[NEohioPAL] Berko review: CLEVELAND HEIGHTS (Jewish Community Center/Cuyahoga Community College)

[Roy Berko]

 JCC’s ‘CLEVELAND
HEIGHTS’ off the mark!
 
Roy Berko
 
(Member, American
Theatre Critics Association)
 
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At intermission,
and following the opening night performance of  the Jewish Community Center’s ‘CLEVELAND HEIGHTS,’ the major
topic of conversation was the lack of “Yiddish” [Jewish] Cleveland in the
shallow and obvious script.  Except
for half-a-dozen references, which had almost nothing to do with the plot, the
play could have been set in Pittsburg, Indianapolis or any other city that has
a couple of Jewish families and has gone through economic changes.
 
In a brave move to
insure that the Cleveland Jewish story be told and archived, JCC commissioned
playwright and actor Keith Reddin to write the script.  Supposedly, Reddin did a year of
research before writing play.  In
spite of his moderate success as a playwright, Reddin, who is a Chicago
fixture, doesn’t appear to be the person to have undertaken the job. 
 
The script didn’t
highlight the transition of the Jewish population and their institutions from
inner city to the eastern suburbs, and the problems and joys this caused.   It didn’t highlight the
terminology that went with these moves and conflicts, phrases like “Height
Mockies” and “Kinsman Cowboys.” Yes, there were a few reference to The Temple
and Rabbi Silver and Camp Wise, but they were throw-ins, not integral to the
plot.  The story included many
deaths, with that of the father being integral to the story.  What’s a Cleveland Jew’s death without
referencing the ceremony at Berkowitz’s?   Where was the shiva food from Sherwins, Ungers and
Corky and Lenny’s, depending on the era?  The transition of Jewish students from Glenville to Shaker Heights and
Cleveland Heights High Schools was part of the era that Reddin chose to write
about, but there was none of this in his script.  No, these names shouldn’t have been just dropped in, but in
developing the story, twists and turns that centered on those places and events
should have been a paramount plot guideline.  (Think Les Roberts’ writing about Sloveniansand their role in the Cleveland landscape.)
 
The play takes
place in a Cleveland Heights home.  The 1940s was when much of the Jewish population shifted from East 105th, and from Kinsman, to the heights areas.  Why couldn’t the author have the family moving into their new home and
discussing where they came from and why they moved?  Why during the discussion of failing businesses in the 1970s
didn’t he give references the demise of the Cleveland clothing manufacturing by
referencing be the likes of  Richman Brothers and Kaufman Kock (Joseph & Feiss).  As is, the real” tam” [taste] of what
made Jewish life in this unique city was missing.
 
Reddin uses trite
stock characters to develop the obvious plot.  The hard working Jewish business man who puts business ahead
of family, the understanding wife, the sibling rivalry which caused the two
brothers to go through less-than desired lives, intermarriage in which the
non-Jewish wife becomes the “good” Jew, the nebbish family friend, the
“ferbissinah’ [embittered] aunt, the rebellious daughter.  Oy, couldn’t he have invented some new
personas for these characters?  Couldn’t he have created some tensions and unusual twists into the story
line?
 
Director Brian
Zoldessy, in spite of being saddled with this weak and unfulfilling script,
managed to wring a few laughs and mild pathos thanks to some excellent
acting.  Charles Kartali, as the
wanna be lawyer-son, Maryann Elder, double cast as the “shiksa” [non-Jewish]
wife and the embittered aunt, Elizabeth Townsend as the rebel marijuana smoking
daughter, Scott Miller s the put-upon brother, and Sharmon Sollitto as the
hand-wringing mother were very good.  The acting highlight was Zoldessy, himself.  No one does hand-wringing hyper hysterical nerds like
Zoldessy.
 
Ben Needham’s
massive set made the cast appear to be guppies swimming in a large
aquarium.  It’s not his fault.  The Cuyahoga Community College’s
massive stage just doesn’t lend itself to intimate plays.  Maybe the little theatre would have
been a better place to stage the play.
 
CAPSULE
JUDGMENT:   JCC did not get
its money’s worth from their investment in commissioning Keith Reddin, an
outsider with little intimate history of the Cleveland Jewish community, to
write the definitive story about Jewish Cleveland.  What they got was a trite, non-memorable script that
probably, and wisely, will never see the light of day again.  Too bad, yes, too bad, for the idea for
such a story was right, especially in light of this probably being the last
season for theatre at the J.
 
‘CLEVELAND
HEIGHTS’ runs through March 15 at Cuyahoga Community College.  For tickets call 866-546-1358 or go
online to www.clevejcc.org.
 Roy Berko's blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2001 through 2009, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info

His reviews can also be found on www.coolcleveland.com and NeOHIOpal (to subscribe visit http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/neohiopal.)