By Cailin Acosta
SAN DIEGO – In his act at the San Diego Fringe Festival, comedian Steve Budd asked, “Why can I not find a nice Jewish woman that my mother would love? Where is my bashert (soul mate)? I am 50 years old, and I am still looking for love. What am I missing?”
Budd performed Oy, What They Said About Love a 60-minute solo show retelling his quest of finding love and finding “the one.” Many of his friends had found their bashert and tied the knot, but this had not happened to him.
Budd tells of a story of going to Oaxaca, Mexico, and meeting a 32-year-old Kenyan woman and the amazing spark that ignited within them. Budd said a few days into the trip, he felt she was the one, but … she was not Jewish. He grappled back and forth if this was a priority or not. Eventually, he told her this was important to him, and she bought books to read up on converting to Judaism.
Meanwhile, Budd’s mother’s health was ailing, and all she wanted was for Budd to marry and be happy. On a visit, his Kenyan girlfriend met her, and his mom was happy for him to finally find love.
Being obsessive-compulsive and not used to sharing space with someone, Budd upset the girlfriend, and she went back to Oaxaca.
Budd attends weekly Friday night Shabbat services at his synagogue and puts a special spin on the Lecha Dodi. He figures he is awaiting his personal Shabbat Queen.
I got to meet Budd after his performance, and he confirmed those were true stories. I asked if he had heard me singing along to Lecha Dodi, and he laughingly responded that previously he had performed his solo act with a large Jewish audience who got all his jokes and sang along with him. This performance, however, was at a church, and we were probably the only Jews in attendance.
Budd’s performance had me laughing as he acted out his parents’ Boston accents, and I was rooting for him to make the relationship with his Kenyan girlfriend work. However, I was sad for him as the performance ended, and he was still looking for love. It was a wonderful show, I recommend catching it before the festival ends this coming weekend.
Budd has a few more performances with the San Diego Fringe Festival, one is at 9 p.m., Tuesday, May 20. Others are at 6 p.m., Friday, May 23, and 1 p.m., Saturday, May 24. The venue is at New Destiny Church at 4931 Logan Avenue. Click here to buy tickets.
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Cailin Acosta is the assistant editor of the San Diego Jewish World.