Indecent at The Magnetic Theatre

The fantastic regional premiere of Indecent at The Magnetic Theatre covers a stunning amount of ground in its not-quite-two-hour runtime. Spanning half a century and two continents, and featuring dozens of characters, the play explores anti-Semitism, homophobia, the Yiddish Renaissance, the intersection of art and politics, the Holocaust, McCarthyism, love, and God.

And yet, despite this undeniable density of content, there is something fundamentally uncomplicated about Indecent. In the midst of all the surrounding events, there are, essentially, two main arcs we are asked to follow: the story of a play, called The God of Vengeance, written in Yiddish in 1907 and infamous in theater history for featuring the first lesbian kiss on Broadway; and the story of its playwright, Shalom Asch, whose journey as an artist and a Jewish activist serves as an avatar for the Jewish immigrant experience in the early 20th century.

Both stories are fascinating, and both are told in a fresh and exciting way in this production.

Perhaps this all sounds intimidating, so let me be clear: This is a joyful, gripping production, filled with song and dance and humor and profound emotion. Regardless of your interest in theater history or Jewish history, you don’t want to miss this one.

Director Andrew Gall infuses Indecent — written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel in 2016 — with quickness and vitality. The ensemble cast, all of whom play multiple roles, adopt a collective spirit of old time theater, hearkening back to vaudeville or perhaps even commedia dell’arte. From the very beginning, when “The Stage Manager” (Daniel Sandoval) introduces the cast, who all remain on stage for the whole production, there is an energy of intimate storytelling that remains throughout the show.

And indeed, the whole cast, aided by ample use of projected supertitles, is highly effective at telling what is at times a complex and fast-moving story.

The cast of Indecent includes, from left, Daniel Sandoval, Claire Liss (with the violin), Shelley Lieberman, Mary Katherine O'Donnell, Daniel Moore, Lara Hollaway, Doug Savitt, and Stan Baranowski.

The most extraordinary performance comes from Daniel Sandoval, who plays Lemml, a provincial Polish Jew who is the earliest and most constant supporter of The God of Vengeance. Expressive and emotional without being exaggerated, and never striking a false note, Sandoval is the heart and soul of this production.

As Otto (the Elder), Stan Baranowski is also great. He brings a sage quality to all of his roles, whether the great stage actor Shildkraut or Sholem Asch as an old man. Shelley Lieberman, who plays Vera (the Elder), is hilarious as Esther, the mother role in God of Vengeance. Her over-the-top style of “acting” is a welcome comic relief within a show that contains a lot of dark currents. She also does well as the older Madje Asch, the wife of Sholem.

Halina (the Middle), who plays some of the most memorable roles in the play within the play, is actively portrayed by Lara Holloway. She does a particularly great job as Dorothee/Dine, who plays a lesbian prostitute in God of Vengeance but also has a real-life relationship with Reina, who plays her onstage girlfriend.

Daniel Moore, who plays Mendel (the Middle), is a wonderful shot of energy. Moore is somewhat reminiscent of Andy Dwyer from the show Parks and Recreation. Like Chris Pratt, Moore brings a larger-than-life comedic presence to his roles, but he also delivers a powerful (if cringe-inducing) monologue decrying The God of Vengeance as Rabbi Joseph Silverman.

As Avram (the ingenue), Doug Savitt is an earnest and expressive Sholem Asch. He also has a great turn as playwright Eugene O’Neill. Mary Katherine O’Donnell displays the most dexterity across her range of characters, which span from young Madje Asch to Reina to Virginia McFadden, an American actress who takes over the role of Rifkele when the play is translated to English.

Live music — provided by Jim Anthony (playing Mayer Balsam and the clarinet), Claire Liss (playing Nelly Friedman and the violin), and Vance Reese (playing Moriz Godowsky and the accordion) — adds invaluable texture to Indecent. Rooted in traditional European Jewish music without being cliche, the music brings important atmosphere to the piece.

Tyler Johnson, who constructed a working rain machine, deserves a special shout out. I’ve never seen a rain machine used in a restricted blackbox production like Indecent. It was very impressive and a really formidable way to end the show. Simple, period costumes by Victoria Smith were flexible enough to be deployed for multiple characters, sometimes across cultures and decades.

I loved Indecent because of its crackling dialogue, its fabulous acting, and its fresh staging and production design. But I really loved it because it provides a quality that seems so rare in our day and age: moral clarity. Despite the forces of hate and ignorance that try to keep down Sholem Asch and his play, the irrepressible spirit of art and enlightenment continue to spring forth.

I can only hope our generation possesses the same courage.

Indecent runs through August 25 at The Magnetic Theatre in the River Arts District. For schedule, directions, and tickets, visit themagnetictheatre.com.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story misidentified the musicians.

(Photos: Cheyenne Dancy Photography, courtesy of The Magnetic Theatre)

The Jewish theater troupe sits in silence as the audience comes in, in Indecent. Pictured, from left, are Doug Savitt, Mary Katherine O'Donnell, Daniel Moore, Lara Hollaway, and Stan Baranowski.