Daniel Okrent News

The off-Broadway hit show OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES comes to Providence for a limited run in the Chace Theatre at Trinity Rep, and is sure to make audiences laugh 'til they plotz. Performances run April 15, 2015 - May 10, 2015.

Off-Broadway's hilarious comedy OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES makes its Southland debut tonight, March 5-15 at the Scherr Forum Theatre of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.

Off-Broadway's hilarious comedy OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES makes its Southland debut March 5-15 at the Scherr Forum Theatre of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. Presented by Theater League, the musical comedy revue plays Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday at 8:00pm, Saturday 2 and 8pm and Sunday at 2pm. Tickets are on sale now at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza box office, online at www.theaterleague.com or by calling 805.449.2775.

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 Off-Broadway for an extremely successful run at the Westside Theatre.

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 Off-Broadway for an extremely successful run at the Westside Theatre.

At the gala 46th Annual Equity Jeff Awards held at Drury Lane Oakbrook on Monday, October 13, awards were spread among numerous theatres honoring a season of outstanding productions. From Writers Theatre, "The Dance of Death", a battle of wits between a tyrant and his manipulative wife, received the Production-Play award for a large theatre, along with its two principal actors Larry Yando and Shannon Cochran. "The Normal Heart", Larry Kramer's tale of the early indifference in N.Y. about the HIV/Aids crisis, presented by TimeLine Theatre Company, was honored with awards for Production-Play for a midsize theatre and for Director Nick Bowling.

The 46th Annual Jeff Awards ceremony honoring excellence in professional theatre produced within the immediate Chicago area is tonight, October 13 at Drury Lane Oakbrook, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace.

Chicago actress, TV and film star Jane Lynch did the honor today of announcing the nominees for the 2013-2014 Equity Jeff Awards.

It's impossible to analyze humor, and even if you try to it just takes all the fun out of it anyway. Some say jokes are mostly 'tragedy plus time', and that 'laughter is the best medicine'. Both are true to a certain extent. So, when it comes to reviewing OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES (created by Peter Gethers and Daniel Okrent), I think any kind of critical analysis would be a boring waste of time. And, in a time when show titles can sometimes be cryptic metaphors, it's nice to see something so simple and direct as one that succinctly and accurately sums up the premise of this show. The current production by The New Jewish Theatre is a well-cast, smartly directed show that delivers hearty laughs from start to finish. Everyone could use a good chuckle now and then, so I strongly suggest you check out this hilarious show!

A few years ago, I reviewed a book called Baseball Haiku: The Best Haiku Ever Written About the Game. I love baseball, and I love that book because haiku succinctly catch baseball's essence. Now comes The Heart of the Order: Baseball Poems, edited by Gabriel Fried with a foreword by Daniel Okrent (Persea Books). The verses are not haiku, but I set aside my esthetic preference and found some fine poetry.

The off-Broadway hit show OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES comes to San Diego for a five week run at the Lyceum Theatre downtown and is sure to make audiences laugh 'til they plotz. Performances run April 23 - May 25. Opening night is Wednesday, April 30.

Producers announced today that the hit off-Broadway comedy, OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES, which has entertained Chicago audiences for more than five months, will close at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted Street, on Sunday evening, March 2, at 5pm.

Now in its fifth month at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted Street, the hit comedy, OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES continues to make news, by eliminating winter parking woes and offering free valet parking at the theater on weeknights!

Now in its fifth month at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted Street, the hit comedy, OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES continues to make news, by eliminating winter parking woes and offering free valet parking at the theater on weeknights!

Author, humorist and panelist on National Public Radio's Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me program Roy Blount, Jr., plus Chicago media personalities Janet Davies (ABC7) and Steve Downes (WDRV-FM, The Drive) are the latest not-so-old, not-necessarily-Jewish joke tellers making one-night-only appearances in the hit comedy, OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted Street, to raise funds for the charities of their choice. A popular addition to the hit comedy production since launching in mid-December, celebrities are making a cameo appearance with their own comedic shtick during the OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES show, with a portion of proceeds from that performance donated to the non-profit charity of the celebrity's choice.

Nationally acclaimed authors Scott Turow and Sara Paretsky, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton (6th District), Illinois State Representative (12th District) Sara Feigenholtz and Chicago society scribe "Candid Candace" Jordan are among some of Chicago's favorite not-so-old, not-necessarily-Jewish joke tellers making one-night-only appearances in the hit comedy, OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted Street, to raise funds for the charities of their choice. Officially launching on Tuesday evening, Dec. 17, and continuing at various performances through the coming months, a local celebrity will make a cameo appearance with their own comedic shtick during the OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES show, and a portion of proceeds from that performance will be donated to the non-profit charity of the celebrity's choice.

The laughs will keep emanating from the Royal George Theatre for an additional 12 weeks as OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES announces a new block of tickets on sale for performances through Sunday, February 16, 2014. The hit off-Broadway comedy, now playing on the Main Stage of the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted Street, features a quintet of Chicago favorites: Dara Cameron, Alex Goodrich, Tim Kazurinsky, Renee Matthews and Gene Weygandt.

Off-Broadway's Old Jews Telling Jokes will close today, Sunday September 15. It will have played 22 previews and 552 regular performances. As previously announced, a Chicago production will begin performances at the Royal George Theatre on September 24 and open on October 2.

Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership proudly presents an evening of storytelling and laughs with Peter Gethers and Dan Okrent, the creators of the off-Broadway hit comedy, OLD JEWS TELLING JOKES, at Spertus, 610 S. Michigan Avenue, Thursday, Oct. 3, at 7pm. The program will be moderated by Chicago's own humorist Mike Leiderman, and will feature video excerpts from the Chicago stage production which begins performances here at the Royal George Theatre, Sept. 24, and officially opens Oct. 2.