Jonathan Epstein plays the title role in Daniel Klein’s ‘Jewish Jester’
(STOCKBRIDGE, Mass.) – The Jewish Jester: A Fable with Music by local playwright and author Daniel Klein, with original music by Jesse Putnam, will have its world premiere at Berkshire Theatre Festival’s Unicorn Theatre in Stockbridge beginning on Thursday, May 9, 2013, and running through Sunday, May 26, 2013. Beloved and well-known regional actors Jonathan Epstein and Robert Lohbauer star as the Jester and the King, respectively, in a production directed by Bruce T. MacDonald and presented by New Stage Performing Arts.
Set in medieval times, The Jewish Jester: A Fable with Music is a two character comedy that tells the story of an anti-Semitic King and his jester, who, unbeknownst to him, is Jewish, and who for different reasons find themselves locked in a dungeon together, and therefore must renegotiate their relationship.
Playwright Klein says about his creation, “This may very well be the first play that combines Elizabethan English and Yiddish, both rife with double entendres and comedic misunderstandings.”
“What appealed to me about the play,” says Nicki Wilson, Artistic Director of New Stage Performing Arts, “is that aside from being hilarious, it shows the absurdity of prejudice. The play is uplifting, both emotionally and psychologically!”
Klein, a Great Barrington resident and a New York Times bestselling author, whose book Plato and a Platypus Walk into a Bar was translated into 25 languages and appeared on bestseller lists in the U.S., France, and Israel, has written over 30 books. His latest book, Travels with Epicurus, was chosen as a New York Times pick for the 2012 Holiday Season. This is Klein’s second play. His first play, Mengelberg and Mahler, was performed during the 2010 season at Shakespeare & Company.
The play runs Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 pm and the matinees are at 3 pm on Sundays. All tickets are $35 and can be purchased in person at the Colonial Theatre Office at 111 South Street, Pittsfield, online at Berkshire Theatre Festival, by calling 413.997.4444 or at the Unicorn Theatre at 6 East Street, Stockbridge a half hour before showtime.