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Victory Gardens Theater revives its longest-running play 12 years after it first opened.

Saturday May 05, 2001.     By Jennifer Allen

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Victory Gardens Theater
2257 N. Lincoln
(773) 871-3000

Victory Gardens Theater revives its longest-running play, The God of Isaac, 12 years after it first opened.

The God of Isaac focuses what our relgious and cultural affiliations mean to us. Still relevant today, it causes us to define what some would shrug off as undefinable or others merely list attributes of their nationality. James Sherman asks us to go deeper -- to find out how we relate to who we have been told we are and what we think that identity is.

Sherman's comedy concerns the identity crisis of Isaac Adams, a young Jewish man attempting to find out what it means to be a "Jew." Between parries with his mother, marriage difficulties, recruitment by the Jewish Defense League and his own studies in history, theology and literature, Isaac muddles through the conflicting concepts of what constitutes Judaism.

Sherman's script toes the fine line between a barrage of one-liners and a serious discussion of religious and cultural identity. Sherman balances well, never letting the comedy impinge on the magnitude and importance this search has for Isaac. His style borrows much from Neil Simon -- interlacing a normal, semi-autobiographical life with a battle within, and portraying the result with a an often self-deprecating humor which makes the experience enjoyable for the audience -- a spoonful of sugar, if you will.

This production is well-directed and well-acted, with special kudos to Debbie Bisno (Chaya), Henrietta Hermelin (Mrs. Adams) and Kraig Swartz (Isaac Adams). Chaya's "letters" give a parallel to Isaac's life which Bisno delivers poignantly. Hermelin's character overshadows the show and expands the play into the audience's experiences. Hermelin opens her character up and quickly appears to have befriended the whole audience, often calling on them in action and word to support her. Swartz captures Adams' vulnerability and also opens himself up, carrying the elements of the script which help make the play less of a formal voyeur experience and more of a discussion.

The weaker points of the play include Sherman's heavy-handed moral, "Each man must find his own relationship with God." This, however, does not serve to hinder the enjoyment of this production. It's an evening of hilarity without the emptiness which plagues many hit comedies, and a play accessible to all and well worth watching.