Pabby Kohl, Ben Horwitz, Gregory Cohen, Kate Huffman, Rylie Decocq (Photo by Lou Stone Borenstein)
Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
Santa Monica Playhouse
Through March 1
RECOMMENDED
Rylie Decocq and Daryl Mendelsohn (Photo by Lou Stone Borenstein)
So what’s a nice, attractive Jewish girl to do when she is completely smitten with a nice, handsome young man, but then learns, to her utter horror, that he’s not Jewish?
The scenario is primed for laughs, and writer Lou Borenstein and director Jeff Jackson make the most of it. The Cohens, whom we first meet gathering for a Shabbat dinner, are a conservative Jewish family whose members consist of Ruth (Kate Huffman), her brother Gabriel (Ben Horwitz) and parents Lou (Gregory Cohen) and his wife (Abby Kohl). They are a chatty group — and boisterous! Lou is quick on wit and humor, and likes to relate anecdotes and tell jokes, while the others, between bites of food, share their opinions and objections.
Soon after, Ruth stumbles into a meeting between the rabbi of her synagogue (Daryl Mendelson) and architect David Green (Rylie Decocq), who are discussing plans for a temple renovation. A romance quickly develops between Ruth and David, and she agrees to marry him — before finding out he’s not Jewish. After a spasm of panic and anxiety, she decides to introduce him to her family anyway over dinner to see if he can “fake” it.
With Ruth acting as a referee, David does his best to appear Jewish in front of the family, but the results aren’t positive. Afterwards, Ruth decides that she can’t go through with the planned nuptials, much to David’s disappointment. But he doesn’t give up, and decides to convert to Judaism to save their relationship, and this is where the laughs go into overdrive. He meets with the rabbi, who gives him advice and a copy of the “Joys of Yiddish,” — preparing David for his next encounter with Ruth’s family, a hysterically funny event which doesn’t go over well because in test driving his newly acquired Yiddish vocabulary, he mauls or mispronounces nearly every word he says.
It all wraps up in Synagogue on Yom Kippur, thanks to Ruth’s determination and, of all things, a pound of bacon! As funny as this show is, there are some weightier questions that Borenstein explores, such as the nature and importance of religious identity, its centrality to a person’s life and its relevance to matters of the heart. The cast turn in spirited, energetic performances that are enjoyable from start to finish. Rounding out the ensemble is Amanda Dolan as Ruth’s sassy gal-pal Sheba.
Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 4th St., Santa Monica. Sun., 7 pm, thru March 1. http://www.SantaMonicaPlayhouse.com or 310-394-9779. Running time: one hour and 50 minutes with an intermission.
