Theater News

Bad Jews Makes Its West Coast Premiere

Joshua Harmon’s play begins tonight at the Geffen Playhouse.

Joshua Harmon's play Bad Jews begins performances tonight at Geffen Playhouse.
Joshua Harmon's play Bad Jews begins performances tonight at Geffen Playhouse.

Bad Jews starts its run tonight in the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse. The comedy follows Daphna Feygenbaum, the self-proclaimed most devout Jew in her family. After her grandfather’s death, however, she is confronted with her less observant cousin who shows up to claim a treasured family heirloom. The religious symbol from their grandfather, a Holocaust survivor, sparks a devastating battle "of Old Testament proportions."

Directed by Matt Shakman and written by Joshua Harmon, the show features Ari Brando as Liam, Molly Ephraim as Daphna, Lili Fuller as Melody, and Raviv Ullman as Jonah.

"I grew up hearing survivors speak, and it’s a profound experience," says playwright Joshua Harmon. "You hear people for whom English is not a first language, they’re older, and it just feels like this otherworldly thing. When you hear someone who sounds like me talk about it to other people who sound like me, it feels minimized. Figuring out how to grapple with that is complicated. When I sat down to write the play, I think I had questions, and now I have more questions. They’re big questions, but I don’t have answers. And I’d rather write from that place."

The creative team includes John Arnone (set design), E.B. Brooks (costume design), Elizabeth Harper (lighting design), Jonathan Snipes (sound design), and Elizabeth A. Brohm (stage manager).

Performances will run through July 19.

For tickets and more information, click here.

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