STAGED READING:
“WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE WORLD?!”
by Gur Koren
adapted by Alon Pdut
directed by Nathan Motta
August 12-15, 2026
AMERICAN PREMIERE
Winner! Israeli Theatre Awards Playwright of the Year (2014)
Run time: 90 minutes
no intermission
Content Advisory: Adult Language, Adult Situations, Drug Use, References to Gun Violence.
*For more specific questions about the Content Advisory, call the Box Office at 216.932.3396
The story
A heartfelt comedy about keeping up when things keep on a-changin’.
The hilarious and moving What’s Wrong with the World tells the story of Bobbie Tucker, a seventy-year-old woman who embarks on a mission to save her son’s marriage after he leaves home following a bitter argument with his wife. She drags her husband Hank along on a crazy adventure of two innocent ranchers colliding with the culture shock of the big city. Bobbie isn’t young anymore, but her desire to make her kids happy (and maybe have a grandson or two) give her the strength she needs to face the generational divide.
Dobama Theatre presents a staged reading of the “Texas Adaptation” of this Israeli comedy. This translation is uniquely fascinating in that it demonstrates the Israeli playwright’s/adapter’s perspective on American culture and brings to light the universality of what is means to be a family.
““A touching family comedy.””
The Artists
Audience ENGAGEMENT OFFERINGS
PRESHOW CONVERSATION
Wednesday, August 12, 2026 @ 6:30pm
Artistic Director Nathan Motta gives background on the play and explores the similarities and differences in this new adaptation while inviting audience members into a discussion about the universality of the family comedy.
POSTSHOW CONVERSATION
Saturday, August 15, 2026 - following the reading
Artistic Director Nathan Motta leads audience members in a discussion about the play and its relevance to today’s world.