Jewtopia
Encyclopedia
Jewtopia is a comedic
play by Bryan Fogel
and Sam Wolfson.
It focuses on two friends, Chris O'Connell and Adam Lipschitz, both approaching their 30th birthdays. Gentile
Chris is interested in dating Jewish women because he feels that they will make his life easier by making all of life's decisions for him. Jewish Adam wants to date Gentile women because he does not wish to be reminded of his roots. The two team up and teach each other how to woo the women of their choice.
Most of the play's humor involves jokes about Jewish stereotypes with occasional humor about body parts and bodily functions. The play makes numerous references to the Jewish online dating website, JDate
.
Directed by Andy Fickman
, the LA production opened on May 8, 2003 at West Hollywood's Coast Playhouse, where it ran for a year and sold out. Fogel and Wolfson headed the cast.
On October 21, 2004, the off-Broadway
production, directed by John Tillinger
and again starring the playwrights, opened at Manhattan
's Westside Theatre
after previews beginning on September 28, 2004. It ran very profitably for 27 previews and 1,052 regular performances over three and one half years and closed on April 29, 2007, with actors Josh Heine and Jeremy Rishe playing the roles of Chris and Adam. John Tillinger
directed.
In 2006, Fogel and Wolfson published Jewtopia: The Chosen Book for the Chosen People, a coffee table book
inspired by the play.
Additional productions include runs in Tampa
, Florida
and Toronto
, Canada
beginning in autumn 2007. A winter 2009 tour is planned.
of the play was in production. It will star Jennifer Love Hewitt
and Ivan Sergei
.
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
play by Bryan Fogel
Bryan Fogel
Bryan Fogel is an American playwright and author.He was born in Denver, Colorado, one of three children of David and Linda Fogel. He attended both private and public schools, graduating from East High School and attending the University of Colorado at Boulder.Along with Sam Wolfson, Fogel...
and Sam Wolfson.
It focuses on two friends, Chris O'Connell and Adam Lipschitz, both approaching their 30th birthdays. Gentile
Gentile
The term Gentile refers to non-Israelite peoples or nations in English translations of the Bible....
Chris is interested in dating Jewish women because he feels that they will make his life easier by making all of life's decisions for him. Jewish Adam wants to date Gentile women because he does not wish to be reminded of his roots. The two team up and teach each other how to woo the women of their choice.
Most of the play's humor involves jokes about Jewish stereotypes with occasional humor about body parts and bodily functions. The play makes numerous references to the Jewish online dating website, JDate
JDate
JDate is an online dating service aimed at Jewish singles. The service is one of a number of demographically focused online match-making websites operated by Spark Networks plc.JDate offers two tiers of service: free and premium...
.
Directed by Andy Fickman
Andy Fickman
Andy Fickman is a film and stage director and screenwriter. His credits as a theater director include the premiere of the Reefer Madness! musical and the first Los Angeles production of the play Jewtopia....
, the LA production opened on May 8, 2003 at West Hollywood's Coast Playhouse, where it ran for a year and sold out. Fogel and Wolfson headed the cast.
On October 21, 2004, the off-Broadway
Off-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
production, directed by John Tillinger
John Tillinger
John Tillinger is a theatre director and actor.Born in Tabriz, Iran, Tillinger was raised in England, where he first was exposed to the theatre...
and again starring the playwrights, opened at Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's Westside Theatre
Westside Theatre
__notoc__The Westside Theatre is an off-Broadway venue located at 407 West 43rd Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The building houses two auditoriums: the Upstairs theater, which seats 299, and the Downstairs theater, which...
after previews beginning on September 28, 2004. It ran very profitably for 27 previews and 1,052 regular performances over three and one half years and closed on April 29, 2007, with actors Josh Heine and Jeremy Rishe playing the roles of Chris and Adam. John Tillinger
John Tillinger
John Tillinger is a theatre director and actor.Born in Tabriz, Iran, Tillinger was raised in England, where he first was exposed to the theatre...
directed.
In 2006, Fogel and Wolfson published Jewtopia: The Chosen Book for the Chosen People, a coffee table book
Coffee table book
A coffee table book is a hardcover book that is intended to sit on a coffee table or similar surface in an area where guests sit and are entertained, thus inspiring conversation or alleviating boredom. They tend to be oversized and of heavy construction, since there is no pressing need for...
inspired by the play.
Additional productions include runs in Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
beginning in autumn 2007. A winter 2009 tour is planned.
Film adaptation
On 14 July, 2011, it was announced that a film adaptationFilm adaptation
Film adaptation is the transfer of a written work to a feature film. It is a type of derivative work.A common form of film adaptation is the use of a novel as the basis of a feature film, but film adaptation includes the use of non-fiction , autobiography, comic book, scripture, plays, and even...
of the play was in production. It will star Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt is an American actress, producer, television director and former singer-songwriter. Hewitt began her acting career as a child by appearing in television commercials and the Disney Channel series Kids Incorporated...
and Ivan Sergei
Ivan Sergei
Ivan Sergei is an American actor known for his work in television.-Personal life:Sergei was born Ivan Sergei Gaudio in Hawthorne, New Jersey, and is of Dutch and Italian descent. Ivan attended Hawthorne High School, where he was a member of the graduating class of 1989, and was a quarterback on...
.
External links
- Official website
- Jewtopia info page on StageAgent.com - Jewtopia plot summary & character descriptions