By Shari Barrett
Beau Jest by James Sherman centers around Sarah, a nice Jewish girl with a problem: her parents want her married to a nice Jewish boy. To complicate matters, they have never met her boyfriend, an executive named Chris Kringle; and Sarah has told her parents she is dating a Jewish doctor, which Chris is not. So, when her parents insist on meeting him, what can Sarah do to convince them the man of their dreams for her really exists?
Sarah decides to plan a dinner party and, over the heated protests of Chris, employs an escort service to send her a Jewish date to be Dr. David Steinberg, her “imaginary” Jewish boyfriend. Instead, they send Bob Schroeder, an aspiring actor who is not Jewish but agrees to perform the impersonation. Happily, he is extremely convincing in the role and Sarah’s parents are enraptured. Soon, even Sarah falls for Bob as he does for her. But who will she finally decide to be with, her imaginary or real boyfriend, neither of whom is Jewish? And how can her parents ever accept her decision?
Directed by Jonathan Fahn and produced by Martha Hunter for Theatre Palisades, the Beau Jest cast features (in alphabetical order) Jeff Coppage, Laura Goldstein, Jasmine Haver, Thomas James, James Jobs, and Lou Saliba. Each of the actors does a fine job bringing their characters to life, especially Goldstein and Saliba who argue exactly like many long-time Jewish married couples I know, each trying to get the last word to prove their opinion is the right one.
Haver and Coppage are a joy to watch as Sarah and Bob as they get to know each other. And thankfully, the deal to please her parents is sealed when Bob fits in at the family dinner table by reciting a Hebrew prayer he learned watching Fiddler on the Roof – and some Yiddish he learned in Cabaret – thus making the performance of his career totally believable! But just how far will their real relationship go before Chris steps in to stop it?
Jobs as Sarah’s brother Joel is suspicious of Bob from the beginning, never believing he is telling the truth about who he is. He plays along during Act 1, willing to support Sarah in making their parents happy so they will leave him alone. But when we learn Joel’s real occupation in Act 2, his suspicious nature makes perfect sense, as does his ability to get through to Sarah that “feelings are scary” but to really be happy, you must share them truthfully.
But will her parents be able to accept Sarah lied to them and there is no Jewish doctor in her life? And what happens when her real boyfriend Chris (Thomas James), a stranger to her family, shows up and proposes to Sarah in front of everyone at what was to be Sarah and Bob’s engagement party? Trust me, hilarity ensues – and the cast delivers their lines with perfect timing thanks to Fahn’s insightful direction.
Tech credits are solid, especially Sound Designer Susan Stangl’s song choices which perfectly reflect the scenes in which they are used, and Sherman Wayne’s beautiful scenic design for Sarah’s apartment.
Beau Jest performances continue through February 18 on Friday/Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. at Theatre Palisades’ Pierson Playhouse, 941 Temescal Canyon Road in Pacific Palisades 90272. Tickets are $22 general admission and $20 for seniors and students, available online at https://theatrepalisades.org/, in person at the box office, or by calling (310) 454-1970. And you don’t have to be Jewish to understand the play’s humor, but oy, it certainly helps!
The world premiere of Sukkot by Matthew Leavitt, brilliantly directed by Joel Zwick, takes place one year after Patrick Sullivan lost his wife to cancer as he shares his overwhelming grief with a sympathetic rabbi, who introduces him to the little-known Jewish holiday of Sukkot, during which God directly commands us to rejoice. Suddenly energized by the mysterious holiday, Patrick builds a sukkah (a roofless hut) in his backyard, decorating it with festive Christmas lights! And the fact the holiday takes place on the same day as his wife’s headstone unveiling convinces Patrick to live, sleep, and rejoice in the outdoor hut for a week with his three grown children, soon to gather at the family’s home. But will they go along with it, especially since their father is Irish Catholic and has never celebrated Sukkot before? And, of course, neither have they, nor do they know what it even is!
The hilarious and heartwarming story of the half-Jewish half-Irish-Catholic Sullivan family attempting to rejoice in the face of despair by celebrating an obscure Jewish holiday, ultimately leads them into telling the truth about their own lives and feelings, sharing family memories while laughing or pointing fingers of blame at each other. During their rants filled with lots of guilt, the play offers a deep look at the nature of grief, celebrating universal life lessons for anyone who has loved and lost someone dear to them, even as their own personal struggles overwhelm them.
Featured in the cast are Andy Robinson as the heartsick Sullivan patriarch Patrick whose deepest regret shocks his children; Natalie Lander as his single daughter Eden who lives in Portland creating new apps that never seem to pan out; The 6th Act’s Co-Artistic Director Liza Seneca as his married daughter Mairead whose two sons and spouse are driving her crazy, as is the big secret she struggles to share; and Jonathan Slavin as his gay son Asher who gave up his career and relationship to be his mother’s full-time caregiver during the last years of her life as she suffered through grueling breast cancer treatments. Thankfully Leavitt’s script offers lots of laughs and finely timed off-color quips, each directed to perfection by Zwick and performed with pinpoint accuracy by the cast to lighten the mood.
Sukkot performances continue through Sunday, February 4 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at The Skylight Theatre, 1816 1/2 N. Vermont in Los Feliz. Run time is 100 minutes, no intermission. Tickets are $35 in advance at https://the6thact.ludus.com/ Available tickets will be sold at the door before each show. Please allow time to park, and read street signs carefully. Pay lots are available in the area.
Since The Queen Mary’s grand reopening on June 8, 2023, reports of heightened paranormal activity have surged, particularly where the original third-class dining hall was located. “We’ve observed a notable uptick in paranormal phenomena over the last few months. I’ve hosted shows onboard the Queen Mary since my residency started in 2018, and there are definitely more unexplained happenings and mysterious occurrences,” shared Aiden Sinclair, the acclaimed Apparitionist and Master Magician behind 57 Ghosts, set in the fully renovated and restored chamber located within the remains of the third-class dining hall where guests will be transported from the present day to a place outside of time.
Guided by experienced Apparitionist Michael Rangel, the immersive 90-minute show highlights the fifty-seven lives that were lost aboard The Queen Mary and explores the legends of the hauntings that followed, guaranteed to captivate guests with unforgettable encounters led by the spirits of the past. And as a person fascinated by seances and ghost stories, I am really looking forward to attending 57 Ghosts, a theatrical seance aboard The RMS Queen Mary, offering a unique theatrical experience combining the traditions of spiritualism and seance while telling the stories of those who have lived aboard the greatest ocean liner to have ever sailed – and of those who died aboard and whose spirits still may be there.
57 Ghosts is performed aboard The Queen Mary at 1126 Queens Hwy, Long Beach 90802 on select nights Friday – Sunday starting at 8 p.m. Tickets are $100 per person, with extremely limited reserved seating. Attendance is not recommended for those who are recently bereaved or under the age of 16 years old. For a complete schedule and tickets, please visit www.57ghosts.com/.
