Playwright: created by Peter Gethers and Dan Okrent. At: Frankel Green Theatrical Management at the Royal George Theatre, 1608 N. Halsted St. Tickets: 312-988-9000; www.ticketmaster.com; $49-$59. Runs through: March 30
The title of the show is "Old Jews Telling Jokes," not "Old Jews Telling JEWISH Jokes," so audiences shouldn't be surprised to discover that the laughs in this 80-minute revue are not strictly faith-based. To be sure, it helps to know a little Yiddish, and during a sing-along, the sudden drop in volume on the "gentiles only" verse was not unexpected ( though one lone goy struggled valiantly to add his voice to the chorus ).
Part of the reason behind this inclusiveness is the proliferation of Jewish talent in the entertainment industry, with artists like Lenny Bruce, Allen Sherman and Mel Brooks making the words "klutz" and "kvetch" as American as apple knish. The more likely explanation, however, lies in the universality of the human condition addressed by its humor: in almost every culture the world over, you can find stories of the old man and his young wife, of the ambitious mother seeking a favorable marriage for her daughter, the churchman who isn't as holy as he claims, and the disgruntled spouses who can't die soon enough to satisfy their partners ( think Moms Mabley ).
The program assembled by Peter Gethers and Dan Okrent from field samples collected on their same-titled website includes the joke about the infant and the kreplach, the parrot and the Hassid, and the three bragging Texans. The five raconteurs aren't afraid to get bawdy, either, gleefully reciting the tale of the deli clerk and the pickle slicer, several yarns involving tropical islands, and even more predicated on doctors' visits. There are also such daring proposals as the affluent Jew trying to pass for a WASP, a reading of "Old Man River" in a Borscht-Belt accent, and an outrageous advertisement for the nails used at a certain crucifixion. ( "This is not Fiddler on the Roof," warns one of the tummlers. )
The show's extension to March 30 will feature occasional guest appearances by such Chicago celebs as authors Sara Paretsky and Roy Blount, Jr., as well as ABC-Seven's Janet Davies and radio personality Steve Downes, all telling their favorite jokes. On the night that I attended, the spotlight was on columnist Candace Jordan, regaling us with testimonials to her home town that was so small that "driver's education and sex education were taught in the same car." During this bleak start to 2014, what could be healthier, for body and for soul, than a hearty guffaw?