The Other Josh Cohen: Clever and Very Funny

Steven Rosen, Kate Wetherhead, David Rossmer

Opening at the SoHo playhouse, The Other Josh Cohen is a lightweight, but extremely fun musical.  It whizzes by at 80 minutes, with plenty of laughs per minute.  As the audience is being seated, a man begins to remove all the set dressing, a box at a time.  Interspersed with the audience discussions of where to have a drink after the show and what little Billy did yesterday at school, a few people start tocomment; is the set being dressed for a different show, is the lead character going to be moving in, what exactly is going on?

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Turns out that set is an apartment and, the yet unseen, Josh Cohen, is being robbed. Narrator Josh walks through the aisle and explains what has just happened, just as a frumpier and much angrier Josh Cohen arrives on stage to find he was just burgled. Narrator Josh is a year older and wiser.  He explains to stage Josh that is the story of what happened “back then”.  Narrator Josh’s acceptance of the circumstances is, unsurprisingly, of little comfort to the recently robbed Josh.  The interplay between these two characters, separated by a year, is charmingly funny.  Imagine your future self coming back to a venerable point in your life to tell you everything will be fine - when everything is, thank you very much, definitely NOT fine.  Even more annoying for real time Josh, his future self has lost weight, cleaned up a little and is entirely too smug.

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The story then unfolds in song and sketch.  Not long after the burglary, when Josh has nothing, a check arrives in the mail for $56,000.  It is from Ida Cohen, a relative from Florida.  Well, maybe a relative.  Our Josh tries to ascertain exactly which relative it is, and why Ida is sending him money.  After some interesting exposition on the Cohen family tree and suggestions from his family to just take the money, Josh finds out there is, indeed, a different and unrelated Josh Cohen at a similar address. 

Davis Rossmer & Steve Rosen as Josh Cohen (Ken Triwush on Guitar in rear)

This is a simple set up, played with enthusiasm and heart by Steven Rosen (real time Josh) and David Rossmer (Narrator Josh).  These two gentlemen make a great pair and yet are still believable as the same character separated by a year.  These two talented men also wrote the book, lyrics and music - so their ease in the characters is organic.

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The Other Josh Cohen has a veteran supporting cast who excel in playing in the band, while still performing all the other characters.  Ken Triwush, Vadim Feichtner and Hannah Elless all move from being band members to characters and back seamlessly with a real sense of joy and fun.  Kate Wetherhead plays a myriad of secondary chacters, transitioning from an attractive young woman to Seth Cohen, Patriarch of a vast Cohen family, and everything in between.  Ms. Wehterhead makes all the characters work wonderfully.  In particular, her Ida Cohen, circa Boca, is flawless.

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Directed with a light touch by Ted Sperling, The Other Josh Cohen snuck up on me.  It starts gently and builds in humor and pathos as the show progresses.  By the end, I kind of loved it, and left with a huge grin.  You can’t ask from much more than that.

The Other Josh Cohen

Book, Music & Lyrics: David Rossmer and Steve Rosen

Director: Ted Sperling

Cast: Hannah Elless, Vadim Feichtner, Steve Rosen, David Rossmer, Ken Triwush, Kate Wtherehead

SoHo Playhouse - Website

Review, HIM: More than Meets the Eye

HIM @ Soho Playhosue

HIM, has moved to the Soho Playhouse from a sold-out run at the Cherry Lane theater.  The show is a look at the price we are willing to pay to achieve our dreams; in this case, the dream of stardom versus the dream of happily ever after.  

Jon Fleming and Todd Alan Crain discuss Nick's career in HIM

Jon Fleming is Nick, a handsome young actor, who is on the cusp of breaking to the ranks of Hollywood leading men.  Todd Alan Crain is Matthew, his gay partner, confidant, and emotional rock.  There is a very obvious story here, Nick gets famous and has to give up Matthew.

But HIM has more on its mind than the obvious.  Matthew isn’t a demure and quiet lover, pining away in silence and self-doubt.  Matthew, excellently played by Mr. Crain, is a true partner of Nick, with a career outside of “husband”.  They have plotted out their journey together. And, when the glamour goes to Nick’s head, Matthew takes action.  Matthew confronts Nick’s Manager, Lindsay Goranson throwing herself into the role with venom, about the choices she is making.  She is sidelining Matthew not just to promote Nick, but to ruin their relationship.  It is over the top, but if you have dealt with Hollywood, it is also totally believable.

There is a great supporting cast in Julian Mercer, Georgia X Lifsher and James Sautter.  They bring life and honesty to the proceedings that, sometimes, threaten to veer into caricature.  Julian Mercer delivers the gay comic quips with aplomb.  Georgia Lifsher plays the Latinia beard just this side of Charo.  And James Sautter actually brings some warmth to the eye candy role, which could have easily become a “naked man #2” billet.

The emotional weight of HIM depends on Jon Fleming, who must be self-confident, but desire validation.  Jon Fleming plays Nick as dim, but not stupid – it sometimes seems that young Nick has made a choice to ignore things that bother him, to be blissfully unaware.  And circumstances force him to confront what he doesn’t want to.  Mr. Fleming brings a natural warmth to the role.

HIM isn’t a deeply tragic play, but it is a very well written and performed piece with a real emotional center.

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HIM at SoHo Playhouse

Playwright: Clifford Streit

Director: Clifford Streit

Cast: Jon Fleming, Todd Alan Crain, Lindsay Goranson, Julian Mercer, Georgia Lifsher, James Sautter

Runs Through: April 7

Website