Indecent

Content Warning: This section discusses antisemitism, the Holocaust, anti-gay bias, and sexual violence.

The actor who plays Lemml is the only one who does not play any other characters. Lemml is the stage manager of the troupe and the closest thing the play has to a narrator. At the beginning of the story, Lemml is a tailor from Balut who has never seen a play before. He immediately becomes enamored of Sholem Asch and his play, going on to stage manage the productions of The God of Vengeance for the rest of the show. Lemml believes wholeheartedly in the importance of Sholem’s work. Though he stumbles over his lines the first time that he has to read the script in Peretz’s salon, he finds the romance between Rifkele and Manke deeply personal and moving. The play implies that he is especially invested in The God of Vengeance because he is gay; his feelings for Sholem Asch are ambiguously romantic. 

Like several of the characters, Lemml has a complex relationship with his Jewish Identity and Language while he is in America. He learns to speak English, but not fluently, and he always has a noticeable accent. He resents having to change his name to Lou.