Following in the style of Shtetl Home Companion Theatre Company’s 2024 staged radio-broadcast I Married a Golem, playwright Fred Nadis and his group of actor/musicians present Fleisch Gordon and the Space Amoeba of Doom! This staged broadcast-style reading of superheroes and space monsters spoofs 1930s radio, vaudeville, and classic comic-book sci-fi.
The idea was inspired by Nadis’s imaginings of what culture-creating Yiddish immigrants were doing in America in the early twentieth century — for instance, what if one of them was working on a Flash Gordon–type serial? “The guys who wrote Superman were from Jewish-immigrant families, and they created this perfect WASP hero,” says Nadis. “I thought it would be funny if the superhero acted more Jewish.” With this intention of “imprinting a minority view on a majority,” the Fleisch Gordon live dramedy was born.
In this nod to pulp sci-fi, Fleisch Gordon features a ravenous space amoeba heading for Earth. “Fleisch Gordon gets on the case … but he’s manipulated by the evil temptress (Vilma Slooze) who’s selling everybody these mind-altering brain worms,” says Nadis. “The idea of the hero is pretty dubious these days. Fleisch reflects that.”
The show is narrated by radio veteran Michael Katz, Santa Barbara’s premiere storyteller. “I’m excited and honored to be a part of this production. It feels like coming full circle for me,” says Katz. “I love radio and experiencing a story aurally … being able to narrate and have fun with a spoof on these genres is a blast!” Like Golem, Fleisch Gordon includes original songs and music by klezmer band, Kalinka. Jim Grippo plays the theremin, providing a classic sci-fi soundtrack. See the show November 9 at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum’s Covarrubias Adobe at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. Tickets are $20 at the door, cash only.
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