When I walked into the Jewish Theater Ensemble’s Storyteller production of My Super-Sweet Thirteen and looked around a room full of yarmulkes and the sound of “mazel tov,” I suddenly became very, very acutely aware that I am, in fact, not Jewish. However, it quickly and luckily became evident that this was not just a show for Jews — it was for anyone who has ever had the misfortune of being 13 years old.

Written, produced and directed by students, the show was a little different from your typical theatrical performance. The production was meant to create the atmosphere of a bar (or bat) mitzvah reception, complete with cake, giant cards to sign, a dance floor and a full-blown Judaic decorating job. The show’s series of comic vignettes centering around the coming-of-age ceremonies for ten young Jews. The humor, unsurprisingly, stemmed largely from Judaism and the ceremony of the bar mitzvah, but also relied on plenty of universal themes which touch all of our lives, like family, growing up and the “Chicken Dance.” Admittedly, there were some moments when the guys in yarmulkes were cracking up while we non-Jews just looked around confusedly. But for the most part, the show was accessible to pretty much anyone.

There were some jokes that fell flat, a few instances where the dialogue seemed a little forced or over-rehearsed, and the cast had a hard time getting their audience to participate as enthusiastically as they seemed to want. Nonetheless, these problems were outweighed by moments of genuine funniness. Some highlights: Communication freshman Max Freedman in his classic Tevye outfit, SESP sophomore Emily Machado making an absolutely adorable worried/upset/creeped out face, and Communication freshman Alex Weisman, whose unreserved dancing drew some of the biggest laughs of the evening. Watch out for these names on the NU theater scene.

Even with the standouts though, the cast worked well as a versatile and united group.

“It’s so cool that it’s ensemble-based,” said Communication freshman Spencer Gartner, a cast member. The audience could sense the camaraderie between the players, and the show was at it’s most entertaining when everyone on stage was engaged in the action.

Gartner said it was important for the Jewish Theater Ensemble to reach a wide audience. “Judaism is something that encompasses so much,” he said. These shows hold messages that are relevant to everybody, regardless of their background, he said. Indeed, only about half of the members of Storytellers are Jewish themselves.

The JTE produces a full season of productions each year. The final show of this season will be Tahar BenJelloun’s The Child of Sand, playing May 10 though 12 at Crowe Plaza. It might not quite be your ball of matzo, but it’s worth a try.