Review: BAD JEWS at GSP is Comedy at its Best

The smash hit comedy Bad Jews is now being performed at George Street Playhouse (GSP) through April 9th. Written by Joshua Harmon, the play features superb direction by Jessica Stone. Metro area audiences will thrill to the excellent staging and stellar cast that brings this play to life. This is comedy as it should be, a show with plenty of laughs wrapped around a meaningful story.

In Bad Jews, Daphna Feygenbaum, her cousins Jonah and Liam Haber, and Liam's girlfriend, Melody are staying together in an Upper West Side studio apartment after grandfather Poppy's funeral. Poppy was the beloved family patriarch, a Holocaust survivor and deeply religious. As the group deals with their grief, Daphna's relentless, contentious behavior creates an uncomfortable situation for everyone. She ridicules Melody and disparages Liam's graduate studies. And while Jonah attempts to stay out of the fray, tension builds as Daphna insists that she should be the one to receive Poppy's treasured Chai necklace, a family heirloom. Tempers flare and there are some fiery, yet hilarious exchanges that provide revealing perspectives about family, romance and religion.

The cast of Bad Jews is a dream team. Each member of the company is in complete command of their role as they deliver the absorbing, well-crafted dialogue. The four talented actors are Laura Lapidus as Daphna Feygenbaum; Amos VanderPoel as Jonah Haber; Alec Silberblatt as Liam Haber and Maddie Jo Landers as Melody.

Once again, GSP has assembled a top Creative Team with scenic design by Charlie Corcoran; costume design by Sarah Laux; lighting design by Christopher J. Bailey; sound design by Drew Levy; fight direction by Gerardo Rodriguez and wig and hair design by J. Jared Janas. The Production Stage Manager is Libby Unsworth; the Production Manager is Christopher J. Bailey and Casting by McCorkly Casting, Ltd.

Get your tickets now and see Bad Jews while it is the GSP stage. Welcome the spring theatre season with this remarkably entertaining and poignant production.

Bad Jews runs for 90 minutes with no intermission. It will be performed at George Street Playhouse though Sunday, April 9th. The Playhouse is located at 9 Livingston Avenue in the heart of New Brunswick's vibrant dining and entertainment district with convenient parking and mass transit options available. Individual tickets start at $20 with discount ticket packages available. For more information, contact the Box Office at 732.246.7717 or visit www.GSPonline.org.

Photo Credit: T. Charles Erickson