Bad Jews (Samuel French)

The hypocrisy of so-called religious (holier than thou) people is exposed, with a gutsy but lacking in compassion for anyone but herself American -Israeli (oddly with almost the exact same first names as my second « ex-wife », whom my areligious mother rightfully detested) who is aware of injustice to others historically, but continues to perpetrate it when it her own needs are challenged. The opposing female foil to her is mis-represented in the play as wimpy, mousy and unable to withstand the whirlwind of her opposition. As my title declares, the play raises important issues, but gives the appearance of taking no sides, perhaps. Another odd connection is that the author is a nephew of a college classmate. Five stars for subject matter and treatment, three for apparent lack of ethics.

I purchased this script as a gift for my boyfriend when we were unable to make it to see a local production. I read it beforehand and, while I was entertained, I felt there is a lack of character development and resolution throughout. It often carries with it a sense of conflict for the sake of conflict. Had I seen the work performed I might have a different perspective, but on the page, it didn't really speak to me.

More of an intellectual exercise than an actual drama, BAD JEWS is a thought-provoking exploration of an ancient and ever-present psychological and social dilemma: To what extent do we root our identities and choices in our ethnicity, faith and cultural traditions? To what extent are we free, independent individuals? To put it another way: What is our foundation for understanding the meaning of life and human value? How important is it that we honor our ancestors in making personal, daily decisions?

This play is beautifully and sensitively written. The characters are memorable and compelling. I highly recommend this excellent play. I would love to see it performed on stage.

Great short play. Used for study in my playwriting class.

Great play. Would love to see a production.

delivered in perfect condition, love the play

Yasssss

This is a great play which, at the time I ordered, was the production about to begin at my workplace, so I wanted to quickly read through before it arrived (it always helps to read the play so as to be able to answer at least some of the customer's queries on the first night when I've not yet seen it myself!) This paperback contains the full version from the New York performances (a couple of allegedly "provocative" lines were cut when it came to London!) so was a huge help, (as well as being a really interesting read!) and was superb value, and arrived much sooner than the projected delivery date, I fell very fortunate indeed, Thank You SO much!  Bad JewsBad Jews

I ordered it because I'd seen a production in Melbourne and wanted to look back at the key episodes to make sure I'd understood. It plays well even though the plot is dead simple. It's a gift for actors because each one has a dominant characteristic and together these mobilise the drama. Daphna is monumentally self-absorbed, Liam is antagonistic (and some), Jonah is a peacemaker and Melody, Liam's shiksa girlfriend, is dumb. "Bad Jew" is how Liam describes himself because he is secular. Daphna is the uberJew exaggerating all things Jewish. Jonah retreats from their cataclysmic clashes over a Holocaust memento belonging to their recently deceased grandfather. Melody makes the mistake of offering her opinion that where you come from is irrelevant "It doesn't matter that you're Jewish..." which unleashes tensions that escalate into violence. The humour had the audience rocking in their seats. But just as the end is in sight and we are deciding which is the more serious betrayal - Liam's denial, Daphna's pretensions, Jonah's withdrawal or Melody's ignorance - something happens. Don't let me spoil it for you.

Great fun

Amazingly well written.

The story is fun and the family feud could tale place in any society. So why did the writer need to keep dropping in the F-word.I'm no prude, but like sex or nudity, bad language needs to take the plot forward. This doesn't and spoils the play.