INDECENT
Reviews
"Indecent," at the Ahmanson, is the most exciting of the CTG productions...
The chameleonic ensemble features the musicians as well as the actors. It's all staged by Rebecca Taichman on a stage that shifts with seeming effortlessness between locations and years, up through the aftermath of World War II.
Not billed as a musical, this is definitely a play with music that becomes a part of the action and contributes greatly to the evening.
...every aspect of Indecent works—the writing (which, of course, all the rest of the goodness springs from,) direction, music, acting, lighting, and little special effects that take us by surprise each time. There are some very powerful visuals, especially at the beginning and the end.
Magnificently directed by Rebecca Taichman, INDECENT is as close to a Broadway-quality production as you will ever see in the City of Angels, with incredibly entertaining, stylized movement performed by triple-threat performers, guaranteed to draw you into not only the story but the necessity of its truth being brought to the stage now.
Returning to the roots of Yiddish Theatre and Tradition now emerges in a spectacular presentation that echos appropriately during this month of our celebration of Gay Pride...
The energy of the cast sends us back to reality with a new appreciation for Tradition and the importance of Art! Bring opera glasses and if you have any issues with hearing, free listening devices bring the story intimately to life.
Indecent, the title of Paula Vogel’s exquisite rendering of real events stretching from 1906 until the 1940’s chronicles the unfolding of Sholom Asch’s God of Vengeance, from its inception until the Yiddish theatre troupe’s demise during World War II. Vogel’s play centers on the trajectory of a theatrical event, but our hearts bleed for the brave troupe that performed it.
At the Ahmanson, the Huntington Theatre Company co-production fills the stage with kaleidoscopic choreography by David Dorfman, staging scenes from God of Vengeance along with the time-line leading up to and away from the sensational obscenity trial in 1923. Director Rebecca Taichman, who collaborated with Vogel on the creation of the play, recreates a sense of rich Yiddish culture. Lisa Gutkin and Aaron Halva’s original music reinforces the authenticity of the tale.
Upon watching Indecent I can help but draw parallel to Fiddler on the Roof, yet another show (even though it’s a musical) that’s about challenging traditions—however, with Indecent, the roof is on fire and the fiddler must sacrifice themselves for the good of all. Nevertheless, within the content, structure, and storytelling, Indecent provides a glimpse into Vogel’s brilliant mind, ultimately giving audiences a stirring theatrical experience, they will remember and cherish always.
Overall, this is important theater that sheds light on why we make theater in the first place, and why supporting it is so important, especially in difficult times.
A spectacularly performed, directed, designed hour and forty-five minutes of live theater at its most innovative, Indecent is guaranteed to have you up on your feet and cheering its multitude of theatrical wonders.
It is not to be missed...
All his life Asch stood for tolerance, culture and compassion. All of those qualities are celebrated in Indecent, a play that is a testament to his courage and stature as a man.
What is so striking about Indecent, the Paula Vogel play that opened Sunday at the Ahmanson, is not just that it tackles lesbianism head-on, but that it does so by tackling so much more. It burrows deep emotionally to come up with the approbation of our most inalienable and fundamental passion: the fulfillment of love found, accepted and unjudged.
Everything and everyone involved in this production pays respectful homage to Paula Vogel, whose incredible script, as Sholem Asch originally intended so many, many years ago, speaks of the necessity of Jews to honestly and unapologetically show ourselves to be as flawed and complex as anyone who throughout the centuries has hated us for who we are as we all collectively struggle for a foothold on this risky planet.
Directed by the woman for whom the original historical events became a passion, Tony winner Rebecca Taichman does a brilliant job of helming the story within the context of the multiple environmental factors surrounding these characters – including immigration, World War II, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, censorship, and a love unacceptable for its time.
...INDECENT interweaves music, dance, and the many expressive levels inherent in this production into a resounding whole. This is a not-to-be-missed production.
...“Indecent” is subtle, relying on subtext where needed, though providing directness and visualization where needed. The superb acting is subtle. The exquisite designs are subtle.
The love “Indecent” bears toward “God of Vengeance” is sometimes tendentious. But in delving into the reactions to Asch’s work, Vogel and Taichman detect the dangerous currents that gave rise to 20th century atrocities. And in the beauty of this “little Jewish play,” director and dramatist find artistic redemption from historical erasure.
"Indecent," at the Ahmanson, is the most exciting of the CTG productions...
The chameleonic ensemble features the musicians as well as the actors. It's all staged by Rebecca Taichman on a stage that shifts with seeming effortlessness between locations and years, up through the aftermath of World War II.
Not billed as a musical, this is definitely a play with music that becomes a part of the action and contributes greatly to the evening.
...every aspect of Indecent works—the writing (which, of course, all the rest of the goodness springs from,) direction, music, acting, lighting, and little special effects that take us by surprise each time. There are some very powerful visuals, especially at the beginning and the end.
Magnificently directed by Rebecca Taichman, INDECENT is as close to a Broadway-quality production as you will ever see in the City of Angels, with incredibly entertaining, stylized movement performed by triple-threat performers, guaranteed to draw you into not only the story but the necessity of its truth being brought to the stage now.
Returning to the roots of Yiddish Theatre and Tradition now emerges in a spectacular presentation that echos appropriately during this month of our celebration of Gay Pride...
The energy of the cast sends us back to reality with a new appreciation for Tradition and the importance of Art! Bring opera glasses and if you have any issues with hearing, free listening devices bring the story intimately to life.
Indecent, the title of Paula Vogel’s exquisite rendering of real events stretching from 1906 until the 1940’s chronicles the unfolding of Sholom Asch’s God of Vengeance, from its inception until the Yiddish theatre troupe’s demise during World War II. Vogel’s play centers on the trajectory of a theatrical event, but our hearts bleed for the brave troupe that performed it.
At the Ahmanson, the Huntington Theatre Company co-production fills the stage with kaleidoscopic choreography by David Dorfman, staging scenes from God of Vengeance along with the time-line leading up to and away from the sensational obscenity trial in 1923. Director Rebecca Taichman, who collaborated with Vogel on the creation of the play, recreates a sense of rich Yiddish culture. Lisa Gutkin and Aaron Halva’s original music reinforces the authenticity of the tale.
Upon watching Indecent I can help but draw parallel to Fiddler on the Roof, yet another show (even though it’s a musical) that’s about challenging traditions—however, with Indecent, the roof is on fire and the fiddler must sacrifice themselves for the good of all. Nevertheless, within the content, structure, and storytelling, Indecent provides a glimpse into Vogel’s brilliant mind, ultimately giving audiences a stirring theatrical experience, they will remember and cherish always.
Overall, this is important theater that sheds light on why we make theater in the first place, and why supporting it is so important, especially in difficult times.
A spectacularly performed, directed, designed hour and forty-five minutes of live theater at its most innovative, Indecent is guaranteed to have you up on your feet and cheering its multitude of theatrical wonders.
It is not to be missed...
All his life Asch stood for tolerance, culture and compassion. All of those qualities are celebrated in Indecent, a play that is a testament to his courage and stature as a man.
What is so striking about Indecent, the Paula Vogel play that opened Sunday at the Ahmanson, is not just that it tackles lesbianism head-on, but that it does so by tackling so much more. It burrows deep emotionally to come up with the approbation of our most inalienable and fundamental passion: the fulfillment of love found, accepted and unjudged.
Everything and everyone involved in this production pays respectful homage to Paula Vogel, whose incredible script, as Sholem Asch originally intended so many, many years ago, speaks of the necessity of Jews to honestly and unapologetically show ourselves to be as flawed and complex as anyone who throughout the centuries has hated us for who we are as we all collectively struggle for a foothold on this risky planet.
Directed by the woman for whom the original historical events became a passion, Tony winner Rebecca Taichman does a brilliant job of helming the story within the context of the multiple environmental factors surrounding these characters – including immigration, World War II, the Holocaust, anti-Semitism, censorship, and a love unacceptable for its time.
...INDECENT interweaves music, dance, and the many expressive levels inherent in this production into a resounding whole. This is a not-to-be-missed production.
...“Indecent” is subtle, relying on subtext where needed, though providing directness and visualization where needed. The superb acting is subtle. The exquisite designs are subtle.
The love “Indecent” bears toward “God of Vengeance” is sometimes tendentious. But in delving into the reactions to Asch’s work, Vogel and Taichman detect the dangerous currents that gave rise to 20th century atrocities. And in the beauty of this “little Jewish play,” director and dramatist find artistic redemption from historical erasure.