Full-throttle farce is a special kettle of fish. An acquired taste that is extremely difficult to perform, it often runs the risk of being misunderstood, underrated, or unappreciated. To put it bluntly: Even when executed by masters of the genre, farce ain't for everyone. When Circus Theatricals introduces its world premiere of Deconstructing the Torah with the words "when the shtick hits the fan," it helps to recall that every first-rate comedy has a serious underbelly. Just so, there is a wry instructive subtext to this "deconstructed" farce. But Colette Freedman's treatment of her sacrosanct subject is so over-the-top and outrageous, half the audience may not recognize it while the other half is laughing too hard to care. Or can't be bothered to figure it out. Or is just plain mind-boggled by her chutzpah.
Written with wit, rapier-sharp dialogue and a social conscience, the play consists of five skits that tackle everything from birth to death--with politics, murder, and romance wedged in between. Loosely based on the Ten Commandments and books of the Bible, each act begins with a "Thou shalt not" edict, then proceeds to twist and redefine it as five contemporary Jewish heroines try to find their niche in our multicultural world. Whether secular or Orthodox, all of the characters identify in some way with their heritage--and all of Freedman's humor and satire is based on their trials, tribulations, and triumphs in post-Modern America.
Under the sure-fisted direction of Alexander Yannis Stephano, the dynamic large-scale ensemble races through each act with the revved-up speed required of any first-rate farce. It's impossible to give credit to every actor onstage, but here's a rundown of Freedman's wicked sense of humor: After years of breaking her tush trying to assimilate with the popular blonde girls in school, Cassandra (Elizabeth Kouri) finds the answer by killing them off one by one. A nerdy unattractive sperm tries to convince an aging egg that he's her last chance. Whenever Shoshanah Rabinowitz (Jamie Mann) dates her handsome gentile hunk, she lights the Shabbat candles and tells her Orthodox mother that she's going out with Schlomi Finkelstein (Jack Sundmacher). Then the imaginary character that she invented comes to life and seduces her.
Deconstruction is not all that goes on Schwartz's Cockamamie Funeral Home. The cat-and-mouse game begins when Samantha (Nickella Dee Schlanger) hears her father (Thomas Kopache) come into the room while she's making out with her boyfriend (Jerry Goble) in an empty casket. It continues as Sylvia Sladnowky (Strawn Bovee) explains that her husband has died and she needs to bury the no-good son-of-a-butcher. What develops as the two couples converse about life, love, and death is a hilarious hoot and a half. All five episodes are book-ended by a verbal battle between a WalMart CEO named Adam (Daniel Gibbons) on one soap box, and a liberal activist named Eve (Megan Williamson) on another. And the winner of the ongoing debate is...