Egotism vs. Ritual in ‘Closest Friends’

The Yiddish word “shonda” describes a family’s public disgrace. It’s fitting that “431 of My Closest Friends” should be subtitled “A Shonda in One Act.” This ambitious new comedy at Theatre/Theater shows just what disaster can ensue when a young Jewish mother lets personal egotism take precedence over ritual.

The ritual in question is a bris, the ceremonial circumcision that takes place on the eighth day of a male Jewish baby’s life. Miriam Kouzel Billington plays Myra, the downtrodden young mom who allows her head to be turned by the fantastical claims of trendy “bris consultant” Eden Esterhaus (David Presby, who also plays all the other characters in the play).

Anyone who’s read the fairy tale “The Fisherman and the Flounder” will find themselves in familiar territory here. Eden pitches increasingly elaborate “bris themes” to the gullible Myra, whose grandiose notions swell as her bank account dwindles. Eventually, Myra’s grandeur crumbles humiliatingly as her gala occasion turns into an epic nightmare.

Billington and Presby co-wrote the show with Peter Goldman, who also directs. Graduates from the steamroller school of comedy, the trio crushes subtlety under a juggernaut of one-liners, almost flattening their engagingly wacky premise along the way. The jokes don’t always work--but more often they do, and the evening, which contains more drag turns than a British panto, takes on a frantic, festive quality. The very funny Presby displays a scenery-chewing exuberance that makes Benny Hill look like a Method actor.

* “431 of My Closest Friends,” Theatre/Theater, 1713 Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood. Tuesdays, 8 p.m. Ends March 5. $12. (213) 466-1767.