THE PLAY: A middle-aged man with the titular genealogy talks about his family and other life experiences while in his therapist’s waiting room.

 

THE PRODUCTION: Actor Ron Tobin so completely inhabits this character with broad swagger and neurotic energy that I assumed he was the author (it’s written by Steve Solomon). He has a comfortable rapport with the audience, most of whom were loving the show. For me, it felt like visiting the Catskills to observe an old school comic. Most of the jokes had standard setups with obvious punch lines. The subjects included such creaky classics as puberty, marriage, sex, even airport security, but mostly it revolved around old people, especially his family. Toss in some stale ethnic gags, a bunch of over-the-top dialects and even a few mouth-made sound effects for a play crammed with enthusiastic but dusty humor.

 

THE POINT: Even though most the audience was loving it, I found it a flashback to old-style comic standup with creaky jokes presented by an energetic actor.

 

(2.5 / 5)

 

At Center Stage’s Llibby S. Gottwald Playhouse thru 12/20