Review: THE OTHER JOSH COHEN at Circle Theatre

Imagine that you’re are the lowest point you’ve ever been – socially, romantically, financially – and convinced the universe is conspiring against you.  Then image that out-of-the-blue, you receive a check in the mail (remember those?) for a significant amount of money.  Is this from a distant (and forgotten) member of your very large extended family?  Or was it meant for a complete stranger who shares your very common name, but the post office got confused by your similar addresses?  Everyone tells you to cash the check and count your blessings.  Do you?  Or do you confirm who the check is from and for whom it was intended?

This is the crux of Steve Rosen & David Rossmer’s delightful musical, The Other Josh Cohen, playing now at Circle Theatre.  Granted, the title sort of suggests whose money it is, but the story being told – in an inventive, surprising way – is refreshing and unexpected.  It’s the story, told in retrospect, of how Josh stopped being such a shnook – “a sad sack,” a source of pity, “a passive, unassertive, ineffectual type,” as Leo Rosten defined the word in The Joys of Yiddish – and it’s a good thing he did stop, otherwise this would have been a Chekov play.

In addition to the moral dilemma, and all the ramifications it raises (karma, cosmic justice, what if scenarios), there are also three less serious themes running through this play: Neil Diamond, Star Wars, and Gene Wilder’s version of Willy Wonka.  Each of these, as well as an almost constant stream of great one-off jokes, keeps the tone light and funny.  (While I’ve never spent any time thinking of names for an all-female Bruce Springsteen cover band, I’ll never forgive myself for not having come up with the one mentioned here.  So obvious and yet so perfect.)

This version of The Other Josh Cohen consists of five actors (three male, two female), all playing, at different times, Josh Cohen.  Ian Ferguson anchors the group, playing the Narrator Josh, leading the retelling of the previous year of his life, while strumming his guitar throughout.  He’s joined by Cherish Love Robinson, Brett Warner, Brian Hathaway, and Alejandro Saucedo as not only Josh, but the other people he encounters and interacts with.  While this may seem confusing, director Ashely H. White (Circle’s new Artistic Director) has ensured that everything makes perfect sense for the audience.  It’s always crystal clear who is who at any given time.

All five Joshes do a great job.  They each sing beautifully; they dance around; they’re playful; they’re sympathetic.  They seem to be having a great time, and they work together very well as a unit.

In addition to the Joshes, on stage are musical director, Cody Dry, on piano, and Sal Bollinger on bass (and violin); Robinson also plays drums, while the other Joshes assist on percussion (and Saucedo even breaks out his trombone).  As a band, they sounded great, although at times the music made it a little difficult to hear the lyrics clearly.

Speaking of the stage, in what only makes sense once you’ve seen the play, Bob Lavellee (with assistance from properties designer Elena Cruce) has designed a decently decorated, if humbly furnished, New York City apartment for a guy just a few years out of college.  However, if you wish to see this set, you’d best take your seat well before the play starts, as a soundless prologue (an old-fashioned dumb scene) begins ahead of showtime. 

All of the Joshes wear the same outfit, designed by Aaron Patrick DeClerk, while donning and discarding other items as they slip in and out of their other characters.  Josh Hensley’s lighting provides the right touch as the scenes change throughout the story, and really heightens certain moments (including the scene with the special cameo – not a real cameo, but...you’ll see), while Brian McDonald’s sound needed just a bit more for the vocals, but otherwise was very good.

While I really enjoyed this play (enough so that I’m hoping to go back for a second time), I do worry about the overall message, which seemed to be that we should do the right thing, not because it’s the right thing, but because it may help us in the end.  We all live by a moral code: some actions are right, some are wrong.  We don’t behave morally because we hope to be rewarded for it – in the rare event that it happens, great, but that’s not why we do.  Conversely, I don’t think we abstain from immoral activities just because we’re concerned that we’ll be caught and punished.  We avoid them because they’re wrong.  Josh knows this – and makes the right decisions – but the play makes it a little too pat in the end.  On the other hand, Josh also learns that the universe isn’t actually out to get him, which is very valuable lesson for all of us.

I highly recommend seeing this show – and please remember that it "starts" early, and there’s no intermission.

Photos courtesy of TayStan Photography

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