San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Play looks back at Broadway scandal of 1906
It’s 1906 in Paula Vogel’s “Indecent,” now in a San Francisco Playhouse production, and the playwright Sholem Asch (Victor Talmadge) seeks to write a Yiddish play with universal appeal. But the term “universal” is fraught: Does it mean elevating Jews or representing them exactly as they are, warts and all?
Asch’s real-life play, “God of Vengeance,” went on to scandalize Broadway and New York City’s Orthodox community with its portrayal of Jewish prostitutes and lesbians. “Indecent,” which got nominated for a 2017 Tony Award for Best Play (and won two other Tony Awards), is a show about that much older play and its fallout.
Susi Damilano directs the show, which is co-produced with Yiddish Theatre Ensemble.