FSCJ Artist Series to Present OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES, 4/5

You'll plotz when off-Broadway's hilarious comedy, OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES, makes its Jacksonville debut Tuesday, April 5 at 7:30 p.m. for one performance only at the intimate Terry Theater in the Times Union Performing Arts Center. Tickets for the show the New York Times called "hilarious" are on sale now at fscjartistseries.org or by calling (904) 442-2929. OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES contains adult humor and is not recommended for children.

A pickle-barrel full of giggles, OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES is a comedy revue inspired by the website OldJewsTellingJokes.com, created by Sam Hoffman. That site features professional and amateur comedians telling jokes (60 is the minimum age to recount a gag). Millions of hits later, the website spawned this hilarious off-Broadway hit which Mel Brooks praised as "chock full of laughs."

The idea for the onstage musical comedy revue OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES was hatched after creator Daniel Okrent made an appearance on the site. "I was the youngest old Jew on there," he said, proudly to his friends, who included co-creator Peter Gethers. "I had found myself checking that website four or five times a week for a year," Gethers explained. "So Daniel and I decided to make something for the theater."

According to Okrent, "Many of the narrative jokes have been dramatized: stand-up comedy morphed into sketches." Both creators are interested in exploring the history of Jewish comedy, especially as it relates to dealing with adversity. The New York Times praised the show's "enduring rhythm of Jewish Humor." "The laughs-per-minute average is as high as anything you'll find on stage" chimed in The New Yorker, lauding the hilarity of OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES.

Tickets for OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES at the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts, Terry Theater, are on sale now through our box office Monday-Friday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., by calling (904) 442-2929, or online at fscjartistseries.org. Discounts are available for groups of 10 or more by contacting (904) 442-2947 or groupsales@fscjartistseries.org.

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