Indecent

Theater-goers are provided a special treat - two reviews of the extraordinary play Indecent (Tony Award nominations – Best Play, Best Director and Best Lighting Design). Click below to read on.

Guest Review

Loved it.  Will see it again.  Will bring my friends.  And lots of Kleenex.

First a little about the plot, and a very little about the history.  Then, a little about how wonderful it was, and why.

Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Paula Vogel’s commitment to this project has a history. It began in the 1970’s when she was a student.  Indecent, directed by Rebecca Taichman, describes the writing and production of a Sholom Asch’s 1907 play, God of Vengeance. This was a defiant play, written in Yiddish by a Polish Jew, daring to depict his people as the people they were, warts and all. 

By current standards, God of Vengeance is quaint, and occasionally comical, in its melodramatic depiction of a father/brothel owner who, in his desire to keep his teenage daughter pure and virginal, uses his ill-gotten gains to purchase a Torah as a talisman.  His daughter Rifkele finds love with Menke, a prostitute in her father’s stable. The depiction of their love was beautiful. It was the only pure relationship in the entire play which otherwise features greed, hypocrisy, false piety, sexual exploitation, and violence.    In Vogel’s play, the lesbian characters were played by a lesbian couple, who loved that their personal love could be made public, even if only in character.

Keep in mind that in 1907 European Jews were subject to pogroms.  Most tried to stay under the radar, keeping to themselves and trying not to provoke the Gentiles.  Reprehensible behavior was already attributed to them without provocation or evidence.  This subject matter was challenging but relatively safe because it was presented in the original Yiddish, which of course kept the Gentiles in the dark.

Adina Verson as Rifkele and Katrina Lenk as Menke

Years pass. After a successful run in Europe, it and its players came to New York City.  The play was translated into English and the beautiful relationship between Rifkele and Menke was changed into one of cruel exploitation.  Asch withdrew from the project.  He was paralyzed by both his inability to speak or read English, by having recently been on a fact-finding tour of Europe and having seen atrocities that he could not speak of.    The play was shut down and its players tried for indecency.  This, in the land of the free.  In Europe, in Yiddish, they had been free to express these novel ideas. Here, they were not.

The players return to 1930’s Europe led to the tragic outcomes that you can imagine.

The arc of the stories is different for each character.  Asch starts committed to the play, then abandons it in despair.  Lemml, the stage manager, clings to it, passionately determined to share it with the world.   The players hold on for different reasons, but most movingly, by the lesbian lovers who created the parts they played.   And we, the audience, sit in admiration and dread, because we know what is waiting for those brave players in that blighted land.

Okay, enough with the plot.  How did this production create such a profound effect on us?

The structure: The “play within a play” works beautifully, as Lemml introduces himself and the troupe.  They literally rise from the ashes to live again as living, breathing, singing, dancing, loving, and flawed people whom you want to see again and again.  You grow to love them as actors and as individuals.

The movement:  It starts as just stylized gestures, evolves into folk dance tropes, then grows into larger and more beautiful and elongated progressions, all to the music of the onstage klezmer band.

The music: The Klezmer music is quite evocative and elastic - it is clever and sly, very emotionally appealing.  It cunningly incorporates bits of the musical styles of the cultures that the troupe presents to.  I could listen to it all day.  This is certainly not a musical, but there are quite a few musical numbers.  It is essential and captivating.

The Yiddish:  I love the sound of it.  Anything you need to know is translated.  Then it washes over you like a warm blanket.  Love it.

The humor:  Is Yiddish and the Yiddish-speaking world really that wryly funny?  I expect it to be so because my exposure to that world is limited to the Catskill comics, Fiddler on the Roof, Woody Allen, and my wise and clever relatives.  That is a limited exposure.  In any case, this production used humor to keep us engaged. Even though we could predict the outcome, we were still invested in these brave and entertaining characters.

The audience:  I saw it in a matinee, which can be challenging.  I was there early, so I overheard lots of conversations regarding the temperature of the house, the slope of the aisle, the nature of the bathrooms.  I dreaded sharing the audience with what I thought would be either distracted or dead responses.  Wrong.  They were engaged, responsive and generous.  Lots of spontaneous laughter, plenty of crying, and a long, enthusiastic and heartfelt standing ovation.  I was proud to be a part of it.  After most of the audience left, there were a few islands of couples who remained, comforting each other.  I was moved, then moved again.

This is a spectacular play.  It is not selling well, which only means (to me) that it doesn’t appeal to the masses.  Fine.  I’m not part of the masses.  At least not in this regard.

Two small caveats:  1.  The design of the Cort.  (Now I sound like the matinee-goers whom I criticized.).   Fully 60-80 seats on the sides of the orchestra are partially obstructed.  It is annoying until the action starts, which is kept at center stage, so the obstruction is not really an issue, but it concerned me until the (virtual) curtain rose.  

And 2.  Bathrooms (yes, I am complaining about the bathrooms).   My mobility is limited, so I can’t handle the stairs down to the bathrooms.  There is no elevator.  I was told that I could use the Chipotles across the street.   I understand that a historic theater doesn’t have to follow modern ADA rulings, but criminy.   

Even so, you should see this play.  See it soon.  See you there.  Or meet me at Chipotles.

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Guest review by Jeanne Genova-Goldstein - What do I look for in a play? I want it to let me share someone else's experience of the world.  I want to learn something new.  While I also indulge in pure entertainment - classic musicals, farces - they are like eating ice cream.  I love ice cream, but sometimes I need a challenging play for sustenance.  I love it all, even when it is bad. There is always something to learn from it.

 

This is the original StageWrite review
from the Off-Broadway production - 

What an extraordinary surprise last night’s viewing of Indecent provided.  To borrow my cousin Nancy’s expression, “this is the essence of theater.”    The Vineyard Theatre offers the perfect intimate showcase for this historical drama spanning the first half of the 20th Century. 

What is the play about? The history and ultimate demise of Yiddish theater, anti-Semitism, lesbian love and censorship. Perhaps more globally, it’s a story about theater and its profound effect on all participants including the writers, actors, producers, managers, and most important, the audience. 

Adina Verson and Max Gordon Moore

Indecent is not a musical; it is, however, a drama with music.  This absolutely memorizing klezmer-style music provides the emotional background (warmth with a touch of sadness).  Each of the actors plays numerous roles (an effect I always appreciate) and are able to magically transition between time periods, continents and languages.  The light touch used to address the weighty issues presented above reflects a skill in writing and direction that is rarely seen in any theatrical setting.

Pulitzer prize winning playwright (How I Learned to Drive), Paula Vogel, has accomplished an extraordinary feat. And the direction by Rebecca Taichman is brilliant and electrifying.

Every participant associated with the production carries his or her weight in terms of the contribution of the ultimate effect. This is a sad yet heartwarming and beautiful story, which effortlessly and magnificently presents Jewish history across two continents and its influence on theater and culture. 

Fred and Janet (middle and right) invited us to this remarkable production

The play moves quickly (1 hour, 40 minutes), but the complexity and depth of this story will leave a long-lasting impact. As I said, this is the essence of theater.  Time is short, find a way to see it before it closes June 19.    

Why we went:  Thanks to Fred and Janet for the invite, but most of all thank you to Gary, someone we have never met, who provided the recommendation.  Gary is our new superhero.

JMG

Side notes: 

We had our pre-theater dinner at Da Andrea located in the West Village. This delightful place features fresh-made pastas and home-style Italian dishes.  The Zuppa di pesce, crispy branzino fish, and Cornish game hen did not disappoint and the delicate biscotti that were offered as an extra treat with our cappuccinos were a perfect ending to a memorable meal.  The service was attentive and the food reasonably priced with entrees in the $21 to $25 range.

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