Wilbury’s ‘Indecent’ chronicles Asch’s life

When the writer Sholem Asch wrote his play, “The God of Vengeance,” in 1906, he had no idea how much trouble his words would cause. Critics attacked the story for its central lesbian relationship. Fellow Jews detected antisemitic tropes. The script, first composed in Yiddish, caused linguistic friction among actors. During its Broadway debut, New York police shut down the production and arrested the cast on charges of obscenity. Decades after Asch finished typing his script, even the House Un-American Activities Committee seized its chance to push him around. Asch just couldn’t catch a break, right up to his death in 1957.

Yet in 2015, playwright Paula Vogel adapted this hapless chain of events into her own play, “Indecent,” which will receive its Rhode Island premiere at the Wilbury Theatre this month. The Tony-nominated stage play follows Asch’s life, from fledgling dramatist newly arrived from Poland to blacklisted washup ready to burn his own work. Vogel, who won the Pulitzer Prize for her bare-knuckled family drama “How I Learned to Drive,” artfully documents the dark social forces that swirled around Asch, from general homophobia to Nazi persecution of Jewish artists.

“ ‘Indecent’ is a modern masterpiece of the American theater, and we are honored to be sharing this important work with Rhode Island audiences for the first time,” says Josh Short, the Wilbury’s artistic director. “Not only is ‘Indecent’ an incredible testament to the power of theater to persist in even the most trying times, but in an environment where antisemitic incidents continue to be on the rise, it’s an essential reminder of the legacy of Jewish artists who believed fully in the enduring power of storytelling.”

Born to a Jewish father, Vogel is considered one of the most important living playwrights in the United States. Her work is well known for taking on challenging themes, such as feminism, sexual abuse and the AIDS crisis.

Vogel also has a strong relationship with Providence, having served as a creative writing professor at Brown University and co-founder of the Brown/Trinity Rep Consortium.

“We are grateful for the Jewish artists and community members who have come together to make this production possible,” adds Short, “and in their hands we are eager to foster these crucial conversations and continue the dialogue within and outside of the work itself.”

“Indecent” performs April 15 – May 7 at The Wilbury Theatre Group, Providence. For information and tickets, visit TheWilburyGroup.org