By Elyse Trevers
Josh Cohen is back in town, and he’s as engaging as he was in 2012 when the show first opened at the Soho Playhouse. Then “The Other Josh Cohen,” written by David Rossmer and Steve Rosen, was nominated for 6 Drama Desk Awards and followed up with a sold-out run at the Paper Mill Playhouse.
There’s no official beginning to the play, only a darkly-clad young man onstage who seems to be moving out of a small apartment. In fact, it takes a while for some in the audience to realize that the play has actually begun and so they continue talking.
Yet onstage, the activities continue until we all realize that there’s a robbery taking place. The robber takes everything, including the clock, the Star Wars shower curtain and even a half-eaten Bundt cake.
The burglary is just another in a line of unpleasant events in Josh’s life. Even worse is that Valentine’s Day is approaching and he has no girlfriend. (One song ironically titled “My Best Day” tells of his string of unfortunate Valentine Days.)
When Josh returns to his apartment, he realizes that nearly everything is gone. The robber has left only a Neil Diamond CD No. 3, (another musical cue) an empty box from a porn DVD without the DVD, and the Hang On, Kitty, calendar his aunt sent him. Slim pickings, but each of these items is mined repeatedly for comedy in the show. Nothing goes right for Josh. His writing has gone nowhere and now he works as a temp for two bosses who don’t get along. Yet throughout his misfortunes, we smile. Even the robbery has a touch of humor as Josh notes “I was broke before he broke in.”
Much of the sweetness comes from the charm of Rossmer and Rosen, who also play the two main characters. Rossmer is The Narrator, actually Josh looking back on his own life, and seems optimistic. In fact, he repeatedly tells Josh (Rosen) “your day is gonna come.” So basically, he is giving himself a pep talk.
Although he won’t tell Josh exactly what will happen, he seems confident about how it will end.
So Josh almost never loses faith. When he gets a mysterious letter in his mailbox, it seems, at least for while, that his luck has changed. Josh is a genuinely nice guy, and perhaps that’s one of his problems. In fact, when he ‘meets’ a girl online for Valentine’s Day, she gets him to help her boyfriend move into her apartment.
Directed by the talented Tony nominee Hunter Foster, the musical employs recurring jokes, using Star Wars, Neil Diamond and the calendar. It also includes Jewish references, which even though explained, work better if you already understand them.
Josh’s sister lives down South where she makes “matzah balls with ham in it.” And when Josh gets the strange envelope in the mail, he wonders if it’s “beshert” (Fate.)
The performers are extremely inventive and talented. Five other cast members play multiple roles and multiple instruments, and the Playbill even has playful labels for their roles. Kate Wetherhead plays “A Lot of People” while Louis Tucci plays “A Bunch of People” etc.
“The Other Josh Cohen” is off-Broadway theater at its best. It’s simple, intimate and imaginative. The musical styles are varied and the lyrics often quite clever.
Although it’s best if you ‘get’ the references, it won’t really matter. It’s easy to see why “The Other Josh Cohen” has returned.
This time it’s for a limited run and is scheduled to close February 24, 2019. So it’s smart to get your tickets soon since the Westside Arts is a small theater, and who knows when Josh’ll be back.
