Meet Emma Friedman of American Stage’s ‘Indecent’

There are moments in Indecent, the new show at American Stage, where it seems that entire seven-member cast is one character. They move in tandem, creating unexpected tableaus, then break apart like a flock of flying birds and move in different directions. Sometimes, songs appear out of nowhere.

Directed by Helen R. Murray, Paula Vogel’s Indecent is the story of a troupe of Polish actors putting on the real-life 1907 play God of Vengeance, written in Yiddish by Sholem Asch. The story follows the company – and the show – across Europe, where it is a success, and to New York, where it runs into censorship issues once it’s (poorly) translated.

Asch’s story takes place in a brothel, where the proprietor’s daughter has fallen in love with one of the prostitutes. It questions not only the nature of love, but the foundations of Judaism in the modern world.

As might be expected, things don’t go so well. Eventually, the show returns to Europe – just in time for the Nazi occupation.

Emma Friedman plays the actress who assays the role of Rifkele, the brothel owner’s teenage daughter (like everyone in the cast, she morphs into many characters as time and fortunes pass).

Through dramaturgy and discussion, Friedman explains, “we knew the story we were telling. But also, finding the joy in all of it was something Helen came to the table with, from the very beginning. This is not a sad story; it’s not a story about the Holocaust. It’s about a group of people who have this sense of joy, and this sense of bravery, and a sense of strength in such a dark, dark time in their lives. But they come together and they create art. They create something beautiful.”

Murray encouraged her cast to think of the show as “a love letter to the theater,” says Friedman. “That’s also helped us navigate through this play and its themes. It’s this troupe that, through good and bad we will stick together and we will do theater and make art – and that will bring us joy in this community, and belonging to each other.”

From left: Friedman, Cody Taylor, Michael Raver (in back), Josephine Phoenix.

All of this required some serious bonding. “Even from the first rehearsal, you could tell that we all had this sense of community,” Friedman says. “We were going to be people who had each other’s back. Helen really loves a good transition, and so from that first rehearsal we know we had to make sure we were always ‘on’ – because if one person falls off, or is just a tiny bit late, it could mess up the flow. But everyone was so receptive to that, and we never had an issue with any of that.

“Because we wanted it to be good, and be seamless, just as much as she did.”

Part of the precision works of Indecent is the presence, on the stage, of three klezmer musicians (violin, clarinet and accordion).

Friedman is the sole local member of the Indecent company; a Tampa native, she attended the theater magnet program at Blake High School, then went to the University of Florida where she earned a BFA in acting – along with a degree in business administration (“Because I need to support myself somehow”).

After moving to New York to work in marketing, Friedman decided she missed the stage (her twin sister Noa is also a Tampa-based actress). In 2022, she re-re-located home. “I think that time off was necessary,” Friedman says, “because it reminded me how much I really do love it.”

She attended American Stage’s auditions and was subsequently cast in Indecent. “I am a Jewish woman, and it meant a lot to me to be telling this story. There’s a lot of complexity, and tragedy, but also joy that comes from me telling the stories of my ancestors.”

Vogel’s complex but fast-moving script calls for many shifts in time, and location, and – for the performers – languages and dialects. Friedman and her castmates speak and sing in Yiddish, German and, of course, English.

“Helen grew up with Yiddish grandparents, and she speaks a little bit of it, so she was a huge help,” Friedman explains.

“We had a whole day where we just sat down and went over every single line that we needed to have help on. Just like lines, you memorize the places where you need to be, speaking in a Yiddish accent.”

Indecent runs through Oct. 29. Find tickets and information here.

Friedman, left, Taylor, MyKail Cooley, Cynthia Beckert, Eric Olson, Phoenix.