If everyone were a little more Jewish, maybe we wouldn’t get bizarre episodes like the latest can’t-be-too-careful diversion of an airliner, triggered by a 17-year old’s tefillin. And if everyone were a little more Jewish, this might be a funnier place. Witness “Shlemiel the First,” being presented by Peak Performances at Montclair State’s Kasser Theater. This is a klezmer-infused version of an Isaac Bashevis Singer story set in Chelm, the shtetl version of Bizarro World.
The show is a replica of the 1994 original, and it plays like a fevered dream Danny Kaye might have. Okay, so the panel of wise men looks a little more ZZ Top than Talmud, but it’s a great, silly romp over a creatively crooked set. If you like wordplay, this breathless show is for you. And no, you don’t have to be Jewish or know any more Yiddish than you’ve already absorbed (you already know meshuggeh means crazy, kreplach is a food item, a shmatah is a rag and any word with a guttural “ch” is by definition funny) to have a good time. Go already. You could do worse.
There are four remaining shows. Thursday, Jan. 21 at 7:30 pm, Friday, Jan. 22 at 11 am, Saturday, Jan. 23 at 8 pm and Sunday, Jan. 24 at 3 pm. Tickets are always $15 at Peak Performances. Buy tickets here.
Review by Warren Levinson.
For those who haven’t been, the Kasser Theater is a great venue.