By Eric George Tauber
SAN DIEGO — A few years ago, I covered A Jewish Joke, a one-man show by local actor and writer, Phil Johnson of the Roustabouts Theatre, San Diego Magazine’s Best New Theatre of 2017.
The show was conceived as part of the 5-Minute Play Festival at the JCC and developed from there.
Since then, A Jewish Joke has grown legs, traveling the country and getting another run in San Diego. By this time next year, it will have appeared Off-Broadway in New York. So I recently sat down with Phil over lunch to chat.
EGT: So tell us about A Jewish Joke.
PJ: It’s about a plucky, curmudgeonly comedy writer in 1950s Hollywood going up against the Communist Blacklist. So he’s kind of a shlubby, reluctant hero -along the lines of the Sunshine Boys- who doesn’t want to be heroic whatsoever. But he’s forced to make a decision whether he’s going to turn in his partner or not. So it becomes very serious very quickly at the end of the play. I had an uncle who was the funniest thing in the world. He was this crusty little turtle of a guy. He would come up to me and say, “Hey, you workin’? … Get a job.” He would kill me and I just loved him.
EGT: I think we all have that uncle.
PJ: I’ve always loved Jewish humor. People like Woody Allen, Joan Rivers, Rich Little and Jackie Mason were my life. … And I’ve played every kind of Jew under the sun. And I’m in love with Jewish culture.
EGT: What about this story do you feel needs to be told? Why the McCarthy era?
PJ: The play was originally about the history of Jewish humor. But the character needed an enormous conflict and the Blacklist was the perfect setting for him. So I started to think of him up against censorship and betraying friendship. And I wanted him to hold onto that wonderful naïveté for as long as he could before he’s slapped in the face with it. So I love the fact that it becomes something else and the audience isn’t expecting where it’s going to go. It’s very funny until it’s not. Have I answered your question?
EGT: Well, you’ve told us about the play, but is there something about now that makes it timely?
PJ: Whenever somebody’s putting down the little guy, I want to be there. I want to speak to that. A big part of writing this play … I couldn’t watch TV anymore for the last year and a half with “The Donald” on television. There was no character anymore and it was making me crazy. And Bernie Lutz is a little guy who doesn’t know that he needs to stand up for something. And in the end, he does. …With the stuff that I’m trying to do, I’m worried about being preachy. Just make the best choice that you can for your life. It’s important for the people around you. That’s what I’m not seeing in American public life right now. That’s what I miss.
EGT: What are some of the conversations that you’d like to spark?
PJ: Here’s the great thing about the play. I just finished a three week run in St. Louis where they were maniacs about talk-backs. They got people from the ACLU, ADL and the local JCC. And the discussions were fantastic.
EGT: What was fantastic about them?
PJ: Some people shared experiences about the moment. Some were historians. I kept getting more info from people after the show. I love knowing more about it.
EGT: In the talk-backs, shouldn’t you also invite some conservative voices and let them have their say?
PJ: I wish I knew more good conservative points of view. What would sometimes happen in the talk-backs and someone would stand up with an axe to grind. And that was never productive. But I wish I knew more good conservative voices.
Well, there was a lot more to our conversation including historical insights into Teddy Roosevelt, Phil’s next solo show project. But until then, A Jewish Joke is playing at the Moxie Theatre March 14 to April 8th, 2018.
Zei Gezunt.
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Tauber is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. He may be contacted via eric.tauber@sdjewishworld.com