Here is a guy with a proud Polish American Sign at the protest
[box]By Colin Dabkowski - At its essence, "Polish Joke" is about one man's crisis of identity over his Polish heritage, his long and misguided journey away from his roots and his eventual realization that true ethnic identity is to be denied at one's ultimate peril. It is nothing less than an affirmation, if a rather long-winded one, of the importance of embracing one's own heritage.
Playwright David Ives, in his traditionally neurotic and absurdist manner, has employed a hearty helping of self-deprecation, the standard tool of ethnocentric comedies like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Ives' jokes - which aim to flip standard Polish jokes on their heads by placing them within Ives' self-critical narrative-don't always hit home. But what they never do is step over the line from satire and into demeaning caricature of Polish people, as has been suggested by community members, many of whom have neither seen nor read the play.
Thomas LaChiusa gives an adept comic performance as Jasiu, the conflicted protagonist, as does David Hoffmann in a variety of roles. Director Maureen Sheldon points out in her program note that she, and most of the actors - not to mention the playwright himself - are Polish.
This fact should encourage community members who have manufactured gut-reactionary outrage at what they read about the play, or merely at its provocative title, to come out and judge for themselves.
cdabkowski@buffnews.com[/box]
Perhaps this was a metajoke. The protestors are their own Polish joke.