SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - It seems a shame that a play as funny, offbeat, smart and provocative as David Greenspan’s “Dead Mother, Or Shirley Not All in Vain” is only seeing its second time in production in its West Coast premiere.

The good news is that San Francisco’s Traveling Jewish Theatre and Thick Description, both known for their dedication to new and adventurous material, have created a co-production that runs, proudly, with the show’s wacky themes and tones. It also manages to present a simultaneously outrageous and realistic portrait of a dysfunctional Jewish-American family.

According to program notes by Traveling Jewish Theatre artistic director Aaron Davidman, playwright Greenspan, who portrayed the character Harold in “Dead Mother’s” only previous staging at New York’s Public Theatre in 1991, has offered rewrites and assistance with this new production. Directed by Thick Description’s Tony Kelly with depth, imagination and almost a choreographer’s eye, the consistently engaging, sometimes perplexing show cleverly mixes sitcom and avant-garde sensibilities, to great effect.

It’s the story of two brothers — Daniel (Gabriel Martin), who’s planning on marrying chatty Maxine (Deb Fink), and Harold (Liam Vincent), who’s unhappily married to Sylvia (Dena Martinez).

The semblance of a plot revolves around Daniel’s attempt to fulfill Maxine’s pre-wedding demand to have her old Uncle Saul (Corey Fischer), the man who raised her, meet Daniel’s mother, Shirley.

What Maxine doesn’t know is that Shirley is dead.

Instead of telling the truth, Daniel enlists Harold to do the seemingly impossible: Dress up and pretend to be Shirley for the meeting with Daniel’s bride-to-be and her uncle.

Harold agrees and things go well, at least for a while. Maxine and Saul seem to buy Harold’s act, but trouble does arise when the guys’ dad, the alive and well Melvin (Louis Parnell), unexpectedly shows up to the party. (“Nice” cake and cookies are being served.) The story summary is but a mere drop in the bucket of mayhem, merriment and madness the show offers.

Characters spin off into seemingly unrelated, but evocative tangents, and each actor has at least one terrific monologue. All are superlative, but Vincent, as Harold (and Shirley) deserves special mention, particularly for his dead-on evocation of a Jewish mother, which he does with no costume change other than the addition of a simple strand of pearls.

As in any good theater piece, there has to be a Greek scene, and Greenspan has written a doozy, complete with a well-endowed man in a toga doing an unspeakable thing with a sheep.

Perhaps not for the conservative of heart, “Dead Mother” is a wild ride; those ready for a theatrical thrill will want to hop on.

IF YOU GO

Dead Mother, Or Shirley Not All in Vain

Where: Traveling Jewish Theatre, 450 Florida St., S.F.

When: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2 and 7 p.m. most Sundays; closes Feb. 17

Tickets: $31 and $34

Contact: (800) 838-3006 or www.atjt.com

Comments from Examiner Readers

6:07 PM MST on Fri., Apr. 18, 2008 re: "Review: �Inspector� is sadly clueless"

Examiner Reader said:
The Government Inspector: Quite poorly done. Actors unprepared. Line delivery mishaps. Overpriced. Prop failure at the end. It reminded me of sequels such as Oceans v11 - v13, where a group of well known actors use their names to draw a crowd and sell tickets. Uk. The result is a mediocre performance, in part because of too many cooks -- and some of these cooks, e.g. Geoff Hoyle are really good. Hopefully this review will save someone else the time and money.

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8:00 PM MST on Thu., Apr. 17, 2008 re: "Review: 'High School Musical' sticks to the status quo"

Parkside Poulegene said:
Re: High School Musical I just took my daughter Sharmuta to this show and we had to leave early! When we got home I took away all her "High School Musical" CD's and tee-shirts. If she even mentions the show again she's grounded for a month, and that goes for her other mother too. This show is really racist, homophobic and pro-Zionist and pro-Bush-Terror. There's too many white people in it. This show needs to be shut down and outlawed.

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10:40 AM MST on Sat., Oct. 6, 2007 re: "Review: 'Heartbreak' at Berkeley Rep"

Examiner Reader said:
Thank you for the first honest review that I have read on this production. The length of Act two was tortuous to sit through.

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12:15 PM MST on Sun., Sep. 9, 2007 re: "A �Macbeth� in the Macbuff"

Examiner Reader said:
I bet the scene where Macbeth and Macduff are branishing their CLAYMORES is a hoot!

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5:18 AM MST on Sat., Sep. 8, 2007 re: "A �Macbeth� in the Macbuff"

Examiner Reader said:
Playing naked? Not really - the main character's body is covered by fur! As the reader before wrote the actor playing Macbeth is extremely hairy. It is quite strange to see how hairy a mans body can be... His body hair was the most impressing thing of the whole play.

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2:23 PM MST on Mon., Aug. 20, 2007 re: "A �Macbeth� in the Macbuff"

Examiner Reader said:
Bloody, Bold, Resolute, and Naked - AND HAIRY!!! I read an article that all actors were not allowed to shave any body hair three months before the play started to look "naturally". So it is impressive how hairy the actor playing Macbeth is - he has a furry chest and even a quite hairy back and bushy pubic hairs. It is very unusual today to see such a hairy actor fully nude, because normally an actor shaves at least his back hairs doing a nude scene on stage or in a movie... So big compliments to Daniel Eichner for presenting us his great furry body fully nude!

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11:14 PM MST on Fri., Jul. 6, 2007 re: "A �Macbeth� in the Macbuff"

Examiner Reader said:
Good review... one of the few critics able to articulate some of the problems with this show. I left at intermission and the lighting was troublesome. sometimes I wonder what the other critics are thinking --- if you are still curious fgo on Saturday afternoons when the tickets are "pay what you can."

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9:27 PM MST on Fri., Jul. 6, 2007 re: "A �Macbeth� in the Macbuff"

Examiner Reader said:
Munch claims "there is no denying" that the nudity in WSC's "Macbeth" "does little to enhance or elevate Shakespeare�s Scottish play." Well, the critics at www.PotomacStages.com and www.DCTheatreScene.com have taken the opposite view. Potomac Stages, in fact, wrote: "in no uncertain terms that this is a quality production that presents "the Scottish play" in a new and very effective light (or is that a new and very effective darkness?)." DC Theatre Scene wrote: "The actors� nudity provides an extra dimension to their presentations...By being physically naked, these actors become emotionally naked as well. This production of Macbeth is a great gift to those who have the will to receive it. We are unlikely to see anything like it in the foreseeable future." So it seems the only thing there is no denying is that Munch doesn't speak for everyone.

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9:09 PM MST on Fri., Jul. 6, 2007 re: "A �Macbeth� in the Macbuff"

Examiner Reader said:
Tonight's performance of "Macbeth" started at 8:05 pm and was done precisely at 10:30. I'm not the best at math, but that seems like under 2 and half hours...not over 3 hours, which the critic claims the play to be.

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6:47 PM MST on Wed., Jun. 20, 2007 re: "Eye of the beholder at the heart of �Fat Pig�"

JaimeK said:
Shame Fat Pig wasn't given an actual review on the acting. There were some pretty phenomenal performances. Especially Erin Riley as Helen and Courtney Ryan as Jeannie. Very VERY good show.

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2:03 PM MST on Wed., Jun. 13, 2007 re: "A trifle of a �Tempest�"

Examiner Reader said:
Closes in 4 days

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10:45 AM MST on Wed., May. 30, 2007 re: "A harrowing choice at Theater J"

Examiner Reader said:
Why review it a few days before it closes and not mention its closing in the review?

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9:33 PM MST on Mon., Apr. 23, 2007 re: "Shakespeare�s bloodiest"

EdnBetty said:
We just returned from Titus Andronicus, the play that Kenneth Tynan called "the worst play Marlowe ever wrote". We expected gore and got it! Tsoutsouvas was also great, but Valerie Leonard was vamping it over the top. And that voice set my teeth on edge!

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9:27 PM MST on Mon., Apr. 23, 2007 re: "Shaking up Shakespeare"

Reader said:
Yes, "She Stoops to Comedy" at Woolly Mammoth is a treat!

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9:23 PM MST on Mon., Apr. 23, 2007 re: "Shaking up Shakespeare"

Examiner Reader said:
Oh, we just a-DORed this show!

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