Death of a Salesman closed on June 10 It was the longest, hardest and most satisfying role I've ever done and it's been hard to let go. Next up, 2 X Malamud, which consists of his two greatest stories, The Magic Barrel and The Jewbird performed in the "Word for Word" style. Both stories were hugely successful when first produced by TJT, The Jewbird in 2000 and The Magic Barrel last year. I've had the fantasy of doing an all-Malamud evening for a while now. And now I hope I haven't bitten off more than I can chew, swallow and digest. The characters I play in each story -- Saltzman the marriage broker and Schwartz the "Jewbird" -- could, arguably, be thought of as the same archetype in different manifestations. I'd call this archetype the Jewish Trickster. He has much in common with the "Holy Fools" that show up in various cultures. He can be irreverent and annoying but also a purveyor of spiritual teachings, often experiential ones. In Jewish folklore, the prophet, Elijah, often takes on this role when he appears as any number of unsavory characters to test people's real level of compassion, surprising them with his transformation into the powerful figure of the prophet.

I'll be fleshing out this idea on the TJT Blog in the weeks to come. Stay tuned, and if you live anywhere near Mountain View, please come see 2 X Malamud in August!