The first moments of Indecent are filled with music, not words.
From those initial notes, there is no doubt about what the audience is in for: You’re going to experience music throughout this play. Music is a major part of its storytelling. And it’s a story that is distinctly Jewish.
Through its music, Indecent doesn’t just dip a toe into Judaism. It jumps in with both feet.
This is a story that is fundamentally about the power of words. And yet, music is inextricably intertwined; it’s decidedly a play with music, not a musical.
In a musical, the songs tend to move the story forward. Major plot points happen through song. The singers fall in love, have life-changing realizations, or take an action that alters the course of the story.
As a play with music, the major plot points in Indecent are instead driven by the spoken word. The dialogue takes center stage while the music serves as a storytelling device, – alternatively setting a tone, allowing the audience to sit in a moment just a little longer, or propelling us through a transition. As a show that jumps to different years and countries, the music is also indicative of time and place.
While some songs include vocals, most are music with movement. That’s where choreographer Jessica K. Scruggs comes in.
"I kind of had a niche in Jewish theatre and movement," said Scruggs. "Having Jewish people be a part of this storytelling is important because they bring a certain knowledge and a certain background. There are certain nuances that I might see, feel, or just intuitively know in terms of dance or movement that I can add to the show."
The songs composed for Indecent are klezmer-style music, a genre of eastern European folk music in the Ashkenazi Jewish tradition. The Yiddish term klezmer combines the Hebrew words for vessel (kley) and melody (zemer). If you’ve ever danced the hora while Hava Nagila played at a Jewish wedding, bat mitzvah, or bar mitzvah, you’ve experienced klezmer music.
A hallmark of klezmer music is that it often contains long instrumental passages without vocals, but emotive singing also plays a role. Though you may not understand the language in which the lyrics are sung, you can never mistake the mood that klezmer music is meant to evoke. This style of music found a niche in celebrations and holidays.
"There’s so much joy in the music. And I think what is really special about this type of music and the music that’s in the show is that there is a lot of joy while there is also tension," said Scruggs. "Even in the hardest of times, this music pushes through. It’s that ability to find joy and find life when there’s tension, difficulty, and pain going on."
Like the Jewish people, klezmer-style music has demonstrated its ability to persist over time. The Holocaust didn’t stop it. Migration and assimilation haven’t stopped it. Klezmer music adapts to the styles of the new countries and time periods where it travels. It adapts to survive. But it remains deeply, unambiguously Jewish. So does Indecent.
"I think it’s important to do shows with Jewish themes that are also a little bit edgy. That makes a statement. That makes you think," said Scruggs. "It doesn’t have to be telling you what to think. Just a story that makes you think, that makes you wonder, and that makes you ask questions—much in the way that Judaism does."
Indecent recounts the fiery controversy sparked by a lesbian kiss in the 1923 play God of Vengeance. This play within a play is grounded in Jewish culture, tensions, pain, and joy.
Indecent was written by Paula Vogel. This regional premiere is directed by Helen R. Murray.
It runs Oct. 4–29 at American Stage. This production contains mature themes.
Jenna Jane is a Jewish playwright living in Pinellas County. Learn more at: jennajanewrites.wordpress.com.
More Information
Indecent
by Paula Vogel
directed by Helen R. Murray
A play that recounts the fiery controversy sparked by a lesbian kiss, Indecent is a love story at its core. A brothel owner’s daughter and a sex worker discover passion on stage, and our more-than-disapproving characters are what make the rest of this play, well, indecent. A deeply moving and hopeful play inspired by the true events, it stands as a grounding work of Jewish culture, we hope you’ll see what all the talk is about.