can they stay together despite the fact that they come from different worlds? Seth’s sister tries to separate them while Angiei’s Nona (Diana DiMarzio) encourages her granddaughter.

There are few surprises in The Sabbath Girl. With a few cliches like Seth selling knishes along with some unrealistic plot lines, the play's outcome is never in doubt. We meet Blake, an up and coming artist who ‘hits’ on Angie but later comes back to apologize for his behavior saying that her words turned him around. (Yeh-right) Angie’s grandmother encourages her to get together with Seth even though they were from different backgrounds. Personally I found that storyline improbable.

When the show works, it’s because the two leads are so likable and we can see them together. Both Caserta and Wolkowitz sing well and are attractive. Caserta’s smile lights up the theater and we root for them to get together.

Conceived and directed by Joe Brancato, the show is short, running 90 minutes and could have been a Hallmark movie (if Hallmark used religious themes). The songs seem almost non-stop- Seventeen according to the playbill. Although some are tuneful with music by Neil Berg and lyrics by Berg and Gitter, they felt repetitive. I stopped counting how many times the words “art” and "heart” and "smart” were used for rhymes.

The demographic of the matinee audience skewed older and given the subject matter, probably Jewish. They reacted to the few Jewish jokes and expressions. The 59E59 Theaters are intimate and every seat offers a good view of the small stage.

The Sabbath Girl offers a pleasant afternoon out with a predictable storyline and talented leads. We saw it on Saturday. It was a good thing someone was there to turn on the lights.