Marina Nebro: Arts and Culture

Bad Jews

I first want to apologize for the lack of content as of late on Marina Nebro: Arts and Culture. My second year of college is off to a slow start in terms of my cultural endeavors, but I’m sure it will start picking up in no time! Let’s get on to the good stuff, shall we?!?!

Mostly drawn to the Roundabout Theatre Company’s play by its title, Joshua Harmon’s Bad Jews pleasantly surprised me as a moving and meaningful piece of theatre. With the death of Poppy, the patriarch of the Feygenbaum family, his grandchildren come together to celebrate his life and mourn his death. Diana/Daphna (Tracee Chimo) has returned home from college at Vassar for the funeral and is staying with her cousin Jonah (Philip Ettinger) for the time being at his New York City apartment. It seems like these cousins are complete opposites. As Jonah plays video games and keeps to himself, Daphna just doesn’t stop talking! She reflects on her life at Vassar, and her relationship with her family, especially her late grandfather. All she wants, she says, is his chai necklace – an important family heirloom with a lot of religious and sentimental significance. Will Liam let me have it, she asks? Jonah’s brother Liam (Michael Zegen) neglected to make his way to the funeral due to a ski trip he was on with his (non-Jewish, shicksa) girlfriend. An absolute disgrace, according to Daphna! This only proves that the chai truly belongs to her. For a translation, chai means “life” in Hebrew.

Soon following her rant about him, Liam storms into the apartment with Melody (Molly Ranson). Immediately I could feel tension in the air! Here was Liam, a lanky boy with tussled hair and hipster-like large glasses flanked by a blonde girl in ski get-up, approaching a wild haired, sweats-clad Daphna. Sparks began to fly from the moment Daphna opened her mouth – why couldn’t you make it to Poppy’s funeral? Insults were thrown, people were upset, and tears were shed. And this was all before the topic of Poppy’s chai even came up!

I’m going to step back, now, from plot summary and bring up some open ended questions. Liam surprised us all with the fact that he was already in possession of the famous family necklace. He said that Poppy gave it to him so that he could propose to his girlfriend Melody. Is he right to give away the chai to her? Daphna’s answer is probably obvious to you by now: absolutely not! Jonah is even against the idea, but he doesn’t push Liam either way. Perhaps it would be clearer if I explained the meaning behind the pendant. Poppy was a Holocaust survivor and kept this golden talisman with him the entire time throughout his days in the camps. Later, when he met his wife, he proposed to her with the chai in place of a ring which he would get her later. Is the fact that Melody isn’t Jewish a deciding factor in your answer? Should it be?

The biggest issue that was brought up in Harmon’s play was the concept of devotion. Daphna is what Liam calls a “super-Jew.” She loves Israel, goes to temple, keeps kosher, and is Jewish through and through. She even has an Israeli-Jewish boyfriend, Gilad (or does she?)! The chai has religious symbolism for her. Liam rejects his religion and his culture. It means nothing to him and he has no connection to his people. The reason why he wants the chai is for romantic purposes and to follow in his Poppy’s footsteps in his proposal. While everyone focuses on Daphna and Liam, we all forget about poor Jonah in the background. The entire time, he keeps to himself, only speaking up when his cousin or brother nudges him. At the end of Bad Jews, we find that he has the deepest, and most personal connection to Poppy. Is he absolutely religious like Daphna? No. Does he have someone to propose to like Liam? No, again. He quietly mourns the loss of his grandfather, and doesn’t show his sorrow until the last seconds of the performance – he has his Poppy’s numbers tattooed on his own arm, in memory of the amazing life he had following the Holocaust. I’m not down-playing any of the grandchildren’s feelings towards their grandpa, but it’s just an interesting study on how different people connect to family members, family history, and family tradition.

The actors did a great job! Everything was extremely over-exaggerated. Daphna with her Jewish, nagging voice and her constant use of Yiddish terms. Melody was a total ditz brain, and though she was sweet, I definitely didn’t feel for her much. She tried to get her boyfriend and Daphna to reconcile their differences, but she definitely didn’t seem to understand the gravity of the situation at hand. I absolutely loved Philip Ettinger’s portrayal of Jonah. He was so very awkward in the tense setting.

Lauren Helpern’s set design was phenomenal. The Laura Pels Theatre was quite small and intimate (I was sitting in the first row, too!), and Helpern took this into consideration when it came to the detail she brought to the set. The TV on which Jonah was playing video games even had the wires connecting it to his game console. The microwave’s clock was working. It was one of those realistic sets rather than the minimalist sets we often see nowadays in large productions. Costume designer Dane Laffrey also did a good job, though I wouldn’t say his work was beautiful. He made Daphna absolutely schlumpy looking in her poorly fitting sweat pants and overly-large t-shirt. Hair & Makeup’s J.Jared Jonas and Rob Greene made sure to accentuate Daphna’s mane of hair! It was flying everywhere as she brushed it and got into everyone’s faces, much to the dismay of Liam.

Overall, the play was funny while still maintaining a sense of meaningfulness. For a moment, it made me think about my relationship with family members, family history, and family tradition. I am currently going through a spiritual crisis, much like Jonah and Liam. What is important to me when it comes to family? I think these questions are still percolating in my mind and will be left unanswered for some time to come.

Bad Jews
Roundabout at Laura Pels Theatre
September 21, 2013

Marina B. Nebro