Poppy, the patriarch of an American Jewish family, has died. After the funeral, his three grandchildren are forced to spend one evening at the family apartment in New York. An evening of hell! Jonah (Jos Slovick)is quiet and passive enough. But his brother Liam (Ilan Goodman)is quite the yiddisher kop, with an MA in Cultural Studies and oozing in chutzpah. Then there is cousin Daphna (Ailsa Joy). More than just a yente, Daphna is outspoken, demanding, and rude. She claims to be dating an Israeli soldier and her life revolves around the Talmud.
Liam brings his girlfriend Melody (Antonia Kinlay) into this volatile mix. Not such a good idea, as blond, blue-eyed Melody is a shikse. And worse, Liam is secretly planning to propose to her. A Jew from such a prominent family marrying a goy! Daphna is outraged!
The plot centres around the battle of wits between Liam and Daphna to possess a family heirloom. A gold medallion that Poppy hid in his mouth for two years in the concentration camp. Daphna wants it for its religious value. Liam intends to use it instead of an engagement ring. Jonah and Melody are caught in the crossfire, never quite sure which side to take.
Bad Jews is not unlike a Neil Simon comedy. It has the same components: New Yorkers, witty one-liners, and a clash of personalities. It’s a lot more histrionic than Simon though, with the cast shouting and screaming out lengthy chunks of dialogue. There are plenty of laughs, not least Melody’s rendition of the Gershwin classic Summertime. A failed opera singer, she is hilariously and unwittingly off key. This is one of several moments that garnered spontaneous applause from the audience.
Underneath all the bitching and kvetching is a more serious issue. How to be Jewish in the 21st century? Liam stands for secularism, enlightenment, and intermarriage. Daphna is more kosher and all for preservation of Jewish purity. Her people have suffered for 5000 years, how can that heritage be watered down by allowing in the gentiles? But the final twist is left to Jonah, the long put-upon grandchild. The one genuinely grief-stricken mourner, he makes an eloquent and moving gesture. It might bring a tear to your eye.
And now a warning! The play is nearly two hours long with no breaks. You might want to make sure you’ve emptied your bladder before curtain rise.
This is an intense production with only four actors and no scene changes. Yet the cast work hard and deliver performances both funny and insightful. When quizzed, several of the outgoing theatregoers said they gave it five stars.
Bad Jews plays at Nottingham’s Theatre Royal from Monday 11 to Saturday 16 April 2016.
Theatre Royal website
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