As odd as it might sound, there is such a thing as a common cultural experience between people of different cultures.
Like who can’t find something to relate to in the musical “Fiddler on the Roof”?
I’m not Jewish, but my favorite production of “Fiddler” is the one recently produced in New York City which was performed entirely in Yiddish.
Subtitles were projected on the wall, but they really weren’t needed. The sacrifices the father bore to keep his family together were universally understood.
Theater can also be a way of helping white audiences understand and connect with African-American history. “A Raisin in the Sun,” a 1959 play about a black family facing racism when trying to move to the suburbs of Chicago was recently revived on Broadway to great success.
The same insights can happen in comedies. This is exemplified by the plays of Neil Simon, who wrote wonderful comedies centering on Jewish families.
His plays are embraced by people of every ethnic background.
Locally, David Bunce is directing “Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help” at Curtain Call Theatre in Latham. It opens Thursday and runs through May 7.
It’s about an Irish-Catholic family living in an unnamed American city in 1973.
Bunce explained that the witty writing and funny farcical jokes remind him of the heartfelt humor Simon included in his plays. The core of the production centers on the cultural eccentricities of otherwise normal people.
He is firm in his conviction that though the jokes might be geared to specific cultural behavior patterns, what elevates “Perpetual Help” is the same secret ingredient found in Simon’s plays.
He maintains that what permits the work to be more than a shallow comedy is the sense of family love that is at the heart of the production.
“At the end of the play the audience will be in love with the family,” he says.
He points to another element that will have universal comic appeal. That is revisiting an era from the past.
It’s his belief that the time period of the early-1970’s adds to the fun, especially in the area of costume and set design.
Bunce describes the play as about four women who are trying to keep the father unaware of the drama going on between the concerns of the parish priest and the souls of his daughters.
The irony is in today’s world the secret would hardly make a ripple.
However, Bunce does not think the playwright, Katie Forgetter, is trying to make a political statement with the plot point. “This play is nostalgia after nostalgia after nostalgia,” he says gleefully.
Bunce is also unapologetic for the lack of deep subliminal meaning in the play. “It’s not a message play. It’s simply a fun night in the theater,” he says.
But, he does add that it is likely that the audience will leave thinking about the social changes that have taken place over the last 50 years.
More important, he believes comedies about kind-hearted people of different cultures unites us outside the theater
Bunce was a long time actor-director at the now defunct New York State Theatre Institute.
After NYSTI closed, Bunce taught, directed and acted at Russell Sage College in Troy. Neither organization was big on producing comedies.
He says he is having fun at every rehearsal and is overjoyed at the prospect of offering his audience permission to laugh at universal quirks found in most cultures.
Most of all, Bunce says he is thrilled by being able to offer people relief from day-to-day problems. “It’s a gift,” he says,
“Incident at Our Lady of Perpetual Help” plays at Curtain Call Theatre, 1 Jeanne Jugan Lane, Latham. April 13- May 7. For tickets and schedule information go to curtaincalltheatre.com or call 518-877-7529.
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.
