Pacy production was thought provoking

MALVERN Theatres are to be congratulated for bringing this scintillating comedy to the West Midlands in its first UK tour.

Bad Jews was performed at pace by a cast of four young actors starting out on their careers, and their efforts in this Theatre Royal Bath Production were certainly appreciated by a cheering audience at the end of a thoughtful, provoking and lively performance.

Bad Jews concerns the destination of the ‘chai’, an amulet in the form of the Jewish symbol meaning life that was the treasured possession of a recently deceased grandfather, a concentration camp survivor who managed to keep his treasure hidden within his mouth for over two years.

Daphna wants it for herself as a keepsake of her traditional religious fervour, while cousin Liam wants it for an engagement offering to his girlfriend, Melody, just as his grandfather has previously promised it to his new wife after escaping from the Nazi Holocaust. The two engage in a fierce rivalry for the possession of the charm immediately after their grandfather’s funeral, and in doing so, explore what it means to live as a Jew in the modern world.

Daniel Boyd as Liam and Ailsa Joy give barnstorming performances in these two central roles, venting their fury in a series of ranting monologues, tour-de-force of memory, that are viciously witty and corruscatingly amusing.

After some moments of awkward silences, their confidence grew and they kept the pace going so well that the absence of the normal interval was never missed.

Melody, played by Antonia Kinley, while failing to develop a totally believable characterisation, provides the comic highlight of the evening with a hilarious rendition of Summertime from Porgy and Bess - quite utterly out-of-tune, and, with a posed semi-operatic delivery, totally inappropriate for the words and setting of the song.

Her final rejection of the ‘chai’ once Daphna has literally ripped it from her neck because it ‘had been in someone’s mouth’ perfectly summed up the shallowness of her character, and showed that there would be no future in her relationship with Liam.

This incident highlights the basic theme of a play which revolves around the meaning and purpose of symbols.

The ‘chai’ with its deep religious symbolism is contrasted with the meaningless, and tasteless, tattoo of a musical clef on Melody’s ankle. Daphna’s adoption of the traditional Jewish form of her name likewise contrasts with Liam’s rejection of his Jewish name, Slomo.

The symbolism acquires true, moving, and poignant meaning in the very final scene of the play. Liam’s brother. Jonah, played by Jos Slovik, who throughout maintains that he wants nothing to do with it all, reveals that he has kept the memory of his grandfather alive by having his own tattoo; on his arm the concentration camp number of the man he has loved and now grieves for in silent tears.

BGB