Review Roundup: "Bad Jews"

In Bad Jews, Daphna, a “Super Jew,” believes she is the only logical heir to her recently deceased Poppy’s treasured chai. Her cousin Liam, a graduate student in cultural studies who arrives to sit shiva with his blonde girlfriend in tow, has other plans. Toss in Liam’s little brother, who’s just trying not to get caught in the crossfire. Essentially, playwright Joshua Harmon places a ticking bomb in a classy New York City studio apartment and we watch its impending explosion.

And don’t worry if you’re not Jewish. Anyone who’s ever had a knockdown, drag-out with a family member will identify.

Ari Brand, who plays Liam and recently spoke to Santa Monica Daily Press, says it best: “I think it’s a universal story about family and the horrible people we allow ourselves to become when we’re around the people we are closest to. Whether you’re Jewish, male, female, black, Asian or anything in between, we all have family or people we love that we allow ourselves to our best and worst with. Most importantly, though, it’s just really funny.”

Don’t take our word for it. Read what the critics are saying:

“The richness of the play is in the flamboyant vitriol of the language and the dysfunctional gusto of the characters.”
— Los Angeles Times

“… unique combination of ill will, belly laughs and the savage hilarity of interfamilial vitriol.”
— The Hollywood Reporter

“The Geffen production starts off at a light jog and ends running flat out toward the finish line!”
— LA Weekly

“The entire cast handles the complexity and smartness of the play with a collective quickness of a whip.”
— Neon Tommy

“Go see Bad Jews primarily for its fiercely irreverent, blatantly caustic humor, but be prepared to listen and learn from Joshua Harmon’s beautifully written script about the value of devotion and harmony.”
— Broadway World

“Rarely has a play as out-and-out hilarious as Bad Jews tackled religion with as smart and savage a wit as Harmon’s does.”
— Stage Scene LA

Geffen Playhouse News

A not-for-profit organization dedicated to enriching the cultural life of Los Angeles through plays and educational programs that inform, entertain and inspire. www.geffenplayhouse.org