Interview: Daniel Okrent Co-creator of OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES at GSP

The off-Broadway comedy revue, OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES will make New Brunswick audiences laugh when the hit show comes to George Street Playhouse (GSP) for a five-week run starting December 2, 2015, and ending January 3, 2016. Co-created by Peter Gethers and Daniel Okrent, OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES showcases five actors paying homage to and reinventing classic jokes. The show also features comic songs, both brand new and satisfyingly old, as well as tributes to some of the giants of the comedy world and to the brilliant raconteurs from OldJewsTellingJokes.com, the web site that inspired the show. Broadwayworld.com enjoyed the opportunity to interview co-creator, Daniel Okrent. We loved hearing about his career and the inception of this phenomenal piece of theatre.

Daniel Okrent is a writer and editor, and best known for having served as the first public editor of The New York Times. He also invented Rotisserie League Baseball, and wrote several books, including Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition, which served as a major source for the 2011 Ken Burns/Lynn Novick miniseries "Prohibition." Most of his career has been spent as an editor, at such places as Alfred A. Knopf and TIME, Inc. His book, Great Fortune: The Epic of Rockefeller Center was a finalist for The Pulitzer Prize in history.

Okrent, a native of Detroit, Michigan, got a start in writing at the age of 7 when one his father's friends suggested he submit a letter to the editor to a local newspaper. He was told to start the article with "I am only 7 years old." As a result, the piece was readily accepted and Okrent said that when he first saw his name in print, "there was no turning back." He continued to write throughout his schooling, contributing to both his middle school and high school newspapers.

Okrent attended the University of Michigan and wrote for the college paper, Michigan Daily. It was then that he felt that writing was very "real." It was also during his collegiate years that he got his first paying freelance assignment, from Mademoiselle magazine. "They were doing a three-part series on parties and I was assigned the college party piece."

A fan of live theatre, Okrent's first foray into writing for the stage was collaborating on the production of OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES with his friend of 30 years, Peter Gethers. The show is adapted from the popular web site by the same name that was created in 2008 by Sam Hoffman of Highland Park, New Jersey. The show had a two-year development process. "It seemed natural for us to work on the show. Peter and I are joketellers, we're theatre fans, and we're fairly old Jews." Co-produced by Richard Frankel, Tom Viertel, Marc Routh, and Steven Baruch, OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES first opened in 2012 at the West Side Theatre in New York City where it received rave reviews.

We asked Okrent how he juggles his fascinating and eclectic career that has included writing, editing and producing. "I think its because I can always find something interesting to do that I've never done before." Okrent is currently about halfway through the writing of his book about immigration a century ago. And he and Gethers are also considering a sequel to OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES.

Okrent told us that he believes George Street Playhouse audiences will really enjoy seeing OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES. "People really like to laugh. And because the website started in New Brunswick, the local angle should help, too. I hope people will come to George Street Playhouse and have a great time." He added, "It is a thrill beyond belief to have created this show and to sit in the back row of the theatre and listen to people having such a great time."

For more information on Daniel Okrent and his books, visit his web site at http://www.danielokrent.com/.

OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES will be performed at George Street Playhouse from December 2nd through January 3rd. The theatre is located at 9 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick in the heart oft he city's vibrant arts district. Tickets prices are priced from $45 to $65. Shows are on Wednesday at 7:00 pm, Thursdays at 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm, Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturdays at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm and Sundays at 2 pm and 6:00 pm.

To purchase tickets, call the Box Office at 732.246.7717 or visit: http://www.georgestreetplayhouse.org/specialevent/oldjewstellingjokes. For groups of 12 or more, call Marla at 1.888.264.1788.

Photo Credit: Raymond Elman

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