Friday 20th May 2016, 8pm, Everest Theatre, Seymour Centre Chippendale
BAD JEWS is the hilarious, fiery reunion of three cousins as they come together to mourn the passing of their grandfather. Arguments over religion, tradition, entitlement and commitment to family play out in real time in the Upper West Side studio apartment with explosive energy.
Joshua Harmon's play commences with cousins Daphna (Maria Angelico) and Jonah (Matt Whitty) following the funeral of their grandfather, Holocaust survivor, Poppy. As they camp out in the small Upper West Side studio apartment Jonah's parents keep, "just in case they have visitors", Jonah wants to disconnect from the world, playing computer games on the pull out sofa bed, avoiding his confrontational cousin who has been sleeping on the blow up mattress for the past two days. With the duo, the audience is given their first taste of Daphna's passion towards family and faith, particularly her disgust that cousin Liam failed to make it to the funeral and the belief that of the three grandchildren, she, as the most religious, is most deserving of the treasured heirloom, Poppy's Chai medallion. Preppy, self-entitled, wealthy, pretty boy Liam(
Simon Corfield) finally arrives to the already cramped apartment, with girlfriend Melody (Anna Burgess), a willowy, blonde haired, blue eyed, gentile. It is now that the real fireworks start as whilst Jonah is quiet and non-confrontational, and generally non-committal on anything, Liam is the opposite and his self-entitled, bad tempered, spoilt brat mamma's boy attitude with a penchant for non-Jewish, vapid girls, clashes badly with hot headed, opinionated, only child Daphna. It soon becomes quite clear that these two have had run-ins for most of their lives, having grown up in a close knit Jewish family.
Set designer Jacob Battista has created a very detailed studio apartment for the 4 hander to play out. The apartment is tastefully furnished in a neutral but contemporary style, in keeping with the fact Jonah and Liam's parents keep the apartment for the boys when they come home from college and guests that won't fit into the main apartment. A pull out sofa dominates the living space with additional inflatable mattresses filling the rest of the floor space. The kitchen is complete with the necessities, including the obligatory New York takeout containers. A sliding door at the rear of the apartment hides away the bathroom and Battista has even included a section of the corridor outside the apartment, allowing Director Gary Abrahams a variety of spaces to move focus.
Angelico is wonderful as the feisty Daphna. With wild hair that seems to grow bigger and bigger over the 100 minutes of the play, she conveys Daphna's passion, aggression, disdain and disgust. A college senior at Vasser, Daphna is well educated and socially aware of both her own culture and of American history as she points out when she question's Melody's lack of understanding and awareness of her own heritage. Angelico conveys this intellectual superiority well in the manner of a nerdy activist championing the underdog, bombarding the ignorant with facts and questions. She presents the rapid fire conversations and verbal diarrhoea with clarity and conviction despite the frenetic pace and has a wonderful physicality as she goes at her cousin both verbally and physically. Angelico also expresses Daphna's fragility, a trait that she doesn't really want to admit, as, worn out from fighting, she turns to Jonah for comfort, meekly whimpering that Liam "Is always picking on me".
Corfield captures the main combatant Liam's arrogance and selfishness in his carriage and delivery. Eldest child, Liam has been doted on by his family to the point that Jonah is even prepared to give up his bed because he knows his mother would want Liam to be comfortable, regardless of the fact that Jonah and Daphna have been there for two days, supporting their families during the time of grieving, whilst Liam was in Aspen. Corfield presents Liam as unashamed that he's missed his grandfather's funeral, despite the fact that his death has been impending for a while. There is an arrogance that everyone else must be rearranged because he has bought his girlfriend with him, from trying to turf Daphna out of her bed, to planning to disrupt his parents and relatives sleeping in the nearby apartment which has already been rearranged for the wake. He matches Angelico's verbal machine gun attack with equal vehemence and expresses an even more volatile physical nature that is reminiscent of a 5 year old having a tantrum, in keeping with Liam's spoilt brat attitude. He captures Liam's sense of entitlement, willingness to bend the truth, disregard for tradition, and apathy towards his faith, so much so that you end up cheering for Daphna to win the fight for the treasured Chai that Liam wants to give to his girlfriend, a non-Jew who has no idea of her own heritage, let alone Liam's.
As the quiet younger brother and cousin Jonah, Matt Whitty presents a young man that is used to the confrontation and fights and wants to stay out of it. Whilst the others are given some more direct physical responses, Whitty's subtle responses to the arguments are wonderfully executed. The quiet disappearing under the covers and the seeking space to hide in the small apartment is priceless. Whilst at first glance, Jonah may seem lazy and disinterested, Whitty gives a sense that there is something more going on with Jonah that he doesn't want to share with his cousin and brother.
As outsider Melody, Anna Burgess presents the uneasiness of a stranger being thrust into the bizarre environment and being exposed to a side of her boyfriend that she didn't know existed. Burgess presents Melody with a saccharine, perky personality, in stark contrast to Daphna. At first Melody seems nice and sweet but there is a niggling feeling that she's a gold digger which Burgess plays out with the sappy devotion to Liam, even after his disgraceful behaviour that would have most girls questioning if they really knew a guy. Melody briefly toys with the worry about Liam's outburst towards his cousin but quickly brushes it off and one would think that a genuinely "good person" as Liam keeps trying to convince Daphna that Melody is, would see that the Chai holds family significance and ask for a different symbol of their love than the one on offer. Her outburst and over reaction at the end helps cement the idea that the ditzy failed opera singer has spotted her meal ticket and doesn't really care about anyone else in securing it.
BAD JEWS a wonderfully intense one act play that, while centring on a Jewish family, is potentially very relatable to other families. For most people, put family together in a small space for a wedding or a funeral and tensions are bound to rise. Combining this time of heightened emotion with varying levels of faith, value of tradition, stories of Holocaust survival, wealth disparity, love, various agendas and fiery passionate, childish temperaments makes for schadenfreude comedy. Whilst this production would benefit from a more intimate theatre,
BAD JEWS will have you roaring with laughter and gasping at disbelief as it fuels your own emotional responses and you work out who is most deserving of Poppy's Chai.
BAD JEWS
Sydney:
Everest Theatre, Seymour Centre
18 May - 4 June 2016
Brisbane:
Queensland Performing Arts Centre
13 July - 31 July 2016
Perth:
Regal Theatre Subiaco
9 August - 14 August 2016
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