It is rare for a World Premiere play to be extended
before it even opens, but the pre-opening demand for Palm Beach Dramaworks’ Ordinary Americans by Joseph McDonough has
been so enthusiastic, that it has now been extended to January 5, opening on
December 6. Is it no wonder? This new play dramatizes a time not unlike
our own, written by a proven playwright, and staring one of South Florida’s
most accomplished actors, Elizabeth Dimon as the indefatigable Gertrude “Tillie”
Berg (AKA Molly Goldberg).
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Elizabeth Dimon as Gertrude Berg
Photo by Samantha Mighdoll
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Ordinary Americans
has all the right stuff to make it a hit.
When television was in its infancy, few actors were as
beloved as Gertrude Berg and the gentle comedy that she created, wrote,
produced, and starred in, The Goldbergs.
The program began on radio in 1929, and
20 years later became one of TV’s earliest sitcoms. For her portrayal of Molly Goldberg, the
matriarch of a Jewish family living in the Bronx, Berg was the first recipient
of an Emmy Award for Best Actress.
The Goldbergs
was a huge moneymaker for CBS. And then,
in June, 1950, a pamphlet, “Red Channels: The Report of Communist Influence in
Radio and Television,” was published by a right-wing newsletter. It listed 151
artists and broadcasters as “Red Fascists and their sympathizers.” Proponents of civil rights and academic
freedom were among the favorite targets. Many of them, not coincidentally, were Jewish.
Among those ensnared by this very real
witch hunt was Philip Loeb, who played Jake Goldberg, Molly’s TV husband. When CBS demanded that Berg fire Loeb, she
refused. The show was taken off the air.
The aftermath of that decision, and the consequences of
McCarthyism and anti-Semitism on Berg, Loeb, and the Goldberg “family,” is at
the center of Joseph McDonough’s Ordinary
Americans, a co-production with GableStage that was commissioned by Palm
Beach Dramaworks.
There is an unusual back story about the play’s
beginnings: it was suggested by Elizabeth Dimon who plays the lead. “I came to the idea of a possible play about
Gertrude Berg after reading about the ‘blacklisting’ of actors during the
1950’s ‘red scare’. This remarkable
woman not only starred in her own show, but had authored more than 12,000 radio
and TV scripts during her lifetime. She
was in sharp contrast to most in the TV business, a strong, independent figure,
and a woman as well. I thought to myself, I would love to play Berg and brought
the idea about a play to Bill.”
Bill Hayes, PBD Producing Artistic Director was intrigued
and immediately thought of Joe McDonough as the ideal playwright. “In addition to PBD being instrumental in
developing this play, it is the timeliest play we’ve ever done. What was going on then was so subversive; everyone
just thought that justice would prevail.
Although our present times are not exactly the same, it was a similar
world, just seen through a different prism. I felt a co production with
GableStage was important to spread the message this play has to say. I also think it’s important for the arts of
collaborate – there is strength in numbers – so this play will open in Miami
soon after it closes here. It is our
hope that it will eventually be picked up by other theatres as well.”
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| Joseph McDonough |
The playwright, Joe McDonough said “I enjoyed writing
almost an historical piece, infusing it with the natural drama of the story,
and felt a tremendous obligation towards fidelity. In fact I researched the
papers of Philip Loeb at the New York Public Library, which had his notes before
he testified before the House on Un-American Activities. Among his notes was
this plaintive statement: ‘here I am having tried to do justice in my life and
now I am being made a victim of injustice.’
I’m telling a tragedy here and want to be faithful to the real people in
the drama. It’s a powerful story that excites and the universality of the
issues are such they almost write themselves.”
David Kwait in his PBD debut plays Philip Loeb. “Ordinary
Americans is a revelation to me as The
Goldbergs was before my time. I
admire my character’s sense of justice always being on the side of advocacy for
actors and their working conditions. In
the play Angels in America I
ironically acted the part of Roy Cohn, the polar opposite of Philip Loeb, and
from the same era, but my training is to be an advocate for the character and
let the audience decide.”
Tillie’s right hand gal, Fannie, is played by Margery
Lowe. “Fannie’s outright dedication to
Tillie, and her ability to keep her boss under control was remarkable. They were like sisters. And I love playing with Beth as we’ve acted
together more than a dozen times and we can communicate with just a look. And I
like my secondary role as Mrs. Kramer being able to shout out “Yoo-Hoo, Mrs.
Goldberg! The play seems eerily current
as I drove down I95 today listening to the Congressional Hearings.”
Rob Donohoe and Tom Wahl play a number of roles, a
testament to how PBD is able to stage the play along with Donohoe and Wahl’s versatility.
Donohoe said “although a World Premiere, this experience
was very different that the last one I played in at PBD, House on Fire, which came to us pretty much a finished piece.
Ordinary Americans was commissioned by PBD and underwent enormous
changes in its development. I play a
number of characters but mainly Eli Mintz who is ‘Uncle David’ on the TV
show. He was an immigrant from Poland
and his pessimism is like a Greek Chorus in the play. I also play Cardinal Spellman who wheeled
tremendous influence in the 1950s. Although he was a man of strong convictions
about himself, I hope to show his humanity, his belief that he was saving souls
even though he played a part in ‘the Red Scare.” Donohoe summed it all up saying “it is
frightening how similar that period of distrust and fear resembles those of
today, and this new play captures that very feeling.”
Following its run at PBD, Ordinary Americans moves south to GableStage, where it can be seen
from January 18 – February 16, 2020. PBD Producing Artistic Director William
Hayes directs the play. Ilana Becker is the associate director (PBD debut). Set
design is by Michael Amico, costume design is by Brian O’Keefe, lighting design
is by Christina Watanabe (PBD debut), and sound design is by David Thomas.
