It’s difficult to laugh
at the dark comedy “Bad Jews,” suggesting the play might be both a sign and a victim of the times, writes critic Matthew J. Palm.
Joshua Harmon’s “Bad Jews,” onstage at Mad Cow Theatre, is perhaps a victim of the times and a sign of the times.
Back in the halcyon days of yesteryear — 2013 — when the play debuted, surely much of the humor in this viciously dark comedy about feuding family members stemmed from the fact that civilized people just didn’t talk like that to one another. But jump ahead five years — as coarse remarks, blistering personal attacks and general vulgarity flow freely in our public discourse — and it’s harder to laugh.
After a day with the news cycle and social media, the nastiness of Harmon’s characters wearies rather than exhilarates. That could be in part because the actors are so fully committed to these mainly unlikable twentysomethings.
Gathered for their grandfather’s funeral, cousins Daphna and Jonah are preparing for bed when Jonah’s brother Liam arrives, with girlfriend Melody unexpectedly in tow.
Daphna and Liam go together about as well as a toaster and a bathtub. And when it turns out they both want the same heirloom from their deceased “Poppy,” the combination is nearly as deadly.
All credit to Adam Reilly, whose sneering and selfcentered Liam I hated on the spot. Lea Kalisch’s Daphna is just as good at being awful — condescending and abrasive, always picking away at emotional scabs, Daphna is a memorable character if not an appealing one.
As caught-in-the-middle Jonah, Adam Minossora spends a lot of time looking uncomfortable, vaguely ill and as though he’d rather be somewhere else. There were plenty of moments I could relate.
A problem for director Shami J. McCormick is that although the playwright has provided a supercharged toxic connection between Daphna and Liam, the other relationships are hazier. There’s no clear sense of how Liam and Jonah grew up or got along as brothers. And when Melody observes Liam’s petulance and cruelty, one wonders why she would stay with him and not run screaming toward the exit. (Rachel Comeau gives Melody a simple sweetness.)
Perhaps I’m being too hard on playwright Harmon — I adored his “Significant Other,” which had a Broadway run a few years back. And “Bad Jews” certainly raises interesting points to ponder — how religion can shape an identity, the importance of heritage, whether it’s our DNA or shared traditions that bind us together. But you may struggle to contemplate such ideas amidst all the shouting.