Were Critics Moved by Off-Broadway's Modern Orthodox?
Here is a sampling of what they had to say:
Edward Karam in his Broadway.com Review: "Under James Lapine's direction, the actors try their best to smooth out the incongruities. Biggs does a nice job with the virgin Hershel, combining a sweet decency and a maddening self-righteousness, and he uses his gangly physicality well to convey Hershel's awkwardness around the opposite sex. Late in the play Hershel has a date with a young woman named Rachel, played by Jenn Harris. Lighting up the stage with a pixilated deadpan worthy of Carol Kane, Harris does the theatrical equivalent of parting the Red Sea: Her slightly tipsy Jewish virgin wants to seduce Hershel, and the result is genuine cross-cultural laughter. That's not the case for much of the play. If you have never been to Hebrew school, you may grind your teeth in frustration at the narrowness of the audience Goldfarb has pitched this piece to… Jewish New Yorkers may have a good time, but it's not likely to play in Topeka."
Charles Isherwood of The New York Times: "The gags may be parceled out with the mechanical rhythms of a sitcom script, a flaw the skilled director James Lapine smoothly disguises, but they are often sharp and punchy if sometimes vulgar. And the combined gifts of the cast, which is completed by a quirky newcomer, Jenn Harris, as Hershel's instant fiancée, could give buoyancy to a far flimsier concoction. Baruch hashem, they might even do wonders for Jewtopia. Ms. Ringwald… brings a tasty blend of shrewdness and softness to the role of Hannah. The endlessly charming Mr. Bierko is a delight as Ben…. Ms. Harris, who evinces some of the oddball allure of Carol Kane, is a real comic find who holds her own in this starry company. Mr. Biggs… bops across the stage with abundant energy in the most challenging role, arms tracing antic gestures in the air, legs twitching into distorted poses, as if constant motion would distract us from Hershel's less appealing qualities. But even Mr. Biggs's ingratiating performance cannot entirely endear Hershel to us. Midway through the play, you're itching to tell him to sit still and shut up, and lose the silly sneakers, too."
Frank Scheck of The New York Post: "Some plays can be very funny without being particularly good. Such is the case with Modern Orthodox, a sitcom-style comedy about the collision between an upwardly mobile secular couple and an angst-ridden Orthodox Jew. With an adorable cast and enough hilarious moments to compensate for its artificiality and padded-out length, it's an excellent companion piece to Jewtopia, another comedy about romantically challenged Semites… Although the play tries to make some points about the conflict between religious tradition and secularism, it is far more successful when simply mining the conflict for belly laughs. And there are lots of them, thanks to playwright Daniel Goldfarb's ability to craft genuinely funny one-liners, James Lapine's breezy direction, and the cast's ability to make the most out of the material."
Howard Kissel of The New York Daily News: "Is there a Glatt Kosher cable channel? If so, it might be a suitable place for Daniel Goldfarb's Modern Orthodox, which presents itself as a play but is really a sitcom of interest--largely to a very parochial audience… The play is a disappointment--given the sensitivity of Goldfarb's earlier Sarah, Sarah. But given the thinness of the--material the cast does a remarkable job… Derek McLane has designed a smart Manhattan skyline but it seems too generic a set for this unfocused, unfunny play. Modern might not have been well written but it has been well marketed. The young, yarmulke-wearing audience around me laughed warmly."
Marilyn Stasio of Variety: "Goldfarb Adam Baum and the Jew Movie can thank director James Lapine for hustling up a sparkling cast and treating his offbeat comedy to a high-gloss professional polish. But the wit of his piece is entirely genuine and rooted in honest affection for the young characters trying to be cool and still keep the faith in a secular materialist society. Well, OK, so he's a little behind the times on the secularism, but the theater is notoriously slow about picking up on national trends. Jason Biggs The Graduate is to die for as a brash young Hasid."
Peter Santilli of The Associated Press: "The place of conservatism in the modern world can be a polarizing topic. In Modern Orthodox, Daniel Goldfarb's entertaining new play, it also happens to be a potent source of comedy… Audience members who never attended Hebrew school might feel left out of a few punch lines, but the play's authentic humor shouldn't be lost on 'goyim' that's Yiddish for gentiles. Adding to the appeal of this play is clean direction by James Lapine and a stylish set highlighted by a towering, artistic backdrop of the Manhattan skyline."