A rabbi, a priest and a minister walk into a bar … or are on an airplane … or a desert island … .
You can probably fill in the rest. Jews and humor go together like salt and pepper – or lox and bagels. The list of prominent Jewish comedians is lengthy and illustrious. And most families have at least one great joke teller, who can’t resist lightening up a Passover seder with “Did you hear the one about Moses and the Red Sea?”
So it seems natural that someone would come up with the idea of tapping into that great Jewish resource – humor in even the worst of times – and create a way to spread the joy.
In 2009 “Old Jews Telling Jokes” was launched as a web series created and directed by Sam Hoffman and produced by Eric Spiegelman and Tim Williams for Jetpack Media, Inc. It was an immediate hit and received millions of views. In 2010 Hoffman and Spiegelman released Old Jews Telling Jokes in book form, subtitling it 5,000 Years of Funny Bits and Not-So-Kosher Laughs. The paperback book includes hundreds of jokes and anecdotes contributed by a wide variety of Jews, both comics and beyond.
The concept was picked up by Peter Gethers and Daniel Okrent, who turned it into an Off-Broadway hit in 2012. It was important to Gethers that the play include more than just a series of jokes. “Jokes are at the heart of how you get through life,” he says. “But we wanted to make sure that we gave the audience more than that. The play includes songs and monologues and is surprisingly touching.”
The collaborators agree that the “dirty jokes tend to be the funniest,” but again, they intersperse a large variety of jokes to make sure the show has a wide appeal. “The great thing is that we’ve given producers the authority to change jokes around, omit some or add others depending on audience response,” says Okrent.
While these types of shows employ jokes and rhythms associated with the old Catskills type of Jewish comedian, the subject matter always comments on the universality of life itself.
A cast of five gifted actors will be bringing their best shtick with them to the Herberger Theater, 222 E Monroe St. in Phoenix, March 19-29. Days, times and tickets are available at 602-252-8497 or theaterleague.com
To view “old Jews” from around the country trying their hand at telling some of the best jokes around, check out the website oldjewstellingjokes.com. You have to be at least 60 to earn a coveted spot. Look closely and you’ll see Phoenician Max Weisberg, who flew to LA to earn his place in comic history. (Afraid we can’t print his joke here in case the kids pick up the magazine!)
