The Broadway play Indecent plays its final performance today. One of the most highly regarded plays of the 2016 – 2017, Indecent won two Tony Awards and received good critical reviews.
When the play extended its run, a companion and I got tickets. It was a show well worth going to see.
Written by Paula Vogel, the story is about a play, God of Vengeance, written by Sholem Asch around 1907. Asch’s play is considered controversial because it speaks about the Jewish religion and and at first people tell him to get rid of it. Instead, the play performs in large capitals of Europe and is a success. It comes to America where it runs Off-Broadway and it does fine. When it opens on Broadway, it is closed down and goes to trial. It is found to be materials indecent for a Broadway stage. The story continues as the play moves back to Europe and moves through the Holocaust time period where it continues to be performed.
Indecent is a play with music. The performances by the actors and musicians were first rate.
At the End
It was impressive to see the audience’s reaction to this play. At several moving moments, sounds of “ohs” and sadness could be heard. The standing ovation was long and loud. And although standing o’s have become more common on Broadway, this was much more heartfelt and deeper than I have been a part of in quite awhile.
This play was originally scheduled for a closed run and it did have a well deserved extension. But it will be hard to walk by the Cort Theatre and not feel a few pangs that it is not there anymore.