Theater review: ‘Jewtopia’ at the Greenway Court Theatre

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Throwing away leftovers, taking less than an hour to say goodbye, buying anything at retail, being in perfect health — the list of Gentile “no-nos” scrawled on a chalkboard can mean only one thing: “Jewtopia” is back for another round of angst, identity crises and kvetching.

Co-creators Bryan Fogel and Sam Wolfson scored a huge L.A. and off-Broadway hit with their 2003 satire of Jewish American families in all their neurotic weirdness. Being good bar-mitzvahed boychicks themselves, they can get away with it — and boy, do they know their territory.

At the Greenway Court Theatre (in the Fairfax district — where else?) Fogel directs with a new cast, some updated jokes and the same field-tested skewering of Jewish families, dating, incomprehensible holiday traditions and, of course, inedible food.

In the roles originally performed by the authors, Adam Korson and Conor Dubin take on the respective romantic frustrations of hopelessly single Adam in his quest for Jewtopia (the land of of 500,000 single Jewish girls), and his Jewish wannabe friend Chris, who’s desperate to convert so he can surrender all decision-making to the Jewish princess (Thea Brooks) he longs for. Brooks proves a standout comedian in multiple expert roles — from Adam’s succession of online “JDate” matches to his petulant teenage sister. Cheryl David also impresses as a pair of mothers from hell.

In the time between L.A. productions, Fogel has labored valiantly to dispense with any lingering remnants of tasteful restraint from this loose collection of skits, which as before are frequently hilarious (the lesson on ordering in a restaurant is worth the ticket price alone). As a director, though, Fogel gives way too much latitude to Korson and Dubin; tighter line deliveries and comic timing could better serve the sharp writing, and too often their being “in on the jokes” takes the professionalism down a notch.

Amusingly cheesy production values honor the show’s seat-of-the-pants theater origins, and for those seeking a deeper probing of the Jewish experience, the authors cheerfully suggest you look elsewhere. Meaning, shmeaning — this one is strictly for laughs.

– Philip Brandes

“Jewtopia,” Greenway Court Theatre, 544 N. Fairfax Ave., West Hollywood. 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 3:30 p.m. Sundays. Ends Sept. 19. $34.99-$49.50. (800) 595-4849 or www.jewtopiaplay.com. Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes.