When you're young, you think about Old People as being stiff, arthritic in both their movement and their thinking. And then you realize thirty years have passed, and you're more like Them, except you don't feel like Them. I suspect that's universal. I once asked my feisty mother-in-law, when she was 95 or so (and still living in her own apartment, thank you), how old she felt in her mind. Hannah looked thoughtful, and then said, "Oh, fifty or so."
This by way of partial preparation for discussing "Old Jews Telling Jokes", the last production of this season for The New Jewish Theatre. Jewish humor became the benchmark for a couple of generations, thanks to the early years of television, even though most of us didn't know it was "Jewish humor" - it was just all over the screen. From Jack Benny through Sid Caesar, standup comedians like Woody Allen and Shelly Berman on variety shows, and the late-night talk show guests like Selma Diamond and Morey Amsterdam, it was everywhere. Much thanks to what became humor's minor leagues, the Catskills resorts feeding in to New York and Los Angeles. And not just the US, either. A friend of mine in Cardiff, Wales, has vivid memories of Alan Sherman and "Hello, Muddah, Hello, Faddah", for instance. So the non-Jews in a potential audience will rock on with this material, especially if they picked up the occasional word of Yiddish as they sat in front of the television.
"Old Jews Telling Jokes" is considerably rowdier than anything on television back then, though. And for all you who think older audiences are more easily offended, it's not so with this material. Both the F words. Lots of sex jokes. No walk-outs, no eye-rolling or head-shaking that I could see.
The format is almost a variety show without jugglers. A couple of songs are interspersed with lots of one-liners and very short skits. Director Ed Coffield's pacing is terrific. He's got good material and a fine cast with which to work. Primus inter pares, first among equals, is Bobby Miller, wielding a cigar like David Robertson does a baton. Stellie Siteman does deadpan like she'd gotten a wholesale deal on Botox. Be sure to watch Johanna Elkana-Hale's movement, sometimes as funny as the punch lines, graceful but as pointed as a glare or a glance. Dave Cooperstein covers bits from the bar mitzvah boy to a woman on a park bench, and Craig Neuman, who says he hasn't acted in 22 years, shows no sign of rustiness, with great timing and flair.
This is not modern, politically correct humor. Some of it is sexist and it does fall into the stereotypes sometimes. But it's funny, often in that unexpected way that makes it even funnier. My guess is this will be a hot ticket. Act accordingly.
Old Jews Telling Jokes
through June 1
New Jewish Theatre
2 Millstone Campus Drive, Creve Coeur
314-442-3283
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