One hundred years ago, a play called God of Vengeance made its Broadway debut.
Written by Sholem Asch, it told the story of a Jewish brothel owner looking to join respectable society. The play featured prostitution and lesbian love, not common subjects for the time; upon reading it, fellow writer I.L. Peretz urged Asch to burn the manuscript. Asch refused.
New York Yiddish newspapers were divided by the play: some described it as “filthy” and “immoral,” while others praised it as “moral” and “beautiful.” A little over two weeks after its Broadway premiere, the cast, producer, and one of the theater owners were arrested for obscenity. The chief witness of the play, Rabbi Joseph Silberan, said of God of Vengeance that the play “libels the Jewish religion. Even the greatest anti-Semite could not have written such a thing.”
That controversy is explored in Indecent, a 2015 play written by Paula Vogel. It’s onstage at Jewish Theatre Grand Rapids April 20th – April 30th. Vogel’s play takes place over more than four decades, carrying the story from its 1906 origins, through the stage productions and their attendant controversy, and to the wake of the House Unamerican Activities Committee, in 1952.
Caitlin Hart, director of JTGR’s production, spoke to Revue. She sees a great deal of contemporary relevance in the play. “Censorship is still with us,” she said. “There are lots of plays being pulled. Indecent itself was pulled recently.”
It’s true; in January, Duval County Public School canceled a production of Indecent, stating that the play is inappropriate. Vogel spoke out against the decision, as did several free speech organizations, including Pen America. In a statement, the organizations praised the play’s exploration of themes related to LGBTQ+ rights, immigration, censorship, and anti-Semitism, and said that “if vaguely defined ‘adult sexual dialogue’ is reason enough to ban plays from school productions,” Romeo and Juliet, Oedipus Rex, and other works of lasting literary merit would be banned as well.
Those themes, and their social relevance, drew Hart to the production; she prefers works with something to say. She was drawn as well by the structure. “It’s very feminine, for lack of a better term,” she said. “It doesn’t have the traditional point-to-point plot structure.”
It’s a challenging play to produce. Multiple languages are spoken; multiple dialects within those languages are employed. (Fortunately for audience members, Vogel requires titles to be used; without them, most viewers would be lost). A band plays onstage throughout the show. Each actor plays different characters.
Music is key to the show. “It’s its own character,” Hart said. “It brings it all together.” Music is fundamental to Judaism, a presence at joyous familial and community celebrations. In the play, that music is used, at times, with irony: a contrast to break your heart.
Indecent offers audience members a thought-provoking play dealing with themes that are still all too relevant and a remarkable piece of stagecraft demonstrating how much talent we have in our city. It offers, too, a bit of advice: what they don’t want you to see is often what you most need to see.
Indecent
Jewish Theatre Grand Rapids
2727 Michigan NE, Grand Rapids
April 20-30
jtgr.org
