When thinking about who is the first lady of television, someone like Lucille Ball or Betty White may come to mind. A new play at Northlight Theatre in Skokie shows why Gertrude Berg earns the No. 1 spot in the conversation.
What’s more, opening a new theater season with a play about antisemitism may seem like a bold choice, but for BJ Jones, the director of “The First Lady of Television” and the artistic director of the theater, “It’s what we do.”
Set in 1950, the world premiere play by James Sherman tells the true story of Berg and her dilemma when sponsors for her TV show, “The Goldbergs,” tried to force her to fire her co-star, Philip Loeb, who was accused of being a communist. Refusing could mean the show shutting down. The play carries heavy themes of politics and feminism, which are met with comedy and heart.
Jones found it important to shed light on someone who has won Tony and Emmy Awards and written 12,000 scripts, but is still forgotten. Berg paved the way for women who came after her, he said.
“There would be no Mary Tyler Moore, there would be no ‘Sex and the City,’ there would be no ‘Girls,’” Jones said. “This woman invented a genre.”
People love to be told stories they don’t know, he said, especially the kinds that can extend their knowledge.
For Sherman, the playwright, entertaining and educating the audience are two areas he says he focuses on when crafting a play. He also incorporates parts of his personal experiences into the script.
Jones had the idea for this play since 2009, when he watched a documentary on Berg titled “Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg.” Years later, after seeing Sherman’s play “Chagall in School,” Jones knew he wanted to work with him.
Six months after the two met, the first draft of the script was complete.
Cindy Gold rose to the occasion to play the lead role. More than a decade ago, Jones asked her what she knew about Berg. She didn’t know much at the time but came to find her fascinating.
“I’ve been thinking about her for at least 10 years,” Gold said.
Like Jones, Gold also finds the play to be timely. A teacher of 20 years, recently retired, Sherman knew the story wasn’t familiar to younger people. She hopes audience members understand the play and realize that things now aren’t the worst they’ve ever been in American history.
“I had a student say, ‘This is the worst time ever right now with our political situation,’ without quite realizing that there are always bad times,” Gold said.
Gold wants audience members to walk away thinking of unity.
“If we stick together, we can successfully battle what’s happening, I say successfully, but I don’t know, but we’ve done it before,” Gold said.
As far as showing at Northlight, Jones the play fits right into what is normally seen at the theater.
“We like to think of ourselves as producing art with heart, but also meaning,” Jones said. “I think it really reflects what’s happening right now. And I think that’s kind of the essence.”
“The First Lady of Television” is now in previews and runs through Oct. 5 at Northlight Theatre at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie; tickets $49.85 to $77.78 at 847-673-6300 and www.northlight.org
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