The conundrum of Jewish comedy today is this: How does a sensibility that has long benefited from its outsider status adjust to a world where it has not only assimilated into popular culture but also helped define it.
One answer can be found at the Theater Center in Times Square, where a slickly funny stand-up show, “Strictly Unorthodox,” presents a more culturally marginal Jewish perspective. An ultra-Orthodox Jew from England, Ashley Blaker has built an act about the rituals of an insular, deeply traditional community that treats much of modern culture and society with suspicion. While contemporary Jewish comedians like Moshe Kasher have talked about religious Jews in their family, and Woody Allen used traditional garb for a famous sight gag in “Annie Hall,” Orthodox Jews are usually portrayed as alien or weird — and it’s rare to see a stand-up in New York from this devout perspective.
“Most of you probably see Orthodox Jews with our beards and sidelocks and funny hats and probably think we’re slightly crazy,” he said on a radio show called “Ashley Blaker’s Goyish Guide to Judaism. “But if you got what was involved, you’d realize we’re totally crazy.”
This is pitched to a mainstream audience, but his live set also caters to an observant Jewish audience, and appealing to both is the challenge of his show. Mr. Blaker, a producer at the BBC whose credits include “Little Britain,” jokes that he might be the only person who works in television who doesn’t own one. And after he polled his crowd, it was clear he wasn’t the only one without a set. He does not perform during the Sabbath, and in an effort to accommodate religious audiences who do not want to sit next to a member of the opposite sex, some of his performances feature seating segregated by gender.
His jokes attempt the balancing act of translating religious customs for a secular audience while poking fun at the devout in a way that doesn’t offend. A major theme is the difficulty of following the word of the Torah in a secular world. “Believe it or not, I never coveted my neighbor’s ox,” he said, before adding a sneaky aside: “And he did have a nice ox.”
Using a verbally dexterous and slightly exasperated delivery evoking that of John Oliver, he specializes in problems of etiquette that arise in an effort to remain devout. Since observant Jews can’t use electricity during the Sabbath, what happens when you accidentally leave the bedroom light on...read more at NY Times
