by Staś
Kmieć
Indecent is based on
events surrounding Polish-Jewish writer Sholem Asch’s groundbreaking 1907
Yiddish masterwork God of Vengeance –
from its inception in Warsaw and its evolution throughout Europe to its
explosive run on Broadway in 1923 and beyond. The run was cut short when the cast
and producer were arrested on obscenity charges.
Based on the real-life “Ararat” Jewish Kleinkunst Theatre of
Łódz, a theater troupe of actors rise from the ashes to tell the story behind their play.
PBS – November 17, 9:00 pm (check local listings for time and additional showings)
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Review: Indecent on Broadway
reprinted from the August 2017 issue of
The Polish American Journal
The play
is based on the events surrounding Polish-Jewish writer Sholem Asch’s
groundbreaking 1907 Yiddish masterwork God of Vengeance (Got fun nekome) – from
its inception in Warsaw, Poland and its evolution throughout Europe and the
Lower East Side to its explosive run on the Great White Way in 1923, and
beyond. In Europe, the play was popular enough to be translated into
Polish, German, Russian, Hebrew, Italian, Czech and Norwegian.
It was a
controversial play when it was
translated into English and bowed at the Apollo Theatre on West 42nd
St. Set in a brothel, the play includes Jewish prostitutes, the
first lesbian kiss on a Broadway stage, and the hurling of a Torah across the
stage. The run was cut short by six weeks when the cast and producer were
arrested, jailed, indicted and convicted on obscenity charges. The conviction was successfully
appealed. Later, it was performed as an
act of artistic affirmation in an attic in the Łódz Ghetto of German-occupied
Poland during World War II.
With
music and humor, Indecent explores the loss of Yiddish theater
and the ever-changing mores of audiences. Playwright Paula Vogel, also a
Pulitzer winner is marking her Broadway debut and provides the voice and
structure from which the story can be told.
Indecent examines artistic
struggles, but it is an immigrant story about a time in America when immigrants
were being pushed out.
The
superb 7-member ensemble portrays multiple roles and is accompanied by a
klezmer band of 3 onstage musicians – playing a variety of instruments. The production is enhanced by the intricate
and often symbolic direction by Rebecca Taichman and choreography by David
Dorfman. Some of the characters are
composites, while most are real-life figures.
Screen projections guide the audience through the constant shift in
personae.
Based on
the real-life "Ararat" Jewish Kleinkunst Theatre of Łódź, a theater
troupe of actors rising from the ashes tell the story behind God of Vengeance. The fictional Lemml, a former tailor and
now stage manager, who functions as the narrator/master of ceremonies, along
with the imagined company of Vera,
Otto, Halina, Mendel, Chana and Avram (portrayed by Richard Topol, Mimi Lieber,
Tom Nellis, Katrina Lenk, Steven Rattazzi, Adina Verson and Max Gordon Moore)
propel the story – making an indelible and lingering impression.
The production
received three Tony Award nominations, with Rebecca Taichman winning
in the "Best Direction of a Play category and Christopher Akerlind
for "Lighting Design."
Indecent will end its run at the Cort
Theatre on August 6 and is sure to enjoy subsequent new stagings at regional
theaters across the United States.
