Thursday, July 26, 2012

"Old Jews" Actors Joke About Their Old Jewish Jokes


Well, we finally got to see the off-Broadway production of "Old Jews Telling Jokes" and can say that it's even funnier than we expected it to be. 

The audience, which consisted mainly of Jews of a certain age, tensed with gidddy anticipation as each joke and story was deftly delivered, and you could tell that they were eager to hear each punch line as if they never heard it before.

We couldn't find anything to criticize about the clever minimalist staging, the acting, the musical numbers, or the sequencing and timing of the jokes and stories, but on reflection, the show should be more honestly titled "Old Jews Telling Old Jewish Jokes." After collecting, chronicling, and sharing so many of them, we concluded that there is no such thing as a new Jewish joke. If there were one, it would age instantly as it was being delivered and immediately join the pantheon of old classics.

In the TheaterMania video below, Tod Susman, Marilyn Sokol, Lenny Wolpe, Bill Army, and Audrey Lynn Weston talk about their comedic influences, the interplay between them in doing the show, and even manage to squeeze in a joke containing three basic Jewish joke elements -- a shlemiel, a rabbi, and a slice of bread. Enjoy!

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO MAY NOT BE VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY ON SOME COMPUTERS AND TABLETS.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)

3 comments:

  1. We've heard sooooo many good reports about the show! Our children just bought tickets for us to celebrate our 51st wedding anniversary. Can't wait to see ....."Live from New York....it's 'Old Jews Telling Jokes'" !!!!

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  2. SAW THE SHOW AND IT IS HYSTERICAL......YOU COME OUT OF THE THEATRE WITH A BIG SMILE ON YOUR FACE. DEFINITELY A MUST SEE..

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