Review: Gold shines in Theater J’s hilarious ‘25 Questions’

WASHINGTON (Map, News) - Judy Gold is a very funny woman, seriously funny. Listening to her one-woman show, “25 Questions for a Jewish Mother” at the Jewish Community Center’s Theater J, you can well imagine that she turns dinner with her two young sons into a hilarious event.

Yet though there is plenty of laughter in “25 Questions,” there is a core of seriousness, too. In a script she wrote with Kate Moira Ryan, Gold recalls the five years she and Ryan spent traveling the country, interviewing more than 50 women of different occupations, ethnicities and economic status, to get to the heart of what it means to be a Jewish mother.

» The elements

The set, designed by Louisa Thompson, provides just the necessary elements: a microphone on one side of the stage and an armchair on the other. A large part of the show’s success depends on the strength of the script, which alternates recreations of Gold’s stand-up comedy routines with sections of the50 interviews.

For the interviews, Gold stands near the chair and asks a question (“Do you approve of your children’s choices?” “What makes a Jewish mother different from a non-Jewish mother?” etc.), then sits to answer. As she answers, Gold becomes an array of women, each with her own personality, manner and philosophy.

» The ensemble

The well-written script would be worth nothing, however, if it weren’t for Gold’s presence. There is some predictable self-deprecating humor in the show, as Gold describes herself — a 6-foot 3-inch tall, gay comedienne — who is fighting hard not to become her own mother. And there are countless jokes at the expense of that controlling, obsessive mother.

But the majority of the humor is intelligent, witty and provocative, revealing the articulate Gold’s sensitivity to the women she interviewed.

In her exploration of stereotypes, Gold uncovers women who are brave, resilient and unlike anything you’ve heard before.

» The finale

At the end of end of the show, it’s astonishing to realize that Gold has covered so many topics — sexual identity, being kosher, giving birth and Eleanor Roosevelt, to name a few. The most surprising part is that, while she has used laughter to explain her favorite subject, Gold has also transcended that subject and illuminated larger issues, from human determination to religious faith to the complicated and frustrating and fulfilling nature of motherhood.

‘25 Questions for a Jewish Mother’

Through Feb. 24

» Venue: Presented at Theatre J,

The Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW

» Performances: 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 8 p.m. Saturdays; 3 p.m. Sundays

» Tickets: $15 to $50

» More info: 800-494-TIXS, www.theaterj.org