My partner is an old Jew. I, accordingly, love old Jews. We're both a fan of laughing our tocheses (tochii?) off. How could we go wrong?
We'd become interested in the show when visiting New York,where it originated, and it made it onto the short list of productions we wanted to see. However, with limited time, we weren't able to squeeze it in with the other two plays. (Book of Mormon and Buyer and Cellar, both highly recommended.) So, when we went to Chicago recently, and discovered it had recently opened there, we made it our number one priority.
Unsure what we were in for, we entered the moderately-sized theater and took our spots in the front row. Though we had to crane our necks back a bit to see, we couldn't complain about the great view. So much of the character of the jokes comes across in the facial expressions and body language, and getting to be right up on the action made us feel like we were old friends of the cast, listening to the jokes from their youth.
But don't mistake this for a simple comedy act. As easy as it would be to get a laugh from these old favorites by sticking to the tried-and-true formula of setup->punchline, the real charm of the show comes in how each gag is presented. The cast plays multiple roles in each joke, adding so much character and heart to each little humorous tale that you quickly fall in love with each over-the-top stereotype they're portraying. And as they struggle not to laugh right alongside you at their fellow castmates, you can't help but feel drawn up into the community they're paying homage to.
The cast was fantastic, with Tim Kazurinsky stealing the show, for me. After the play was over, as we waited for our car to be brought around, we were lucky enough to catch the cast as they were leaving and the brief interaction made the show even more memorable. (You're a mensch, Mr. Weygandt!)
Whether you're an old Jew or a young Gentile like myself, do yourself a favor and go see Old Jews Telling Jokes. You may not be one of the chosen people, but that doesn't mean you can't laugh like one.