BAD JEWS Begins Next Month at The Circuit Playhouse

Called the "best comedy of the season" by the New York Times, Bad Jews is a tale about the "holy and the hoiler-than-thou." Bad Jews is the story of Daphna Feygenbaum, a "Real Jew" with an Israeli boyfriend she met on a Birthright tour. When Daphna's cousin Liam brings home his shiksa girlfriend Melody and declares ownership of their grandfather's Chai necklace, a vicious and hilarious brawl over family, faith, and legacy ensues.

According to an interview with Harmon conducted by Roundabout Theatre Company, the inspiration for Bad Jews came from what he called a "depressingly unmoving Yom Hashoah service I attended my sophomore year of College. The theme of the service 'Grandchildren of Survivors,' so instead of a survivor speaking, a group of fellow students whose grandparents had survived the Holocaust spoke. It was strange and sterile and laden with clichés but lacking in genuine feeling and it scared me."

Bad Jews is directed by Anita Jo Lenhart. Leading the cast in the role of Dapha is 2010 Larry Riley Rising Star Award Winner and former Playhouse on the Square Company Member Laura Stracko Franks. Audiences may remember her from the 2010 production of Hairspray where she won an Ostrander for her role as Penny Lou Pingleton. Joining Laura are Associate Company Members Oliver Jacob Pierce (The Fantasticks; Peter Pan), Madeline Glenn Thomas (One Man, Two Guvnors; Sanders Family Christmas) and Matt Nelson who will be making his Playhouse on the Square debut.

Bad Jews runs January 16 - February 8, 2015 at The Circuit Playhouse and is sponsored by the Friends and Family of Sondra Goldstein. The Pay-What-You-Can performance is Thursday, January 22nd and is sponsored by ArtZone/AutoZone and Southland Park Gaming and Racing. The Circuit Playhouse is located at 51 S. Cooper St. For more information or to make reservations, please call 901-726-4656 or visit playhouseonthesquare.org.