Thursday, March 6, 2025
Comedian Sarah Silverman’s musical “The Bedwetter” currently playing at the Arena Stage takes one back in time to when Silverman was 10 years old, and a bedwetter!
One never knew how humorous a 10-year-old bedwetter could be. Many Washingtonians need an escape these days and “The Bedwetter” just might be the solution.
Aria Kane does a masterful job in her role playing the sweet and foul-mouthed 10-year old Sarah. Kane alone is worth the price of a ticket to the show.
Silverman is on the stage for most of the musical, which runs for one hour and forty minutes. She never skips a joke or misses a beat. Silverman, who has great stage presence, plays well with her sister Laura (played by Avery Harris) and her divorced parents.
Darren Goldstein plays Donald, the hilarious, foul-mouthed dad and Shoshanna Bean plays Silverman’s depressed mother, who allows audience members to laugh out loud about clinical depression. Bebe Neuwirth plays Nana, an eloquent, classy older woman with a drinking problem. All together, they play a wonderfully dysfunctional, relatable family.
The audience may need a therapist to appreciate therapists Dr. Gimm and Dr. Riley, who try to cure Sarah of her bedwetting along with some help from gigantic dancing Xanax pills.
Musical numbers by Adam Schlesinger, include tunes like “Couldn’t Agree More” and “The Bedwetter,” among others.
If you are looking for sanitized, politically correct humor without guilt, look elsewhere. If you understand that not all humor is pretty nor clean, then this play is for you. If you are Jewish, you will understand why Silverman is a master of guilt-ridden humor. If you simply want to laugh out loud and have a fun time, “The Bedwetter” is a great option.
The show is playing at the Arena Stage though March 16. Tickets can be found here.