Don't let the title fool you, "Bad Jews" written by Joshua Harmon, is very good comedy and you don't have to be Jewish to enjoy it anymore than you had to be Jewish to love "Fiddler on the Roof."
Don't let the title fool you, "Bad Jews" written by Joshua Harmon, is very good comedy and you don't have to be Jewish to enjoy it anymore than you had to be Jewish to love "Fiddler on the Roof."
The themes in both cases are Jewish, but the insights are universal.
The action takes place in a studio apartment on the Upper West Side in New York. Jonah Haber (Raviv Ullman) and his cousin Daphna Feygenbaum (Molly Ephraim) are talking about their grandfather's funeral that took place earlier in the day. Daphna is upset that her cousin Liam Haber, Jonah's older brother (Ari Brand), missed it, but he will be arriving later that evening.
As the two young college students discuss the day's events, Daphna makes it clear to Jonah that there is only one thing she must have and that is the Chai, a symbol that represents life, which belonged to their late grandfather, a survivor of the Holocaust. She feels she deserves it more than her two cousins because she is obviously more Jewish than either one of them, and far more so than Liam who, like his name, is far too secular to truly appreciate it. It's obvious Jonah doesn't want to get caught up in the middle of what is certain to be a family fight–and he is so right.
When Liam arrives with his very blonde girlfriend Melody (Lili Fuller) the mutual hostility between the two cousins hits the proverbial fan. Their angry exchanges cause Jonah to keep out of the way as he looks for corners, nooks and hiding places within the apartment, which belongs to him and his family. His efforts to remain neutral, and hopefully invisible, are part of the fun amid the verbal chaos.
The discomfort is even worse for Melody who tries to be sweet and unobtrusive but is targeted for abuse nonetheless. She even tries to empathize with Daphna, not quite knowing what the anger is all about. An opera student at the University, Melody offers to sing for Daphna, hoping to calm her down. The results are hilarious.
At the end of the play the most touching revelation belongs to Jonah, who is able to express his love for his beloved grandfather in a special way that is far different from Daphna and Liam.
We attended this thought provoking comedy on a Talk Back Tuesday, so we had a chance to speak with the four young actors following the performance and it was very enlightening. The three cousins are played by very talented young Jewish performers. Melody (Lili Fuller), like her character, is gentile, but they all said an actor can play any role since it is acting after all. In the talk back session it was interesting to see how the comedy resonated with Jewish and non-Jewish audience members.
It was obvious that the very talented young playwright, Joshua Harmon, a recent Julliard graduate, is a crowd pleaser. In fact this play is now the third most produced play in the United States this season because you don't have to be Jewish to appreciate it and laugh out loud. By popular demand, “Bad Jews” has been extended to July 26.
****
"Murder for Two" is a wild and crazy musical murder mystery spoof now on view at the Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater at the Geffen Playhouse. The book and music by Joe Kinosian, with book and lyrics by Kellen Blair, are an homage to the style of Agatha Christie who penned countless murder capers with countless suspects, all of whom had good reasons to commit murder. Such is the case in "Murder for Two," with a cast of thousands–well not really.
It just takes two very funny guys, Jeff Blumenkranz as the eleven or twelve suspects and Brett Ryback as Marcus, a policeman who can hardly wait to become a detective, to round out the cast cavorting on stage. Both men are also gifted musicians who sing and play the piano with gusto and comic abandon. Victor Borge would have loved these guys.
The plot, such as it is, revolves around the murder of Arthur Whitney as he arrives home on the eve of his birthday. Before the guests, all of whom have been characters in his novels, get the chance to yell out "Surprise!" Arthur is shot dead. But who did it?
Shortly thereafter Marcus (Ryback) arrives ahead of the detective assigned to the case who has been delayed for an hour. Hoping to show his boss how clever he is, Marcus immediately starts interviewing the suspects, all of whom have reason to want the novelist dead.
In a tour-de-farce, the very versatile Blumenkranz morphs into the various suspects. When he dons glasses and a Southern accent he is the wife of the deceased. Then with a twirl and a leg pointed in the air or a petulant pout, he becomes a prima ballerina who has been having an affair with Whitney.
When he falls to his knees he turns into the three little boys in a twelve boy choir (who knows what happened to the other nine) invited to entertain at the birthday party. At one point he does a funny little dance on his knees that is–well–truly funny.
Other suspects include next-door neighbors, a firefighter and a shrink who has counseled all of the suspects, including Marcus and the shrink isn't averse to giving away secrets. There is also Whitney's niece who is attracted to detective work and to the bumbling detective Marcus. Just as in an Agatha Christie novel, there are many red-herrings throughout as these two very versatile actors sing, prance and cavort on stage, bringing a variety of characters to comedic life.
A high note of the evening is the encore as these two merry men play a rapid fire duet on the piano before taking their final bow. The show, a big hit with audiences, has been extended through Aug. 2.
The Geffen Playhouse is located at 10886 Le Conte Ave. in Westwood. For tickets and information for “Bad Jews” and “Murder for Two,” call310-208-5454 or online at www.geffenplayhouse.com.
