OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES Comes to The Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center

Philip Roger Roy and Playhouse Productions, Inc. will present the Off-Broadway hit, Old Jews Telling Jokes at the Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center beginning January 9, 2019. The show will run through February 10.

When Eric Spiegelman and his partner Tim Williams asked film and television producer Sam Hoffman if he had any ideas for an internet website, he pitched the concept of Old Jews Telling Jokes. Millions of views, shares, and guffaws later, Hoffman - in collaboration with Peter Gethers and Daniel Okrent, brought his Old Jews to New York for an extremely successful run at The Westside Theatre.

Old Jews Telling Jokes, which has been called a "pickle-barrel full of giggles", showcases five actors in a revue-type production that pays tribute to and reinvents classic jokes of the past and present. It celebrates the rich tradition of Jewish humor "and all the rabbis, complaining wives, fed-up husbands, patience-challenged physicians, gossiping ladies and competitive men" populating it. The humor can be suggestive (sometimes even bawdy - the show has been suggested as being appropriate for audiences age 21 and up!) as the 'Old Jews' make fun of themselves as well as followers of every other religion. "Think Catskills comedy - with jokes, songs, stories, skits, and routines," says Old Jews producer Philip Roger Roy. "The humor is reminiscent of the great Jewish comedians from Buddy Hackett and Alan King to Tom Lehrer and more. This show makes it obvious that Jewish humor is Universal - it's American humor!"

"I attribute [Old Jews Telling Jokes'] success to a number of factors," Sam Hoffman has said. "It's funny. We launched ...in [2009] the year when the recession was nearly at its worst and I think people really liked having something fun to download.... it celebrates older people with no irony, and I think that's a fairly unusual commodity in popular entertainment."

Jeremy Quinn will direct the production, which will feature Robyn Eli Brenner, Emily Freeman, Janna Morrison, David Samuel, Michael H. Small. Freeman and Small both recently received rave reviews when they were featured in Stage Door Theatre's production of Nice Work if You Can Get It.

Michael H. Small, who will be reprising the role he played four years ago in the show's regional premiere, is looking forward to the production: "I relish the opportunity to play this material in South Florida again," Small says, "It's a wonderful show for the area - the humor is timeless and South Florida audiences love to laugh. There are a lot of funny people down here. I got lost in Boca on Tuesday and couldn't find my way back to the highway. I saw a man walking on the sidewalk, so I pulled over and put down my window. I hollered, 'how do you get to 95?' He looked at me and said, 'Don't eat meat!'"

"Old Jews Telling Jokes is one of the funniest scripts I've read in a very long time...simply because of the number of laughs - one right after another," the show's director Jeremy Quinn says. "When I first read it, I found myself laughing out loud...loudly. I'm sure they heard me in Cleveland. You certainly don't have to be Jewish to appreciate and relate to the humor or the funny stories; but the style of the writing absolutely lends itself to the Catskills comedy shows of yesteryear. And with the addition of projections and musical numbers, this show is NOT just "stand-up". It's also quite touching from time to time - a perfect balance.

"I'm quite fortunate to be working with a cast who inherently gets the timing and delivery necessary for this script," he continues. "That is a HUGE advantage and not something easily taught. Two out of five actors have done the show before, so we're blessed to have their performance experience alongside us during the rehearsal process.

"Throughout my 38-year career in theatre (as both an actor and director), the one thing that is consistently the most rewarding, is the sound of laughter when a joke is perfectly delivered and lands with open arms around the entire audience. For me," Quinn says, "applause is secondary to the sound of even one person laughing...it's the gauge of a job well done. But put 200 or more people laughing together, experiencing the same relatable, LIVE experience for 90 minutes; and it's an unforgettable symphony of pleasure for everyone involved. Who could ask for anything more? Ok, yes...maybe whirled peas."

Old Jews Telling Jokes will open on January 9, 2019 at The Mizner Park Cultural Arts Center in Boca Raton. The theatre is located at 201 Plaza Real (2ndFloor), in Boca Raton (33432)

Tickets for Old Jews Telling Jokes range from $45-$65, and may be purchased online at http://playhouseinfo.com/miznerpark or by calling 844-672-2849. Group rates are also available and can be arranged by calling 888-264-1788.