Rules Schmules – How To Be Jew-ISH – Camden Fringe / Etcetera Theatre, London

Suzie Depreli brings original music and humour to Rules Schmules: How to be Jew-ISH. Catch it as part of the Camden Fringe before it heads to Edinburgh.

Rules Schmules

Sometimes a very simple premise is all it takes, if you can execute it well.  Such is broadly the case with Rules Schmules: How to be Jew-ISH, which is currently on as part of Camden Fringe before travelling to the Edinburgh Fringe (and maybe elsewhere in future: check here for up to date info).

Rules Schmules is a one woman show by Suzie Depreli.  In it she uses music and humour to dissect a list of rules (hence the title). Rules which non-Jewish people have conveyed to her as important aspects of being Jewish.  Starting with Eat Kosher, all the way through to Be Kind.  Growing up in the UK, this show is about navigating a Jewish identity in a majority Christian country: traditions, community, difference and togetherness.  But more than that, it’s a love letter to family and friends, both Jewish and non-Jewish, who have contributed to Depreli’s life, identity and sense of self through their teachings, examples, and love.

In a week where the UK is facing far-right violence (and heartening counter-protests), this seems a very pertinent show.  Depreli is very open about her experiences of anti-Semitism, including at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe.  Her natural warmth and openness make her show the safe space she intends it to be.  We can only hope that in future staging a show about family and tradition takes less personal courage.

How to be Jew-ISH

We’ve got a bit serious.  Important, I think, but let’s get back to the music and comedy.  As I said, Rules Schmules is a simple show.  And a welcoming one.  It comprises Depreli, a keyboard, a screen, and a board with a cheat sheet of Yiddish and Hebrew words we might hear (this Gentile was appreciative – on a few occasions I was able to use it to keep up).  Particularly helpful if you want to sing along at any point.

The show has a structured format: introduce a rule, find out Depreli’s take on it, then hear a song. Judaism, like many religions, is as much about interpretation as it is about rules: the format works to help Depreli reclaim her power to determine her own Jewish identity from all those unsolicited opinions.  She has written songs in a range of styles: a few rock ballads, one Klezmer-inspired ditty, electric tango, a Christmas song, and Sesame Street of all things.  Some are more successful than others: a song compiling Yiddish insults is amusing, but is too weighted towards the repetitive chorus rather than the cutting insults we’re hoping to hear. Playing against a pre-recorded soundtrack, furthermore, isn’t always easy, but for this hour-long show it works fairly smoothly.

This is a warm show with a lot of heart.  I appreciated such an intimate look at a life that is different than mine, and the humour Depreli finds in her family’s foibles, her adventures in love and her somewhat stereotypical (according to one song) choice of career path.  The positive vibe in the audience is enough for me to recommend it in these divided times: if you’re in Camden or Edinburgh in the coming weeks then check it out!

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 3/5

Rules Schmules: How to be Jew-ISH on until 10 August 2024 at Etcetera Theatre, and then from 20th to 25th August 2024 at Edinburgh Fringe.  Camden Fringe runs until 25 August 2024.  More info here.