Reform Party
Reviewed
11/6/05
by Norman Lessing
Directed by Charles St. Clair
Arizona Jewish Theatre Company
Viad Playhouse on the Park, Phoenix
(602) 264-0402
November 5th - 20th, 2005
$26.00 - $30.00 ($7 Student Rush half hour before curtain)
Discount tickets may be available at
With
all of the bad press religion has been getting recently, it’s
nice to see a show that reminds us that faith can have an upside, too. Such
a lighthearted production is being mounted by Arizona Jewish Theatre
Company, Norman Lessing’s 36, a
cute little comedy set in Cleveland in 1980 that features three loveable
Hassidim (Benjamin Stewart as wise Nachman, Mike
Lawler as dour Mendel, and Dijen Dain as simple
Pitzik), two confused Catholics (Gene Ganssle as happy-go-lucky
electrician Joe and Kerry McCue as his worried wife Mary),
one Polish and one Irish, and a reticent Reform Rabbi (Don Kruszka).
With a collection of characters like this, how can you not have fun? There’s
no wailing, no gnashing of teeth, and no hairshirts, just a simple search
for a LamedVovnik, one of the 36 Orthodox saints who justifies the
purpose of mankind in the eyes of God. Along the way, we get a little Torah,
some sung praises to Yahweh, and we even get to meet a rather entertaining
Polish dybbuk.
Director Charles St. Clair has kept the pacing of this farcical piece as light and spry as it needs to be. While Lessing’s script does venture into the realms of the Kabbalah, it’s careful enough to keep the path simple, and St. Clair has made sure that we don’t lose our way. St. Clair has put together an excellent cast that can keep potentially caricatured performances rounded and interesting, while still hitting every laugh line with excellent comedic timing.
Any cast featuring Stewart, Lawler, Ganssle,
and McCue is already featuring some of the top actors in the valley. Kruszka
has been making a splash in Shakespeare recently, and he and newcomer Cain
prove they can keep up with the rest. Stewart is one of those rare actors
with the ability to convince an audience that Benjamin Stewart is the right
actor for every role in which he’s put. His trademark off-the-cuff stutter step delivery keeps Nachman
wise and silly in all the good ways. Lawler is engaging as always, keeping
his incisive Mendel on the balanced edge of sharp and paternal, with just
a bit of the odd thrown in as needed in the script. Ganssle is such an easy
and frank actor that he becomes, rather than acts, the role in which he’s
placed. Here, he is a presence, a seeming everyman taken with an odd situation.
He is the grounded presence in a tilting reality. McCue’s Mary does
not have a lot initially to grab onto, but like Ganssle, she is one of those
performers who delivers lines like they’ve just occurred to the character.
She does get a fun moment in Act II which initially seems like an awkward
part to perform, but eventually proves an excellent choice. Kruszka’s
Rabbi is the audience’s barometer, and he does a nice job of portraying
the character’s dismay, disbelief, and eventual wonder. Cain’s
Pitzik is the wise fool, and he makes basic choices to portray this simple
character.
Thom Gilseth has recreated in a straightforward way the sanctuary area of a Reform Synagogue with an extra surprise. Troy Buckey’s lighting is solid with no surprises, and Cari Smith’s costumes give a gentle nod to the fact that the play is set 25 years ago.
