25 Questions for a Jewish Mother

We saw Judy Gold's one woman show 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother last night at Ars Nova with Judy and Matt who were visiting from NC. We were in his neighborhood so Tom joined us, too.

I was familiar with Judy Gold's work only from broadcasts of her stand-up act and some of those the VH1 shows. I also her knew of her from the Rosie & Kelli associations.

I thought we were in for something fun and frothy. A little slice of NY stand-up comedy. I thought it would be a typical, small NY one person show. Funny but ultimately forgettable. I was so pleased to be so very wrong.

Judy's show had real depth and emotion. It's the story of Judy's life and relationship with her mother interwoven with interviews she and her writing partner did on the road with Jewish mothers. In trying to reconcile some of her relationship with her mother and her Jewish experience, she asked these women about what makes a Jewish mother different from other mothers.

She presented the poignant and dramatic moments of the show with the same skill that sold her very funny comedy. When Judy slipped into the skins of the interview subjects, a wonderfully precise actress emerged. She has a real gift for the dialects, postures and gestures that delineate a character. She's a lot more than a comedian.

The show was so well written. The tricky balance of comedy and drama held throughout the show. There were no real cheap shots. Even the “typical” Jewish mother jokes had a freshness to them since they came from such a specific place. Having Judy’s personal journey woven into the show was so effective. I admire her willingness to put her personal happiness (getting out of NJ, her career, her kids) as well as her disappointments (the end of the relationship, her struggles with family acceptance) up there on the stage. I

t was also fun to learn that Judy grew up in Clark, NJ. I’m 2 or 3 years younger and grew up in the neighboring town of Cranford. I wasn’t a 6’3” Jewish, band nerd. I was a 6’, 125 lb. gay boy, yearbook geek wondering how the heck I was going to survive high school. Still, I felt a kinship.

I thought at quite a few points during the show that this piece deserves an open commercial run in an Off Broadway space. It’s that well written and performed. A few clarifications (it took me a while to realize that the Katie that Judy referenced was the other writer), a set, and maybe some expansion here and there (there are so many strong parts where I would have loved to hear more), and the show is ready to move to a bugger venue.

I thought of Mario Cantone’s Laugh Whore of last season and felt 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother was on a par with it for entertainment value. Plus Judy’s show has a depth and resonance that Mario’s show did not.

I was also reminded of the recent book, “When I Knew”. It’s a mix of hilarious, poignant and just plain truthful anecdotes of when people (famous and not) realized they were gay. I could definitely see pieces of this show (the 25 questions part, natch) in a book format. Put the best answers to those questions on the page with pictures of Jewish mothers and children in domestic scenes from the past 6 or 7 decades, and I think you’d have a terrific little book to sell.

Kudos to Judy for a wonderfully funny, entertaining and touching show. I hope it moves to a bigger venue or gets an extended life on tape or in a book.