Theatre Review: “Two Jews Walk Into a War...”

WEST HARTFORD - The comedic play “Two Jews Walk Into a War” by Seth Rozin has opened at Playhouse on Park in West Hartford. The New York Times calls the play “a clear call to carry on, no matter how difficult the times,” making it a timely choice for the opening of Playhouse on Park’s thirteenth main stage season.

Directed by David Hammond, the production will run through Oct. 10, at the theater located on Park Road in West Hartford.

Playhouse on Park is West Hartford’s own renowned, professional theatre that offers a wide range of thought-provoking, inspiring and thoroughly enjoyable productions that leave audiences often smiling, sometimes crying, and always talking about what they have just experienced. This “serious comedy” certainly accomplishes many of these objectives.

In Rozin’s tale, the characters of Ishaq and Zeblyan are the last remaining Jews in Afghanistan who begin the play by burying one of their own. The two now share the only remaining synagogue that has not been destroyed by the Taliban. They share a mission to repopulate the Jewish community in Kabul. They also hate each other.

The duo are a Middle Eastern odd couple committed to an incredible act of faith in this modern vaudeville-tinged drama that is full of schtick, sorrow, and ultimately, survival.

The two characters often bicker, talk to themselves, pray and sometimes talk directly to the audience and the prickly relationship of the pair makes it all work. The traditions of Judaism are woven throughout the discussions and I eventually figured out that they were using another name to refer to their God. There is more to the script that the title suggests, but one may not realize the depths of it until they stop laughing at all of the comedy.

Equity actor Bob Ari plays Zeblyan in his Playhouse on Park debut. Ari, who received his training at Carnegie-Mellon and the Moscow Arts Theatre School and was part of the United States tour of “Frost/Nixon,” gives life to both the comedic elements and the drama.

Mitch Greenberg, another Equity member, returns to the Playhouse after wonderfully portraying Mordechai in “A Shayna Maidel.” He fits easily into the role of Ishaq, the member of the team who has memorized the entire Torah and dictates it to Zeblyan, complete with punctuation, who acts as his scribe. Greenberg was part of the 2017 Goodspeed production of “Rags” and has also appeared on television’s “The Good Doctor.”

Michael Hinton, the director of education of the Playhouse Theatre Academy, served as the fight choreographer for when the tension between the two men gets physical. The set design by Bill Clarke suggests a synagogue in the recent past that has been touched by war. The lighting designed by Johann Fitzpatrick reached many highs, but the strobe lighting to suggest the passage of the time was too much for my eyes at least. The sound design of Jacob Montgomery adds some important touches of war and was efficient throughout.

“Two Jews Walk Into a War” is produced in partnership with The Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Hartford and the Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford. Before the pandemic closing, Playhouse on Park produced a stellar “The Diary of Anne Frank” and “A Shayna Maidel” as well.

COVID-19 Policy: All patrons must be fully vaccinated. Vaccination card, government issued ID, and masks are required for all patrons.

Tickets range from $40-$50. Student and Senior discounts are available. Student Rush is $10 (cash only), available 15 minutes prior to curtain. Evening performances are at 7:30pm on Wednesday and Thursday, and at 8pm on Friday and Saturday.2pm matinees are on Tuesday, Saturday, and Sunday. For more information or tickets, call the Box Office at 860-523-5900 x10 or visit www.playhouseonpark.org. Playhouse on Park is located at 244 Park Road, West Hartford, CT 06119.

Nancy Sasso Janis has been writing theatre reviews since 2012 as a way to support local theatre venues. She posts reviews of well over 100 productions each year. In 2016, she became a member of the Connecticut Critics Circle. She continues to contribute theatre news, previews, and audition notices to local Patch sites. Reviews of all levels of theatrical productions are posted on Naugatuck Patch and the Patch sites closest to the venue. She recently became a contributor to the Waterbury Republican-American newspaper. Her weekly column and theatre reviews appear in the Thursday Weekend section of the paper.

Follow the reviewer on her Facebook pages Nancy Sasso Janis: Theatre Reviewer and on Twitter @nancysjanis417 Check out the NEW CCC Facebook page.