BWW Reviews: Actor James Sherman Shines in His THE BEN HECHT SHOW

The Ben Hecht Show/by James Sherman/directed by Dennis Zacek/Zephyr Theatre/thru August 16, 2015

The West Coast Premiere of The Ben Hecht Show, ably directed by Dennis Zacek, showcases the charismatic performance of James Sherman in the titular role. Set in 1943, The Ben Hecht Show begins with Hecht's lunchdate with a "more famous than intelligent" woman. Until that particular lunch, Hecht had never considered himself as anything other than a New Yorker. But with the woman's fairly innocent probing, Hecht had to admit, not only to her, but to himself, that he is also a Jew.

In The Ben Hecht Show, playwright Sherman has written many a witty line ("She didn't have any anti-Semitic germs.") and dropped many a famous name (Moss Hart, Leonard Bernstein, Paul Muni, Stella Adler, Edward G. Robinson, Sidney Lumet, to name a few).

Sherman made full use of Christina Schwinn's detailed dark wood paneled drawing room set. After tapping away at his manual typewriter on his tiny writer's desk, he gets up to search for books on his fully stocked bookshelves. Throws a stack of them on the weeping chaise. Pours himself a stiff one and sits in his stuffed leather arm chair. Sherman even handily works a puppet on a string.

But as strong an acting talent as Sherman exhibits, the fairly steady pacing of his own script, even with interesting historical facts and famous names dropped, does not change pace or pick up energy until near the end when the 32 Jewish organizations gathered to witness Hecht's Jewish program project voice their opposition. Hecht's then claim to fame becomes the Jewish battle cry "Down with Ben Hecht!"

More conflicts included spread out in Hecht's tales would have made for a more riveting one-act, as The Ben Hecht Show's a history lesson worth learning.

www.plays411.com/benhecht