jerusalem syndrome
starring marc maron
playing at Nada45August 19th - October 3, 1999
Thursday - Sunday, 7:30pm
Tickets $15
(212) 581-6030( a poorly written, but well meaning review )
To simply say that Jerusalem Syndrome is "funny" doesn't relaly do it justice, though I did laugh for almost the entirety of the performance. Starting from his cross-country pilgrimage from New Jersey to New Mexico with his parents and speaking to God, to his Beatnik college days, through the seedy underbelly of the Hollywood Cocaine-filled comedy scene to conspiracy theories and finally to Israel to once again have a conversation with God, Marc Maron gives us a little taste of what it's like to be a jew searching for his roots. Albeit in a rather roundabout way.
To try to retell any of his jokes here would be unfair to both performer and audience. Starting off his piece with a bit of improv ("excuse me ma'am, but are you going to be fanning yourself the entire show, not like it's distracting or anything..." he directed at a woman in the first row of this fourth floor theatre nee apartment in Midtown Manhattan) brought the audience into his world. According to Maron, while most one-man shows tend to be self-indulgent to the point where midway through the performer is talking about cancer and his drinking problem and the audience is crying along with him, Jerusalem Syndrome takes self-indulgence to a whole new level. A level where Maron could be having a conversation with God.
Big corporations running the world and government conspiracy theories are only a part of the story which shape his eventual pilgrimage to Israel, to reconnect with his roots. The audience laughs along with Maron when all of a sudden he'll throw out a one-liner which just brings everyone to a dead halt realizing "Wait a minute. That's not funny. Was that supposed to be funny? Now I've got to start thinking. Wow."
It's this juxtaposition of humor and depth that really makes this a show worthwhile seeing.
If you're a Jew, go for the jokes that could only be understood after years of Hebrew School. If you're not, then go to find out what all the hype was about.