Interview: Leslie Epstein Makes His Controversial Novel King of the Jews Into a Play

In 1978, Leslie Epstein generated significant controversy with his novel King of the Jews, a darkly comic “historical fiction” about 10 Jews in a Nazi-occupied Polish ghetto during the Holocaust who were forced to collaborate with their tormentors — and ultimately decide which of their fellow citizens should live or die.

Now, more than four decades and many attempts later — including readings in New York and a successful production in Boston — Epstein’s play King of the Jews is premiering in New York starting on October 24 at the HERE Arts Center.

TheaterMania recently spoke to Epstein about how he feels about having the play performed during the current Middle East crisis, what he expects audiences to take away from the show, and why he didn’t immediately follow in the footsteps of his father Philip and his uncle Julius, who wrote many classic Hollywood screenplays — most notably Casablanca.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

How does it feel to do this show while the crisis in the Middle East is going on?
I haven’t fully processed the situation. But I am thrilled it’s being done. I sold a painting I bought for next-to-nothing in 1968 to finance this production. I really do believe it is more important than ever to put this play on as further proof that the Jewish people are the most resilient people on earth. Still, I want to stress that you don’t have to be Jewish to appreciate this play.

When you wrote the book, why did you decide to approach the material with humor — not just the jokes that are told, but the whole tone of the piece.
I didn’t set it out to do it this way. I ended up shocking myself. In fact, after I wrote the first sentence of the novel, I stopped writing for weeks. I tried to strangle my own voice. But I finally gave up and realized there was always going to be humor in my approach to the material. And by the way, all the “jokes” in the script were actually written by people in the Jewish ghettos.

What do you want people to take away from the play?
My protagonist Gotterman [originally called Trumpelman] is based on Chaim Rumkowski, who was the head of the Łódź Ghetto. Like Gotterman, Rumkowski put his portrait on money — to buy nothing, he saved people by persuading the local cotton mill to hire the local Jews, and, yes, he ultimately decided who would live and die. The issue for me is that Gotterman, like Rumkowski, reveled in his power over life and death. To me, his sin is not what he did, but the pleasure he took in doing it. When they leave the theater, I would like audiences to ask themselves what their judgment is of this man. Indeed, I want the many moral issues I present to hang over the audience when the play is over.

Given your family background, did you feel pressure to be a writer?
I turned my back on the family business. I went to fancy schools; I went to college at Yale, and then I got a Masters in Drama from UCLA and a PhD from Yale. I thought I’d be a highbrow writer. Now, I think that was so stupid of me. How do you turn your back on Casablanca?  So finally, I am turning my work into screenplays as my circle of life comes to an end. I want to return to my Hollywood roots. My fantasy is I will win an Oscar and be able to thank Phil and Julius from the podium.