Indecent at Ritz Theater

Indecent is a play about a play—and the artists who risked everything to tell it. Inspired by the true story of Sholem Asch’s seminal Yiddish work, God of Vengeance, and its infamous 1923 obscenity trial, Indecent is a haunting, klezmer-infused play with music that traces the turbulent journey of a troupe determined to stage a work deemed “indecent.” As their story unfolds across continents and decades, so too does a powerful meditation on censorship, nationalism and the policing of queer love. At once tender and thunderously relevant, this breathtaking theatrical experience shines a light on the enduring struggle between artistic expression and societal control. In a moment when questions of whose stories are “acceptable” feel increasingly urgent, Indecent invites us to bear witness to the courage of artists, the cost of silence and the unshakable power of theater itself.

The complete cast includes Spencer Chandler (Christmas At The Local, My Ántonia), Robert Dorfman, August Forman, Tony Larkin, Ryan London Levin (NEXT Festival, Merrily We Roll Along, Twelve Angry Men: A New Musical), Rebecca Mac, Ann Michels (Fun Home, A Man of No Importance, Sunday in the Park with George, Parade), Pat O’Keefe, Aila Peck and Ani Tonoyan. Understudies include Tara Borman (Scotland, PA, My Ántonia), Alex Hagen, Russ Kaplan (Twelve Angry Men: A New Musical), Jim Ramlet (NEXT Festival, Oliver, All Is Calm, Sweeney Todd, C.) and Drew Stutz.

"There are few plays that feel as urgently necessary today as Indecent,” states Latté Da Artistic Director, Justin Lucero. “It is a breathtaking work about artists who refuse to let fear dictate what can be imagined, expressed, or shared. At a moment when conversations around censorship and cultural memory continue to shape our public life, this play reminds us that the freedom to create is never guaranteed... it is something every generation must actively protect."