‘Bad Jews’ – Written by Josh Harmon; Directed by Tony Estrella; Set Design by Patrick Lynch; Costume Design by Jessie Darrell Jarbadan; Lighting Design byDavid Roy; Sound Design by Peter Sasha Hurowitz, Presented by The Gamm Theatre at 1245 Jefferson Blvd., Warwick, RI through March 26.
by Mike Hoban
At a time when anti-Semitism and violence against Jews are disturbingly on the rise, attending a play with the name Bad Jews may not seem like such a great way to spend an evening. A dozen or so protesters connected with the RI Coalition for Israel thought so, picketing the show outside the theater on the day of the press performance – not based on the content of the play (which one imagines they have not seen), but the title. Once inside, Gamm artistic director Tony Estrella assured the audience that the company respects the right to free speech, “both on the sidewalk and in the theater.” Having seen the play, let me assure you that the title is in no way a condemnation of the Jewish religion or culture. Instead, it’s a self-reference by one of the play’s Jewish characters on how poorly he practices his faith, much like Catholics who only show up for church on Christmas and Easter would describe themselves as a “bad Catholics.”
