Overview
The South African premiere of Josh Harmon’s play Bad Jews was staged in the Fugard Studio, with its first performance on the 27 October 2015. It then had a return season in 2016 and transferred to Johannesburg, where it played at Theatre On The Square.
After the death of their grandfather, Poppy, a family heirloom propels cousins Daphna and Liam into a domestic battle of honour, faith, and heritage. The devoutly Jewish Daphna is at odds with her secular cousin Liam, an entitled young man detached from his cultural traditions. Caught in the middle are Jonah, Liam’s younger brother, and Liam’s non-Jewish girlfriend Melody, who wants everyone to get along. When the group is forced to spend the night in close quarters, hilarity and mayhem ensue.
Details
First performance
27 October 2015
Final performance
14 January 2017
Venue
The Fugard Studio
(27 October–31 December 2015)
Theatre On The Square
(14 January–14 February 2016)
The Fugard Studio
(13 December 2016–14 January 2017)
Cast
Jonah
Oli Booth
Daphna
Lara Lipschitz
Liam
Glen Biderman-Pam
Melody
Ashley Carine de Lange (2015/2016)
Donna Cormack-Thomson (2016/2017)
Creative team
Writer
Joshua Harmon
Director
Greg Karvellas
Producer
Eric Abraham
Co-Producer
Daniel Galloway
Associate Producers
Lamees Albertus
Greg Karvellas
Set and Costume Design
Saul Radomsky
Lighting Design
Daniel Galloway
Benjamin du Plessis
Set Construction
Gerhard Morkel
Scenic Painting
Ash Zamisa
Video Mapping
Benjamin du Plessis
Production team
Production Manager
Roberto Grové
Stage Manager
Chané Basson
Dialect Coach
Emily Child
Photography
Jesse Kramer
Reviews
★★★★
“Captivates”
Cape Argus
★★★★
Die Burger
“The Theatre on the Square’s Daphne Kuhn has scored a major coup in bringing this unmissable Fugard Theatre production to Joburg.”
Saturday Star
“Under the deft direction of Greg Karvellas, the play is beautifully nuanced and paced”
The South African Jewish Report
“Searingly funny … [the] Fugard’s Bad Jews raises the bar”
Cape Times
Production photos
