By Carol Davis
VISTA, California — James Sherman’s 1989 family comedy “Beau Jest” closes out the winter season at Moonlight’s indoor theatre, The Avo. It is just what the doctor ordered for a-laugh-a minute Jewish infused play sprinkled with a bit of good old-fashioned ‘common sense’ (if you will) and a cast up to the task of pulling it off without offending anyone. As a postscript, it is done in good taste and good-naturedly all the while examining Jewish family dynamics and the importance of family.
Simply put, Sarah Goldman (Dana Fares) is a single Jewish woman of marriageable age. She teaches kindergarten, is adorable and bright and is dating Chris (ahem) Cringle (Adam Oliveras) who is not Jewish even though she tells her parents that he is Jewish. Normally his not being Jewish would be but a blip on any other marriage meter of who’s marrying whom. But in the world of Miriam and Abe, all the way back to Tevya and Golda, this is of earthquake proportions.
Sarah’s parents, Miriam and Abe, (Jill Drexler and Eric Poppick) live in the world of ‘if you are a Jewish girl of marriageable age, similarly you marry a Jewish man of the same disposition or you father will have a heart attack and I (your mother) won’t be able to look any of my friends in the eye the next time I see them’. And we will both disown you for the rest of you life.
Sarah knows this because it is in her genes/DNA. So as not to offend her parents or even cause them any distress she tells this little white lie to her mother to get off her back and stop fixing her up with every Jewish boy who is single and close to her age. Also, Sarah wants to get on with her life. But Miriam hearing this good news smells a wedding close at hand. She now wants to meet the new beau. Sarah arranges a dinner for the family.
Long story short, Sarah calls the Heaven Sent Escort Agency to send someone to her that that she can present to her parents as her boyfriend. She chooses a man whose name sounds Jewish, Bob Schroeder (Randall Dodge). In the meantime, she has contrived a whole scenario about him to make him exactly what her parents think he should be. She will introduce him to them as Dr. David Steinberg, surgeon of “Whatever comes up”, he quickly retorts. “Hearts.” “Brains.”
Unfortunately, just before the doorbell rings announcing her parent’s arrival, Bob tells her he is not Jewish nor is he a doctor. Panic set in but it’s too late to go back now. Sarah and Bob do a quick run through of his part and the fun begins.
Knowing he’s neither Jewish nor a doctor, he confesses to her that he is an unemployed actor who loves the opera. He also waits tables and escorts women around in between acting jobs. Now he is at Sarah’s acting out the most important role of his life as Sarah’s Jewish boyfriend. Over a period time Sarah has him to her house for several meals including the Sabbath and a Passover Seder. By now her parents are smitten with him, as is she.
The production at The Avo under the capable direction of Christopher M. Williams (Visiting Mr. Green) moves along at a swift, almost frenzied pace with Dodge, the consummate actor who, as the unemployed actor Bob Schroeder once played Tevya in Fiddler On The Roof, did lots of improv and was Emcee of Cabaret. He also knows enough Jewish/German/Hebrew lingo (‘Meiskite’ from Cabaret” and L’Chaim to Life from Fiddler) to super impress Sara’s parents. And he does.
Dodge is one hell of an actor whose claim to fame is his booming baritone voice that has graced Moonlight’s summer productions for years. His performance in this non-musical role is done with such a commanding presence and that beautiful resonant voice that he managed to woo everyone from Sarah’s parents, to Sarah to her brother Joel (Chris “Brooklyn Boy” O’Bryon) to every member of the audience on opening night. Plus his comic timing is impeccable!
Jill Drexler and Eric Poppick as Miriam and Abe have the feel of having stepped right out Jewish playbook describing Jewish parents and their relationships with their children and each other. That also includes bringing kugel with instructions to never put it in the microwave to be heated up, yarmulkes (skullcaps) to wear at the table, to the candle blessings to the blessing of the wine. Their continued repartee challenging each other’s memory of events and places is delicious and classic between couples that finish sentences for each other. But the best reenactment was that of the Passover Seder.
Thankfully some parts of the Haggadah were shortened and a few things left out but if you don’t know, you would never guess it. Much has changed for me since I was younger and with my parents and all my relatives reenacting the very same story of the “Exodus” from Egypt. That doesn’t change from year to year; it just gets passed down from generation to generation. And yes, it does goes on forever. So if you think the one in the play is too long, get yourself invited to a real one and then look back at this night and you will know that it really is ‘different from all other nights’. Both Drexler and Poppick should hang stars on their doors for this one.
Dana Fares plays the anxious and attractive Sarah with gusto and sincerity. Her relationships with both her parents and her new boyfriend are right on target and it’s called neurotic. Both Dodge and Fares have a natural connection and it shows through early on. Chris O’Bryon is petulant and moody as psychologist and recently-divorced brother Joel who has an idea that something doesn’t look kosher in his sister’s relationship with Bob but doesn’t really follow through until the very end. He too goes through some over-the-top scrutiny by his parents like why aren’t the children here, but once again we have to go back to the playbook.
Drexler is so natural in asking the question that if she didn’t we would be disappointed, just as when Poppick’s Abe complains about the parking conditions every time he comes to visit Sarah at her Chicago apartment. Adam Oliveras’s Chris is more of a conduit for Sarah as a reason to seek a new beau than anything else. He is fine as the injured party.
Bob and Chris have one funny moment together when they both pledge their love for Sarah by promising to convert to Judaism just to satisfy both the parents and Sarah. It’s to no avail, though. She is under Bob’s spell as is her mother and reluctantly, later on, her father.
N. Dixon Fish decorated the cheery and bright apartment where all this mishagas takes place and Roslyn Lehman and Rennetta Lloyd’s costumes are contemporary and right. Paul A. Canaletti’s lighting could have been brought down a bit to soften the look. Overall though, the space is perfect for this type of play.
Not a weak link in this production, yet so much to take in. Sherman has given us the story, Williams the actors to tell the story and the actors the talent to make it happen and look easy, all in about two hours. Beau Jest ran on Broadway for more than two and half years and it took only two hours to see how the Jewish family unit works both in a comical and satirical way. In my family it would take only two minutes to catch the dynamics and one minute to make it out the nearest exit. But that’s another play.
Have fun with this one.
See you at the theatre.
Dates: through April 8th
Organization: Moonlight Stage Productions
Phone: 760-724-2112
Production Type: Comedy
Where: 303 Main Street Vista
Ticket Prices: $22.00-$30.00
Web: moonlightstage.com
Venue: Avo Theatre
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Davis is a San Diego-based theatre critic. She may be contacted at carol.davis@sdjewishworld.com
Where did they find the glass balls that were hanging from the floral canopy? I love them!