Mean-spirited humor reigns in 'Jewtopia'

8 p.m. Thursdays. 6 and 9 p.m. Saturdays. 3 and 7 p.m. Sundays. Through Aug. 10. $25-$35. Center Theatre of the Marcus Jewish Community Center, 14th Street Playhouse, 173 14th St. N.E., Midtown. 404-733-5000, woodruffcentertickets.org

Bottom line: Good performances and direction can't redeem low comedy.

In the long-running spoof of Atlanta culture, "Peachtree Battle," a Buckhead matron has a hissy when her son wants to marry a Hooter's waitress.

In Bryan Fogel and Sam Wolfson's "Jewtopia," the inaugural production of Center Theatre of the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, a Jewish mother becomes apoplectic when her son brings home a woman of Mongolian descent; that is, until she realizes her potential daughter-in-law is a doctor.

In the spirit of satirizing a particular milieu, both comedies spew crude, mean-spirited, often derogatory humor —- and unleash offensive social stereotypes with happy abandon.

The African-American community has Tyler Perry and his so-called "chitlin-circuit" plays. The Jewish community has "Jewtopia," about a 30-year-old Irish Catholic man's pursuit of a Jewish wife.

"You stick to Jewish girls, and you'll never have to make a decision as long as you live," Chris (Eric Mendenhall) tells his buddy Adam, a Jewish guy who's had bad luck hooking up.

Chris' dating technique is so fool-proof that Adam (Tony Larkin) enlists his help. As it turns out, Chris' secret weapon is the Jewish singles network known as Jdate.com. Adam's digital dating game is reminiscent of the material in Bobby Goldman's "Curvy Widow," the ill-fated one-woman show with Cybill Shepherd that played the Alliance Theatre last year.

But while Goldman's play relied on a single character to tell the tale, here we get to see Adam embark on a series of bad encounters with an assortment of wacky women (all played by Megan Hayes).

After veering into a campy, out-of-control, "Saturday Night Live"-meets-"Peachtree Battle" dimension of extreme farce, the play ends with a sentimental message. Adam and Chris eventually find love —- but with a twist. By tying everything up like a fairy tale, the writers seem to think their frat-house Yiddish humor serves a nobler cause.

Having said all that, Blake Hall, Center Theatre's new producing artistic director, makes the most of the sub-par script —- delivering a technically impressive production, while Mendenhall and Hayes relish the opportunity for unbridled silliness.

For better or worse, the Marcus Jewish Community Center has a new professional theater. "Jewtopia" is a real lulu.