Review: BAD JEWS the Hilarious Dark Comedy Opens at the Unicorn Theatre

The hilarious comedy, Bad Jews, about death, family, identity, and faith opened Saturday on the Jerome Stage of the Unicorn Theatre. Bad Jews the dark comedy written by Joshua Harmon and directed by Cynthia Levin follows three cousins in a battle over an heirloom.

This play humorously shows the dark side of family and death as it follows the three the day after their grandfather's funeral. Diana, a devout Jewish woman, believes that due to her strong faith she should receive the gold trinket that her grandfather wore. The "chai" (Hebrew word for living) was passed down to her grandfather and he hid it under his tongue while in a concentration camp during the Holocaust.

Diana, who prefers to be called Daphna her Hebrew name, confronts her biggest adversary Liam, who believes as the oldest grandson that he rightfully should receive the symbol of his grandfather's love and devotion. She admonishes Liam for not attending the funeral and his detachment from the Jewish faith. The two cousins expect support from Liam's brother Jonah, who continually states he does not want to be involved. Throw in the blonde Christian Melody and the battle ensues.

Dina Thomas is superb in the role of Daphna. The direction of Levin and Thomas's natural speaking style create such a realistic character that you do not want to move, afraid you will receive the wrath of her sharp witted tongue. She skillfully brings tempers to a boil and in an instant tries to defuse the situation with a change of topic and a humorous comment. Thomas told me she had been waiting for years to play the part of Daphna.

Doogin Brown gives a powerful and dynamic performance as the angry Liam. From the moment he enters the stage the first time to the last time he exits he gives a strong performance as the bitter cousin who cannot tolerate the antics of Daphna. As the cousins remember moments with their grandfather, Liam demonstrates a softer loving side that Daphna wastes no time destroying.

Mark Thomas stars as Jonah, who tries at times unsuccessfully to stay out of the fracas only to be continually drawn back into it. The banter of Daphna and Liam is enthralling, but watching Thomas's facial expressions and body language as he skulks around the kitchen counter to avoid confrontation is extremely comical. Erika Baker is terrific as the blonde girlfriend Melody, who has a musical note tattooed on her leg to remind her of her love for music. Daphna points out that her name should have reminded her of the music.

As the momentum escalates, when it appears that Daphna is losing the battle, hostility heightens and the ferocity of her beliefs comes to an end. The production is very entertaining though I wish it had been played on the Levin Stage as the smaller intimacy of the Jerome Stage makes for some of the yelling to be a might unnerving.

Bad Jews continues at the Unicorn Theatre through November 16. Purchase tickets by calling the box office at 816-531-7529 extension 10 or visit the Unicorn Theatre website. Photograph by Cynthia Levin courtesy of the Unicorn Theatre.

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