Review: Joe Fox Tells His Story In DON'T CRY FOR ME MY YESHIVA at Don't Tell Mama

As it says on his promotional material, Joe Fox traveled to Maine in 2009 where he made a documentary on same sex marriage. While scenes from the documentary play during the performance, it is Fox’s story that is the feature of this fascinating show, which is less cabaret and more of a theatrical piece with songs.

Supported by Camille Diamond and Karen Steinberg’s beautiful voices singing from the rear of the house, Fox made his way to the stage, where he would spend the next hour sans mic sharing stories about his journey as a gay man “playing straight in the Lobster State.”

As part of the documentary, Fox interviewed people from both sides of the voting public. A gifted storyteller, his character impersonations were simultaneously hilarious and disheartening. From his telling, the level of bigotry that existed during the soul-crushing referendum was palpable. He shared the trials and tribulations he had to endure during the process of filming, including interviewing one woman who repeatedly referred to homosexual and queer folk sardonically as “those people.”

The majority of songs in the show consisted of parody lyrics written by Fox, which included an hilarious use of Kander and Ebb’s “Ring Them Bells.”  

Karen Steinberg played his adopted mother, an orthodox Jewish woman who struggled to

get pregnant with her husband and desperately wanted a child. It would be twenty years before they adopted Fox. When he came of age, he was determined to find his birth mom, Susan, an actress trying to make it in Hollywood. MAC Award winner Camille Diamond played Susan, and the trio joined together to sing a rousing rendition of Queen’s “I Want It All.”

The entrance of Diamond to the show is where his story takes an interesting turn. We learn about his somewhat dysfunctional relationship with his birth mom, and how she taught him to snort his first line of cocaine at age 20. Then Steinberg, as his adopted mom trying to remind him of his upbringing, returned to the stage wearing a menorah on her head, carrying a wooden spoon and a slew of rubber chickens, the visual hilarity of which had the audience in stitches.

Fox then shared what it was like growing up as a closeted homosexual attending Yeshiva, and being reminded constantly that being gay was a "sin". His parody of “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina” entitled, “Don’t Cry For Me My Yeshiva” was very entertaining!

When Fox’s adopted father passes away, Fox is sitting Shiva when he is dealt a cruel blow by his cousin. Instead of offering words of support and healing, his cousin instead chooses to tell Fox that as he is adopted and not a blood relative, he doesn't need to sit Shiva.

The sadness doesn’t linger for too long, though. We are soon introduced to Fox’s love story and how he meets his now husband Frank, a South African man who calls the US home. But this love story has a twist, and if you want to find out what that is, you should get yourself to Don’t Tell Mama this Friday, August 2, when Fox performs the last of his three-show run.

That being said, this fascinating story directed masterfully by Lennie Watts and musically directed by Dan Furman is worth being told again, so this writer hopes that Fox books an encore performance!

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To make a reservation for Friday, August 2, visit: https://shows.donttellmamanyc.com/ 

Photos by Natasha Castillo

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