WHY WORRY? JEWS R 2 MUCH FUN! Opens April 30 At Santa Monica Playhouse

Why Worry? Jews R 2 Much Fun! world premiere engagement of a new comedy, written by Jerry Mayer and directed by Chris DeCarlo, has been announced at Santa Monica Playhouse.

Kathy and Stanley are deeply in love. They want to get married. Stanley is Jewish, Kathy's a Catholic. Interfaith marriages happen all the time in America. But Kathy's father Chris considers Stanley's father Marv to be a hated, sworn enemy and has felt this way for many years. Kathy and Stanley's families are to be united in matrimony. In order to prevent Chris' hate from derailing their happiness, they devise a plan. Stanley's family, aided by Kathy's mother Mary, are about to give Chris a very special education. Hilarity ensues. Chris will ultimately have to reconsider the things that are stressing him out. Why Worry? Jews R 2 Much Fun!

Jerry Mayer, a nonagenarian from St. Louis is the playwright. He has written and/or produced for many of your favorite TV shows, among them The Facts of Life, M*A*S*H, Bewitched, Tabitha, All in the Family, Punky Brewster, Room 222, The Jonathan Winters Show, Bridget Loves Bernie, McHale's Navy, and specials for Mitzi Gaynor, Perry Como and Don Knotts .His first play, Almost Perfect, debuted at Santa Monica Playhouse in 1986. Ten more works for the stage have followed, among them 2 Across, Killjoy, A Love Affair, Black and Bluestein,, Love and Politics, Aspirin & Elephants, Mistakes Were Made, and the musicals Falling in Love Again and (with Steve Mayer) You Haven't Changed a Bit and Other Lies.

Chris DeCarlo directs. He has been a director, actor, writer and producer in a career spanning over six decades. His directing credits include Made Me Nuclear, Love in Bloom, Notes from Underground, Hard Laughs, From Tokyo to Hollywood and Back Again, Poco a Poco, Picon Pie and Climax. As an actor, he has performed over 350 roles and 10,000 performances. He is the producer of the annual Binge Free Festival (BFF). Chris is also an educator and is co-founder and director of Actors Workshop, Young Professionals Company, Actors' Repertory Theatre, the American Cultural Youth Ambassadors, the Diversity-in-Education Program, the Schools Theatre Excursion Project and Project: OutReach. Chris previously served nine years as a Commissioner on the Santa Monica Arts Commission. A Veteran, he is the recipient of the Bronze Star.

2023 marks the Fiftieth Anniversary of Chris DeCarlo's and Evelyn Rudie's continuing tenures as Co-Artistic Directors of Santa Monica Playhouse.

Chris' cast for Jerry Mayer's newest play includes Evelyn Rudie, Paul Linke, Tara Brown, Patrick Censoplano, Jamie Gallo and Chris himself.

Set, lighting and multimedia designs by James Cooper. Costume design by Ashley Hayes. Incidental music by Steve Mayer. Technical director: George J. Vennes III. Video consultant: Fritz Davis.

The play is part of Santa Monica Playhouse's Jewish Heritage Series.

Chris DeCarlo has helmed ten of Jerry Mayer's world premiere comedies and says "Jerry Mayer's plays are a joy for a director, a cast and of course, an audience, touching on issues to which we can all relate - love, romance, marriage, financial woes, parents, infidelity, aging, and friendship. Experiencing a Jerry Mayer play brings us that much closer to the realization that turning the frown upside down is the best way to navigate through life's most serious issues, big or small. The Santa Monica Playhouse Jewish Heritage Series is proud to present the world premiere of Jerry's newest play, a serious comedy about one of the ugliest issues imaginable."

Performances will take place on the Playhouse's intimate Second Stage called The Other Space.

So, come to the Playhouse and put your troubles aside. Why Worry? Jews R 2 Much Fun! Come see this show and laugh a little. Or, more likely, a lot.

Previews on April 15, 16, 22, 23 Opens Sunday, April 30, 2023 at 2:30 p.m. Closes Sunday, June 25. Performances Sat. at 7:00 p.m., Sun. at 2:30 p.m.

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