Sarah is a young Jewish woman in love with the perfect Jewish boyfriend. Her parents are delighted with the news and can’t wait to meet him. The problem is Mr. Wonderful doesn’t exist. Sarah invented him and hires an actor to pretend he is her beloved; this in an effort to halt her mother’s relentless efforts to introduce her to eligible men. By the way, Sarah actually does have a boyfriend, but he isn’t Jewish. What comes next is a high-wire act of duplicity in “Beau Jest,” an uproarious rom-com with extra helpings of kugel.
We first meet Sarah (Katrina Michaels) in her apartment, seated on the living room sofa canoodling with Chris (Benjamin Cole), her gentile boyfriend. Enter Bob (Sam Ashdown) from the escort service. Following an awkward introduction between real and pretend suitors, the besotted Chris grudgingly goes along with Sarah’s cockamamie plan and takes his leave.
Bob is handsome, well-mannered and quite knowledgeable. He is also quite alarmed to learn that instead of lending his arm to a matron going to the opera, he will be the center of attention at the family’s Shabbat dinner. Actually, it’s the fictious Dr. David Steinberg who is the main course. Bob’s questions about the etiquette of the meal are a tip off to Sarah that he’s not Jewish. No time for a 101 briefing as a knock on the door signals the arrival of parents Abe (Joel Polis) and Miriam (Jill Remez) and brother Joel (Josh Cahn).
Surprisingly, Bob gets through the first evening and subsequent Passover seder thanks to his background in improv and his acting in a production of “Fiddler on the Roof.” But make no mistake, there are cultural faux pas along the way that are explosive-laughter humdingers. Bob ultimately wins over Abe and Miriam, but Joel, who is a psychologist, has an exquisitely tuned BS meter and isn’t buying what Bob is selling.
As the charade continues, Sarah continues on the sly to spend time with Chris. She also spends time with Bob, and no surprise feelings develop between the two. The ruse, however, is revealed as Joel’s microaggressions eventually escalate to intercontinental ballistic warfare. This is where the fun really begins.
The production is well cast, and Director Omri Schein brings out the best in all six actors with standout performances by Sam Ashdown as Bob and Josh Cahn as Joel, who steals one scene after another.
Set in the 1980s, set designer Marty Burnett has turned the stage into a tasteful apartment with era-worthy wainscoting and crown molding. The opening of the kitchen door provides glimpses of pots and pans hanging on a wall, courtesy of props designer Michael Wogulis who also outfitted the living room sideboard with Sabbat candlesticks, opened and re-corked bottles of red wine and a menorah on the top shelf patiently waiting for Hanukkah. Dress-for-success suits and ties worn by the men, jewel-tone-flower-print ensembles for Miriam and relaxed, ease-of-motion outfits suitable for Sarah’s profession as a kindergarten teacher are the work of costume designer Jennifer Brawn Gittings. Hair and wig design by Peter Herman, light design by Matthew Novotny and musically moving the story along is sound designer Evan Eason who sets the romantic mood with “You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” by Lou Rawls.
by Lynne Friedmann
