By: RHJ

RHJ — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 15:56:31 +0000

Lior’s comment is in the right vein. However, judging by conversations with my friends after the show, I know I wasn’t the only American in the audience who found this piece disappointing artistically, theatrically, comically, politically - you name it. Judging by the review and sold-out performances, I had been hoping to be amused at the very least, but I found myself forcing laughs instead of being genuinely tickled by any subtle, edgy, or insightful commentary on race in America. It saddens me that a performance billed as encouraging dialogue on race did nothing more than trot out tired clich�s and bad acting. Instead of creating an actual piece of artwork with a story line, character arcs, believable conflict, or any sort of ambiguity - any of which would have made the piece more engaging, meaningful, entertaining, and potentially effective - the creators offered us superficial observations via one-dimensional role-playing, so intent were they on beating us over the heads with a blunt object to make sure they delivered their “message.” (And what message was that: that in a play about tolerance, there remains room for unself-conscious sexist remarks and mockery of a group of people whom the review flippantly referred to as “rednecks”?) Not only did this performance fall far short of my expectations, but it is likely achieving nearly the opposite effect of its stated goals. People who choose to attend this play, that is, those who may be inclined from time to time to acknowledge and become uncomfortable with their own racism, could go to the “Black Jew Dialogues,” see that they do not subscribe to the ridiculously cartoonish racist beliefs described by the protagonists and their interviewees, and leave feeling better about themselves as people, thereby being less inclined to devote any time to self-reflection, true dialogue, or civic engagement that might actually address the racial crisis that persists in this country.

By: Lior

Lior — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 22:52:15 +0000

Hey,
The performers were definitely nice people that I would not mind having a chat with. The performance itself was fine, but in my opinion totally mainstream; nothing ‘fringe’ about this. Moreover, the moralization was just far too explicit to have any effect on me European, but I know that Americans tend to be not that disturbed by that. To summarize: great show for primary school kids, not that great if you actually want to have a scintillating artistic, aesthethic or intellectual experience.

By: Larry Jay Tish

Larry Jay Tish — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 12:59:46 +0000

Dear Sheffy;
Thanks for your super-duper review and I’m so glad you enjoyed the show.
best,
Larry

Comments on: �Black Jew Dialogues�

By: RHJ

By: Lior

By: Larry Jay Tish