A farce about religion, the right to marry, and Arabs, Jews and pilgrims in Israel, Making Love Legal starts off on the right foot. Sachin Jain’s Abdul, a down-on-his luck Arab innkeeper in Jerusalem’s Old City, is easily likable. The arrival of three U.S. congressmen to his shuttered guesthouse is just the chance he needs to raise funds for he and his pregnant Jewish bride to set sail for Cyprus for a civil wedding ceremony. In Israel, marriage rites are not the domain of the state but of its religious institutions, and those institutions don’t do intermarriage.

The funniest and best parts of the play involve Abdul trying to separately convince a Kennedy-like Irish Catholic from Massachusetts, a Jew from the Bronx and a Southern Baptist that he shares their belief. Congressman Coonihan, my real name is Abdul Peter Paul Clement! Congresswoman Abramowitz, I was the only Jew allowed at the Western Wall before the 1967 war. Congresswoman Pettigrew, I’m a member of the Southern Baptist Church of the Middle East! When the gig seems up, well, he’s at least interested in converting.

It’s a pity Making Love Last goes so far off the rails as it plods towards its conclusion. The whimsical charade turns into Abdul scheming and browbeating the incensed Prime Minister of Israel into pretending to be a Catholic priest to officiate and sign off on his nuptials. The only reason it would be unfair to say Geoffrey Baskir’s performance as the Prime Minister ruined the play is because it’s already in such an unfortunate place when his Prime Minister arrives on the scene.

The acting is very uneven, relying heavily on stereotypes in their character portrayals. Baskir’s accent bounces from Borat to Scottish brogue, Yoda to pocket protector-wearing nerd in playing the aloof, thin-skinned Prime Minister and a news reporter. Rachel Silvert’s Miriam, Abdul’s love interest, goes from being too angry to too loving—and back again. On the other hand, the lay-it-on-thick style works for DJ Doherty, Terry Nicholetti, and Sarah Pullen as the visiting legislators.

The setting for Making Love Legal is Israel shortly after the Six Day War. The issues it deals with and statements it is trying to make can still ring true today. Marriage in Israel remains a touchy issue at times for Jews. The parallels to the struggle for marriage equality in the United States are clear. But what’s not always clear us when playwright Carl Frandsen is trying to make a political statements in in the play and when he’s being silly. A reworking of the script and the direction of some of its performances could better crystallize the message trying to be presented.

Remaining Performances: July 28 at 12:00 p.m.

Warehouse, 645 New York Avenue, NW

Warehouse, 645 New York Avenue NW