While there’s a long lineage of Jewish performers in comedy, it’s tended to privilege a small segment of white, cynical male perspectives – the Mort Sahls, Lenny Bruces and Jerry Seinfelds. A new show aims to widen that scope in a space made for such a mission: Lehrhaus, a tavern and house of learning committed to projecting “positive and diverse experiences of Jewish life.” For its first foray into comedy, “50 Shades of Oy Vey,” Steph Dalwin (Roslindale’s AAPI Comedy Fest) has curated a lineup of Jewish comedians who claim heritage across four continents and exist along gender and LGBTQ+ spectrums – nary a Mort nor a Lenny to be seen. Dalwin aims to “show the changing face of Judaism in a space built for the modern Jew.” Or, as Lehrhaus cheekily puts it, “much like the toppings on our bagels, the Jewish community is vibrant and diverse.”
“50 Shades of Oy Vey” at 8 p.m. Jan. 11 at Lehrhaus, 425 Washington St., Somerville. $18 to $36.
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The problem with Jewish comedy is it always bombs…
How could the editor permit the false and ignorant assertions made throughout this article? The comedy of the Marx Brothers and Sasha Baron-Cohen, for example, does not represent “a small segment of white, cynical male perspectives.” It’s universal. I also invite you to peruse this list of hundreds of female Jewish comedians comics dating to the silent-movie era. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Jewish_female_comedians. As for the Lehrhaus’s observation that “the Jewish community is vibrant and diverse” — what else is new?
Whoops, Sam, you let it slip. Usually people pretend it’s Israelis they disapprove of, not Jews in general.