“Indecent”, playing at the Generic Theater through June 2, begins with the cast slowly assembling in the back of the stage.  As they rise from their chairs for the first time, ashes fall from the arms of their coats, foreshadowing what is to come.  And so begins a story which we all wish didn’t need to be told, but absolutely does.  It is a story, taking place mostly between the two World Wars, of the rise to fame of Jewish playwright Sholem Asch, due to his work “God of Vengeance”.  “God of Vengeance”, written and performed (most of the time) in Yiddish, tells the story of an immoral Jewish brothel owner and his daughter (who happens to be in a beautifully unfolding love story with one of her father’s female prostitutes).  Asch’s work is divisive in his own Jewish community, as it portrays Jews as regular people with faults and morals different from what was generally accepted at a time when many Jews were desperate to fit into society.  But, when the play makes the leap to Broadway (and is translated to English and certain script changes are made), it also becomes a lightning rod for Anti-Semitism and is quickly shut down as obscene. 

The storytelling from Paula Vogel’s script is incredibly well done, and the relationships explored are endlessly fascinating.  Vogel is able to bring extraordinary depth to each of the characters very quickly.  The foreboding of what is to come with the swiftly approaching World War II creates tension, but the moments of levity are wonderful.  That movement between the descending darkness and the personal moments of fun make this world feel real, and pulls you in and keeps you there, totally forgetting yourself in the story.

Bringing such a wonderful script to life is a tough ask, but luckily, director Maryanne Kiley is more than up to the task.  Her staging is perfect throughout, drawing the audience in when necessary, giving them a taste of fresh air when able.  The changing of scenes was clever, and used choreography (provided by choreographer Amy Harbin) in a playful but non-distracting way.  The lighting (designed by Jason Amato) was used remarkably well, creating scenes which looked and felt different without much change in scenery, frequently using spotlights and area lighting to successfully create pictures in the audience’s mind, such as a backstage area on the stage, to the “impossibly long lines” of Ellis Island, and then even to a small room in Eastern Europe.  Even so, the scenic design by Sandra Epperson is nothing to sniff at, with projections designed by Wina Giddens and even some special effects provided by Thomas Trumbauer Jr. 

The play is “very musical”, but not in the sense of a traditional musical where songs are used at big moments of inflection driving the plot forward or in moments of strong emotion for the characters.  Rather, music is used more as scene-setting, putting the audience in the appropriate mood for the scene to come, or telling us what is going on in the world around the characters.  Kiley’s decision to move the band (comprised of the very talented trio of violinist Velkassem Agguini, clarinetist Jason Gresl, and accordionist Ben Blanchard) around the stage throughout the play was fantastic.  Somehow, no matter which band member was walking past you or who was in the back, the sound design was perfect (thank you to sound designer Serenity Jones).  You are pulled further into the story as the bass clarinet strolls past or the accordion comes to the forefront – almost becoming a metaphor for the story taking place in front of you, as you hear one person’s specific story (the bass clarinet) against the backdrop of a bigger narrative (the entire sound) behind it. 

And I find myself having written four paragraphs before I have even addressed one of the most talented casts we have seen this year.  The cast brings the story to life with their amazing ability to show the complex thoughts and feelings that the Jewish community must have been going through at the time.   And, cleverly, they constantly and seamlessly switch between using heavy Eastern European accents (when they are, story-wise, speaking in English) and not using accents (when they are, story-wise, speaking in their native Yiddish).  That use of accents in a way that I had never seen before helps put the audience in the shoes of the characters, hearing what it is like for them when they are comfortable speaking and when they aren’t.  Good work by dialect coach Louise Casini-Hollis with the cast to get those accents just right.

Each cast member slips in and out of multiple parts throughout the play.  Greg Dragas’s largest role is as the playwright Asch in his younger days, and Dragas brings incredible passion to the role, convincing the audience that yes, “God of Vengeance” absolutely should be on every stage in the world.  Dave Hobbs jumps through many roles, including as the actor playing the immoral father in “God of Vengeance” and as playwright Asch in his older days, where he completes that character’s transformation from the idealist young Asch into the older, beaten down Asch, horrified by how the real world is.  Margo von Buseck plays both Asch’s wife and the actress who plays the daughter in “God of Vengeance”, and brings incredible emotion and feeling to each role.  Rebecca Weinstein’s main role is as the actress who plays the prostitute that falls in love with the daughter in “God of Vengeance”.  She has a beautiful voice, and pulls the audience right into the “rain scene” she shares on stage with von Buseck.  Dorothy Shiloff Hughes also moves between many roles, but her sorrow at being rejected at Ellis Island is one of the moments that really stuck with me after the play.  Similarly, Clifford Hoffman moves through multiple parts, but the desperation he embodies as he tries to find a way, any way, to get out of Eastern Europe as the Nazis close in absolutely hits the hearts of the audience.  And Ed Palmer, playing The Stage Manager Lemml, perhaps has the most heart-wrenching story of the night.  He is the first and most passionate fan of “God of Vengeance”, becoming the play’s stage manager.  Palmer is magnificent and devastating as Lemml’s story pushes him back into Poland, producing the play in hiding, before getting rounded up by the Germans.  Just a masterful performance.

As I began writing this, and even now, I feel completely unqualified to review a work such as “Indecent”.  I am not Jewish, I am not a scholar or an expert on ethnic oppression – heck, I don’t even have any formal theatrical training.  What I can tell you is that this is an important, moving story, told by a massively talented cast, and directed and staged remarkably well.  It tells of complicated relationships within the Jewish community, and creates depth in the story beyond just “being anti-Semitic is bad”.  It is a story of incredible hope and incredible loss.  It is exactly the kind of work that places like the Generic Theater were built to tell, and it should not be missed.  Bravo!