A Jewish Joke - A Play by Marni Freedman and Phil Johnson - McArthyism Was No Laughing Matter

Phil Johnson as Bernie Lutz
"A Jewish Joke"
by Marni Freedman and Phil Johnson
The Roustabouts Theatre
Theatre Row

The Roustabouts Theatre production of "A Jewish Joke" is a serious exploration of the invidiousness of the the Hollywood Blacklist during the McCarthy anti-Communist hysteria. We see the destructive results of the witch hunt through the eyes and voice of a screen writer, Bernie Lutz, played in a tour de force performance by the amazing Phil Johnson. Mr. Johnson co-wrote the script of "A Jewish Joke" with Marni Freedman.

In the course of an hour and a half, we get to see Bernie travel a painful arc, from euphoria to despair. The play is set on the eve of the Premiere of a film that Bernie wrote with his partner, Morris Frumsky, who is notably absent. The action transpires in Bernie and Morris's writer's bungalow on the MGM lot in 1950. As Bernie awaits the arrival of Morris - a la"Waiting for Godot" - he handles an avalanche of incoming phone calls, each of which leads him deeper into the realization that he and Morris are the targets of an investigation into Communists in Hollywood.

When the pressure on Bernie gets too great, he injects comic relief by pulling an index card from his desk and reading a standard Jewish joke in an aside to the audience. It is an ever-present reminder that humor, and especially Jewish humor, almost always is birthed in tragedy, As the reality of the situation becomes clear, Bernie faces a moral dilemma. The FBI offers him a chance to save himself by implicating Morris. As he wrestles with this crisis, we see Bernie slowly emerge as a mensch from the chrysalis of a schlemiel. Under the fine direction of David Ellenstein, Mr. Johnson gives a memorable performance that is no joke.

Phil Johnson as Bernie Lutz
"A Jewish Joke" 
by Marni Freedman and Phil Johnson
The Roustabouts Theatre
Theatre Row

Costume Design is by Jordyn Smiley and Peter Herman and Sound Design by Matt Lescault-Wood.  The play can be seen - and should be seen- at Theatre Row on West 42rd Street.

Enjoy!

Al