So Kiss Me Already, Herschel Gertz!

Submitted by ryanprice on Sun, 04/29/2007 - 17:18

Articles

Showtimes:
	Fri 5/18
4:00 PM	Sat 5/19
8:15 PM	Sun 5/20
10:45 PM	Mon 5/21
	Tue 5/22
6:00 PM	Wed 5/23
	Thu 5/24
7:10 PM	Fri 5/25
11:00 AM	Sat 5/26
2:30 PM	Sun 5/27

Tickets: $10 ($8)
(Students, Seniors)

Awkward Moment Productions - Minneapolis, MN

Official Website
Official MySpace

Read a review on the Orlando Sentinel Theatre Blog

Listen to an interview on the Orlando Fringe Podcast

Read a review in encore

What do you do when you’re the pork chop in an all-Kosher world?

Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 1986. Amy has a plan for her 15th summer: Transform from total dorkwad to Material Girl. Build This City on rock and roll. And pine for Ross Buckman until he sees her True Colors shining through. Instead, Amy’s parents ship her off against her will to “freakishly Jewish” Camp L’Chaim, where “even the mosquitoes wear yarmulkes!” How Amy survives as the pork chop in an all-Kosher world “combines poetry, comedy, pathos and plain good storytelling” (--The Halifax Herald).

Salloway’s willingness to openly and publicly revisit her misfit status and spiritual confusion has earned her glowing reviews from critics and audience members alike, who’ve commented,

“…both kick-ass funny and achingly poignant, often at the same time”(-- CityBeat),

“David Sedaris has met his female match!” (--MN Fringe website)

“Tender and very funny…you’ll relate regardless of summer camp experience or religious persuasion -- Salloway’s story is universal and charming enough to win anyone over” (-- CBC Manitoba).

Theatregoers have come up to her on the street to share their own unhappy summer camp experiences, or to guess which real camp “L’Chaim” is the pseudonym for. Salloway hadn’t anticipated the rapport the show would generate, nor that a story centered around Judaica would be so universal: her first private booking for the show came from a conservative Lutheran college.

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5 comments

Ryan wrote 17 years 26 weeks ago

From Amy's Blog: Do people

From Amy's Blog:

Do people know about the reviews at Ink19.com???
Current mood: tired

Hey, Orlando Fringe Peeps --

Did you all know that the pseudonymically-named Carl F. Gauze is reviewing shows on a website called ink19.com? He is, indeed, in a somewhat humorous, conversational fashion, with writing that's rather free and loose (he calls "Pentacostal, Wisconsin" "Wisconsin Pentacostal", for example). You can see my review here, or here:

So Kiss Me Already Herchel Gertz!
By Amy Salloway
Awkward Moment Productions
Red Venue
Orlando Fringe Festival, Orlando, FL

Oy, was this show ever Jewish! There was a chair near the entrance to the Red Venue, and as the line built up two tired Jewish women kvetched over who should sit there: "No, you should sit." "No, you. I can stand already." It was a great way you set the mood for this one woman first person story of growing up in Milwaukee and having to deal with summer camp. I say first person because so many one person shows try to play 10 or 30 charters, and they often end up as hard to follow mish-mashes. Ms. Salloway avoids that, telling about the trauma of adolescent and finding a first boyfriend, no matter how inappropriate.

Amy is sent away so her mother can have some surgery with the parting shot "I can't deal with you AND my uterus". The camp is a conservative Jewish summer camp "Camp L'Chaim". Where I come from summer camp meant boys and girls are kept in separate states. Here, the sexes mingle freely, but you can only listen to Jewish folk music and eat your meals in Hebrew. Amy has body shape issues (ok, she's fat) and social issues (her parents aren't wealthy) and acceptance issues (she's the new kid and everyone else is paired up). So who doesn't she get? Slow talking Velcro kissing Herschel. He's no prize, but he's better the Schmolo the Homo.

Amy's story is bouncy and touching, with a nice variety of humor and pathos. We've all gone through similar things growing up, and its fun to look back and see how we might have been, or maybe where we are right now. The folk music is folksy, and there's a handy Yiddish decoder ring to help the goyim. Be a mensch, see the show. You'll plotz!

Video: Orlando Fringe 2007 Day 3 at Liberatr Media Network wrote 17 years 27 weeks ago