Sex, Faith and Jason Wexler

Reviewed by Pauline Adamek
Two Roads Theatre
Through April 3 

In Dan Frischman’s leaden romantic comedy, Jason Wexler (Justin Truesdale) is a twenty-something NYC stock broker who’s not having a good day.

Shortly after we see him working the phones, he launches into a cynical monologue about his lackluster life. He confides that he is “desperate for something to believe in.” Heading home, he spots an attractive woman at a trendy art gallery in Soho and, on a whim, decides to crash the opening she’s attending. His attempts to pick the woman up prove awkward, but he manages to leave with her phone number. Blonde, slim and intelligent, the lovely Faith (Alexandra Bayless) is a sweet and perfect object of desire.

Yet there are several impediments to their romance, the main one being Faith’s devotion to her faith. She’s a pious Catholic and attends mass every Sunday, while Jason is a non-practicing Jew. Her father Bob (Curtis Webster) is a jovial church deacon while his mother (a hilarious phone presence, voiced by Barbara Goodson) is the stereotypical guilt-tripping Jewish mom. She’s a virgin while he’s a red-blooded young man (though this doesn’t prove to be that much of an obstacle for her, it turns out).

They manage to sweep most of their incompatibilities under the carpet until their relationship becomes serious. For the most part, Jason is goofy and love-struck, forever compromising and capitulating just to keep Faith happy. Discussing his dilemma with his best friend Randy (Tony Nunes, delivering his best impersonation of an obnoxious Jack Black), Jason vows to “tackle this religion thing head-on.”

He seeks counsel from the experts, first consulting Faith’s father and then a rabbi (Sharon Spence). But those discussions only add to his confusion. A random stranger on the golf course (Dan Frischman) seems to offer the most sensible advice, sharing insights about his dual-faith marriage. “There’s no ‘best club’ — it’s what you think that matters,” the friendly stranger opines.

Weak writing that lacks finesse, jokes that land with a resounding thud and poor direction combine to produce sub-par performances. There’s only so much these actors can do with dialogue that’s bogged down with strained humor and corny observations. I mean, how many times do we have to hear a character quote Mark Twain’s remark “Golf is a good walk spoiled,” or hear a rabbi explain how the perfection of a flower is proof of God’s existence?

Frischman’s play addresses some of the obvious challenges that interfaith couples encounter but without much success. Either the plight of these individuals simply isn’t particularly fascinating, or Frischman fails to offer an original take on the theme.

Sex, Faith and Jason Wexler is double-cast. This review is of the Blessings cast.

Two Roads Theatre, 4348 Tujunga Ave., Studio City. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m.; Sun., 7 p.m.; through Apr. 3. (800) 838-3006 or www.SexFaithPlay.com; Running time: 2 hours and 10 minutes with one 15-minute intermission.