David Mamet's interest in anti-Semitism is not limited to the modern
face of an ancient hatred but encompasses as well the ways in which many
Jews have internalized that hatred. Using the metaphor of the Wicked Son
at the Passover seder (the child who asks, "What does this story mean to
you?") Mamet confronts what he sees as an insidious predilection among
some Jews to exclude themselves from the equation and to seek truth and
meaning anywhere--in other religions, political movements, mindless
entertainment--but in Judaism itself. He also explores the ways in which
the Jewish tradition has long been and still remains the Wicked Son in
the eyes of the world. Written with the searing honesty and verbal
brilliance that is the hallmark of Mamet's work, The Wicked Son is a
powerfully thought-provoking look at one of the most destructive and
tenacious forces in contemporary life.