A Review of the Play, Indecent, at the Baltimore Center Stage

I truly love the theater. I enjoy seeing plays that constantly surprise me. I’m always impressed by the quality and uniqueness of each production and Indecent by Paula Vogel and directed by Eric Rosen was no different.

Indecent was inspired by Sholem Asch’s The God of Vengeance which was a Yiddish drama that was quite controversial and provocative in the 1900s. The Jewish community was concerned about what Christians would think about two women lovers. Of note, this play was credited for presenting the first lesbian kiss on Broadway in 1923.

Paula Vogel’s play follows the inception of Sholem Asch’s first reading of The God of Vengeance through its world tour from Warsaw, Poland, 1906 to Bridgeport, Connecticut, 1950 and many places in between. Notably too, were the various audience’s reaction to the play and how the actors were treated when playing their various roles.

Overall, great performances by all the actors, my favorite being Lemml played by Ben Cherry. Lemml first met Sholem Asch in the Warsaw literary salon of I.L. Peretz and championed the cause of the play when Sholem himself lost his zest for it. Lemml’s passion for the play was summed up when he said the play “belongs to the people who labor in it and the audience who put aside the time to be there.”

Some of the lines and songs were in Yiddish but the translation was presented above on a screen in English. This kept the authenticity of the play and our attention in taking it all in. So if you get a chance, you should check it out. It runs from February 28 - March 31, 2019.

Here’s the synopsis from www.centerstatge.org

HOW FAR WOULD YOU FOLLOW YOUR PASSION?

What is the cost when we sacrifice truth for success? Can radical love be pious, or merely provocative? Does every religion sell God for a price? Follow the true story of a play, a playwright, and a plucky troupe of Yiddish theater artists from 1906 Warsaw to 1923 Broadway, from risky experiment to global sensation—and ultimately shattering scandal. The latest hit from the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright of A Civil War Christmas, The Baltimore Waltz, and How I Learned to Drive, this highly acclaimed and award-winning drama pays homage to artists ahead of their time and doomed to pay the price.

Check out the trailer:

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