The Wisconsin premiere of the Tony Award–winning musical drama "Indecent," by Pulitzer Prize-winner Paula Vogel, is coming to Madison on January 31 through February 15. Join Temple Beth El for a group outing to the play on February 1. Meet in the lobby at 7:00 pm if you would like to sit together with the group.
The cast includes Micah Herstand, who grew up at Temple Beth El, and who wrote an article for the Wisconsin Union Theater about one of the show's central question: What does it mean to be Jewish in America?
Jewish community member Bob Skloot will join the cast and director for the talkback following the performance. Along with being an emeritus professor of Jewish studies and an expert on theater of the Holocaust, Bob Skloot directed "God of Vengeance" (the Yiddish play at the heart of "Indecent") at UW in 1979.
"We have a story we want to tell you, about a play. A play that changed my life." "Indecent" tells the story of a Yiddish play called "God of Vengeance," its controversial 1923 Broadway debut, what led up to it, and what followed. With its powerful tale of a Jewish father and a beautiful love scene between two women, some saw "God of Vengeance" as a seminal work of Jewish culture. Others saw it as an act of traitorous libel and spoke out against the play during its Broadway run, which eventually led to the actors being charged with obscenity.
Using an ensemble of seven actors and a three-person klezmer band, "Indecent" imagines the story of the people who fought for love, identity, and art, refusing, in a terrifying time, to be silenced. It engages subjects of antisemitism and xenophobia, LGBT acceptance, the loss of the Yiddish language, and intra-community tsuris. This production is in English with occasional Yiddish and German spoken and sung, with supertitles giving the English translations. It is 85 minutes long with no intermission, with the talkback to follow.
Indecent contains subtle references to death and sex, references to the Holocaust, and some sexual touching (above the waist, no nudity). The content is extremely educational and is probably best appreciated by ages 13 and up, but it depends on the child, so please email mrandolph@mtmadison.com if you have questions. See the Parental Advisory and Content Advisory sections at https://www.mtmadison.com/indecent for more information.
Seating is general admission, so come early to get seats together or in a location you prefer. More information can be found at https://www.mtmadison.com/indecent. Tickets are $10–$35 (plus fees).
Please purchase your own ticket to join us on February 1:
- Order online (fees apply)
- Call the Campus Arts Box Office at 608-265-ARTS (fees apply)
- Visit the box office at the Union (800 Langdon St.) during business hours or starting one hour before each performance (no fees)
We encourage you to see the show during its run in Madison, even if you can’t join us on February 1.
Sponsor: Temple Beth El