HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?!? How could easily one of the most idiotic plays to hit New York in years turn into a commercial juggernaut?
Simple: it has a popular gimmick and easily appeals to a Jewish suburban, Jdate.com influenced audience.
That's how new Off-Broadway musicals and the occassional commerical play can survive. As Mazzepa told Louise, "IF YOU'VE GOT A GIMMICK, GYPSY GIRL YOU'VE GOT IT MADE." And just to note, when Charles Isherwood called Jewtopia UNSTOPPABLE, he didn't mean it in a good way.
Here's the release, in all of its depressing character:
Jewtopia, the long-running hit comedy written by Bryan Fogel and Sam Wolfson, is in its second smash year at Off-Broadway’s Westside Theatre. Jewtopia opened in New York on October 21, 2004 (performances began September 28, 2004) following a 16-month sold-out run at West Hollywood’s Coast Playhouse where it holds the record as Los Angeles’ longest-running comedy. The show celebrates 1,000 performances Off-Broadway on February 20, 2007.
Jewtopia tells the story of two single guys, Chris O’Connell and Adam Lipschitz. Chris, a gentile, wants to marry a Jewish girl so that he’ll never have to make another decision for as long as he lives. Adam, a Jew under tremendous pressure from his family to marry a Jewish girl, wonders what Chris is thinking. Before long, both find themselves tangled in a web of interfaith and internet dating. Customs clash. Stereotypes collide. Hilarity, madness and chaos ensue.
Written by Bryan Fogel and Sam Wolfson, Jewtopia is directed by Tony nominee John Tillinger. The cast includes Glynis Bell, Samantha Daniel, Lorry Goldman, Josh Heine, Rosanne Ma, Jeremy Rishe and Joel Rooks.
The Critics have hailed:
“Hilarious! Raucous! Merciless! …When JEWTOPIA hits its mark, which is frequently, it’s outrageously funny.” -The Los Angeles Times
"Entertaining! Wild! Raucous! Certain to hit home with ALL observers, whatever their religion.”
-Variety
“After a quarter century of Neil Simon and his imitators, the playwrights redeem the formula with edge. Displaying a commercial sensibility that is almost obscene, they combine the swaggering Generation Y sensibility with a more traditional borschtbelt approach, nailing two demographics at once. The result is irresistible.” -Time Out New York
Though it took 40 years for the Chosen People to reach the Promised Land, Jewtopia managed to recoup its entire investment Off-Broadway in just 20 weeks, before spawning productions in Chicago and South Florida. With the New York run going strong, productions are in development for cities around North America and beyond.
Jewtopia, The Chosen Book for the Chosen People is an over-the-top, four-color, fully illustrated “coffee-table book.” In September 2006, Warner Books released the book in hardcover nationwide.
A film adaptation of Jewtopia entitled Adam Lipschitz and Chris O’Connell Lose their Religion is in development. Additionally, Fogel and Wolfson just finished writing a TV pilot, “The Corporation,” and are writing another feature film.
Jewtopia plays at The Westside Theatre located at 407 West 43rd Street (between 9th & 10th Avenues) as follows: Tuesday through Saturday @ 8:00PM with matinee performances on Wednesday & Saturday @ 2:00 PM and Sunday @ 3:00 PM.