Quote of the Day: Rome is burning, and you want to do a play! from Indecent by Paula Vogel, on stage at Theater Latté Da through Oct. 25, 2026. (Extended due to popular demand. This one is a must-see.)

The show opens with Lemml (August Forman), the stage manager of the play God of Vengeance by playwright Sholem Asch (Ryan London Levin). He tells us that it is a play that changed his life. When Asch wrote the play in 1906, his wife said it was a masterpiece and that people would be producing it around the world. He brought the play to a salon reading in Poland, led by I. L. Peretz. As they are reading through it, Lemml gets more involved and inspired. Other actors take offense to the same sex love between two women and the throwing of the Torah at the end of the play, and fear that it perpetuates Jewish stereotypes. They throw the script on the floor and tell Asch to burn it. He does not. They go on to produce it throughout Europe. The play, written in Yiddish, is a huge success. In fact, it’s interesting to note that God of Vengeance was first produced in Berlin, Germany in 1907.

Robert Dorfman, Ryan London Levin, August Forman in Indecent at Theater Latte’ Da, thru 10/25/26. Photo: Dan Norman

In 1922, the playwright and his play, along with some of the actors and Lemml are in America. At first, the play is done in its original Yiddish off-Broadway. Then, someone gets the bright idea that it should be translated into English and produced on Broadway. The producers make major changes to the script, including changing the love relationship between the women to it being an older woman, who is a prostitute, into seducing the younger woman. The actors, and especially Lemml, are angry about the changes. The young woman who plays the younger woman Riffkele struggles with English, so she is replaced by an American girl who is inexperienced and flighty. Suddenly, the play is scrutinized and picked apart, labeled “indecent,” and the actors and producer are arrested on opening night.

Ryan London Levin and cast of Indecent at Theater Latte’ Da, thru 10/25/26. Photo: Dan Norman

Playwright Paula Vogel took all that historical information, the love of the original script by Asch, and her own genius and wrote the play now being produced at Theater Latté Da, Indecent. I said this of the script when I saw it at the Guthrie Theater in 2018, and I’ll say it again now, it’s her masterpiece. She brings to light so many important themes: censorship, artistic expression, oppression of artists and certain groups of people, anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, lesbian love, what the population might consider “good” or “bad,” worthy of expression and attendance or condemned to be crushed out of existence. It’s fascinating and beautiful, devasting and hopeful.

The cast in the scene at the salon reading, in Indecent at Theater Latte’ Da, thru 10/25/26. Photo: Dan Norman

“Exquisite,” is the one word that my theater companion said as the standing ovation to this production died down. Many people had tears in their eyes. Its an immersive and transformative experience, and audiences are connecting to it. I could feel the pull and energy between actors and audience.

Cast of Indecent at Theater Latte’ Da, thru 10/25/26. Photo: Dan Norman

 

The theatrical elements of this production work seamlessly together. The use of light and shadow, misty and surreal, along with Klezmer music create an atmosphere of living history and evoke deep emotions. The score and original music was written by Lisa Gutkin and Aaron Halva, performed on the stage by Rebecca Mac, who plays Nelly Friedman on Violin, Pat O’Keefe who plays Mayer Balsam on Clarinet, and Spencer Chandler who plays Moritz Godowsky on Accordion, and is the Music Director for this production. Lighting design by Søren Olsen, sound design and projections by Peter Morrow. The projections in this production enhance the sense of time, language, and setting. Time is an element in the play that is almost a character itself. Scenic and costume design by Sarah Bahr are period specific. 

Musicians and cast of Indecent at Theater Latte’ Da, thru 10/25/26. Photo: Dan Norman

The play, expertly director Pirronne Yousefzadeh, has the feeling that each movement it deliberate and meaningful. Our attention is always where it is supposed to be, while scene changes happen in the shadows, with never a blackout. Choreography by Emily Michaels King is lovely. The cast is outstanding. Most of the actors play multiple parts with seamless transitions and clear distinction between them. The two women who are in love both on and off stage in this play within a play are Aila Peck as Dine (Manke and others) and Ani Tonoyan as Reine (Rifkele and others) were marvelous in their roles. Others in the cast are Robert Dorfman as Otto and others, Tony Larkin as Mendel and others, and Ann Michels as Vera and others, and of course, the actors mentioned earlier in this review. This is a gorgeously acted and directed production.

Aila Peck and Ani Tonoyan in Indecent at Theater Latte’ Da, thru 10/25/26. Photo: Dan Norman

Due to popular demand, Theater Latté Da has extended the show through Oct. 25, 2026. Get online now and secure your tickets. This one is truly a must-see. I would go see it again in a heartbeat. 

Go. Create. Inspire!

Journaling Prompt: Have you ever uncovered something that seemed lost to history? Do you have a connection to a work of art that gives you inspiration to create or bring it and its subject matter to light?