Guest Review: Modern Orthodox at Boca's Caldwell Theatre
By: Beau Higgins Jun. 19, 2005
Dear Reader,
the following is a guest review from a very talented young writer, here in South Florida. Mark Joseph Namit is an English major currently attending Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. He has written numerous theater reviews and articles for FAU'S college newspaper, the "University Press".
It is no surprise that the Caldwell Theater in Boca
Raton has chosen Daniel Goldfarb's hit Off-Broadway
play "Modern Orthodox" as its summer draw. Being a
well-known play for its zany plot, raunchy one-liners,
and hilariously drawn characters, these qualities
serve as the anticipation for a wonderful night of
theater for many of South Florida's theatergoers: The
verdict?
one of the funniest, if not the most hilarious comedy
that I have seen graced at the Caldwell Theater in a
long time. From the moment the two protagonists enter
the stage; self-obsessed career man Ben (Benim Foster)
and the hyperactive and religiously obsessed Hershel
(Jason Schuchman), the audience is taken for a funny,
but often touching ride into the conflicted worlds and
beliefs of two seemingly very different men.
questioning of beliefs that these two men have towards
themselves and their religion. The opening scene makes
this apparent. Ben wants to propose to longtime
doctor-girlfriend Hannah (Rachel Jones) and has made
an appointment with diamond dealer Hershel for a
purchase during his lunch hour. Hershel arrives
45-minutes late wearing a ratty coat, dirty high-tops,
and a yarmulke with a Yankees logo. Ben is annoyed and
wants to make the purchase over with. He is pushed to
sudden anger when he feels Hershel wants to rub it in
his face his overzealous pride in being an Orthodox
Jew; and Hershel makes it a point of calling Ben a
"gentile" for not being a faithful follower of their
religion. Ben then tells Hershel to remove his
yarmulke or else there would be no sale. Desperate and
simpering, Hershel agrees.Proud of himself after purchasing the ring, Ben
prepares to propose to the tired Hannah after she has
worked a long shift at the hospital. Hannah tiredly
agrees. As they prepare to attempt a night out for
dinner, a distressed Hershel comes barreling inside
their apartment claiming that the disrespectful act of
removing his yarmulke has caused God to punish him by
causing a pen-pal/fiancee from Belgium to commit
suicide after seeing his picture. Hershel announces
that he refuses to leave because only Ben can fix the
punishment that God has inflicted on him.
unhappy with the fact that Hershel looks down on her
being a doctor, rather than a nurse, for he lives with
a sexist belief that only "men wear the pants"; and
that he insists she has to run the household kosher
for him. But Ben, wrestling with personal demons and
conflicts about having been a prodigal son of the
faith, finds newfound respect for his religion through
the madness of having Hershel stay with him and
Hannah. Ben even washes his dishes at Riverside Park
to make them Kosher! In real life, I would have had Hershel arrested and
locked in jail for stalking.However since the play's narrative is written in a
structure reminiscent of a weekly TV-sitcom and the
audience is rooting for the two to get their
differences resolved, Hershel must stay on.
Predictably, Ben realizes that there is more to life
and happiness than just making money and being
spiritual helps him become more spontaneous; and
Hershel learns how to be "human", and that sometimes
breaking tradition is not such a bad thing. That
certainly speaks for itself when he meets the
sex-starved Rachel (Margery Lowe). Michael Hall has directed a great quartet of actors
who know how to balance the comedic and the tender in
few breaths. Mr. Foster is excellent in portraying an arrogant,
self-absorbed Manhattan yuppy who thinks of nothing
but material happiness. But as the play moves along,
his story becomes the play's emotional center. Once he
has realized his "wrongs" and finds spiritually in
religion and in himself, he is a hero we all can
relate to; a human being, quoting Anne Frank, "good at
heart". Of course, full of conflicted emotions and
beliefs. When Ben impulsively kisses girlfriend Rachel
on the couch during a tender scene juxtaposing a
hilarious restaurant scene which Ms. Lowe and Mr.
Schuchman have their first date in, we know that Ben
is really a good guy at heart and loves those dearest
to him. What a guy!Mr. Schuchman has a more demanding task of making
Hershel less cartoony and one-dimensional. Through Mr.
Goldfarb giving him scenes and speeches that juxtapose
between the downright loony (Schuchman has Hershel
gagging at one particular standout scene when Ms.
Jones's Hannah says the word "Vagina") and the
heartfelt (of confessing to Rachel about his out-of
body experience with a first kiss) he is able to
command a presence that is truly an innocent who has
discovered love and his body for the first time. Ms. Jones is luminous as Hannah. She switches from
hard-boiled career woman from one scene to
love-starved woman who has forgotten what she really
is and what she wants through a magical moment of
where Hershel kisses her so he could feel what it is
really like.The play's comedic center however goes to Margery
Lowe's brief but hilariously outlandish turn as Rachel
Feinberger, a lovelorn woman in her late 20s who is
set up with Hershel through a blind-dating service
online. With her hyena-like cackle and raunchy
one-liners, she brings to mind Lesley Ann-Warren's
Norma from the 1982 film "Victor, Victoria" with Julie
Andrews, a vamp past her prime, but still sexually raw
and full of heat."Modern Orthodox", like last year's "Take Me Out" at
the Caldwell, is a wonderful exploration into the
comedic and conflicted sides of humanity itself. It is
a celebration that ultimately, when differences form a
brotherhood, the world would ultimately be a more a
spiritually enriching place.
"Modern Orthodox": June 18-July 31, 2005. Presented
through the Caldwell Theater Company. Directed by
Michael Hall, Written by Daniel Goldfarb. Starring: Benim Foster, Jason Schuchman, Rachel Jones,
and Margery Lowe.
"Modern Orthodox" was originally produced by Long
Wharf Theater, New Haven, Connecticut, November 2000.
It was produced Off-Broadway by Ars Nova and Kara
Medoff in association with The Underwood Theater and
Jewcy. It was presented as a staged reading by Cape
Cod Theater Project. It is presented by arrangement
with Dramatists Play Service, Inc. NY.Performance Dates and Times
June 18 – July 31, 2005, with evening performances
Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and matinees
at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, Saturdays and SundaysTicket Prices
$25 (non-center) and $34 (center) IF purchased BEFORE
June 17, 2005.
After June 17, tickets are $32.50 and $41.50. Call Box
Office toll free at 877-245-7432 or 561-241-7432 or
buy online at www.caldwelltheatre.com.Based on availability
Group rates are available by calling 561/ 995-2323.
Student Rush: Available for $7.00Caldwell Theatre Company is located at 7873 N. Federal
Highway, (in Levitz Plaza) Boca Raton, FL 33487.
For more information, call the box office at 561/
241-7432.
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