I read Aliza Gans’s commentary about a new play, “‘Slam Frank’: When Satire Goes Too Far” (May 8, 2025) in her letters to the editor with great interest. As a theater reviewer for over 35 years and now half of TheJewishVoiceAndOpinion.com’s “Two Sues on the Aisle,” I’ve seen—and panned—more productions that I wish existed. Therefore, I was greatly impressed by Ms. Gans’ thoughtful, well-considered critique—until her penultimate paragraph in which she exhorts her readers to join a protest demanding a halt to the production.
Created by composer and lyricist Andrew Fox and writer Joel Sinensky, “Slam Frank,” as Ms. Gans acknowledges, is meant to be a satire, a joke not about Anne Frank but, rather, a swipe at the “progressive” (read “leftist”) ideology, so prevalent in today’s theatrical world, that demands universalization of everything—especially if that includes icons and experiences recognized as historically Jewish. The fact that so many theatrical types—producers, directors and performers—are Jewish (as, I assume, are Messrs. Fox and Sinensky) makes their point even—excuse the pun—more dramatically.
To say Ms. Gans disagreed with their presentation is putting it mildly, and she makes her well-reasoned argument cogently. Two Sues on the Aisle rates everything we review from one to five challahs, depending on how many we think are worth buying rather than making from scratch in order to see, read, hear, or in any way experience the material under consideration. It is safe to say that Ms. Gans would have given “Slam Frank” a rating of zero challahs—“Bake them all,” she’d say; it’s time better spent than wasting a minute on an, as she put it “incredibly insensitive” production.
Would Two Sues on the Aisle agree? I have no idea. Maybe. But would we ever have called for a boycott/protest geared to shut down “Slam Frank”? Never.
If, in Ms. Gans’s opinion, the creators failed to present their intent satisfactorily, no one disputes their goal was never to disparage Anne Frank, her family, or any Holocaust victims. If anything, even according to Ms. Gans, they wanted to show how absurd it is to try to imagine Anne Frank as anything but a Jewish victim whose words have outlived her persecutors.
Pan the play, Ms. Gans; by all means, suggest your readers stay away from a production you found offensive (if they trust you, they’ll follow suit and thank you for it); but don’t engage in what amounts to senseless censorship and denial of First Amendment freedom. Bans should be saved for those materials that incite violence. Admonitions to “Kill the…” (you fill in the blanks) should be stopped.
Otherwise, the best antidote to speech we dislike is more speech. Tell people what’s wrong with the material you’re reviewing and remember never to underestimate your audience’s intelligence; but, at the same time, never overestimate their information. After your review, trust them to make up their own minds.
