Re: p.s. Oliver/Jewish content overall

[Alex J. Lubet <lubet001...>]

My children's musical, The Wise Men of Chelm, had a successful run of 14 
performances here in the frozen north in 1995.  I think it's fair to say most 
of the numbers sound Jewish.  When I taught in Poland a few years later, I 
actually got to spend a day in Chelm, where the only Jews I saw where in the
(beautifully maintained) cemetery.  When I told my (Gentile) students in Lublin 
(not too far from Chelm) about the reputation of Chelm's Jews for non-Nobel 
Prize winning behavior, they were simultaneously amused and perplexed and 
apparently unaware of just how Jewish the region had been, including Lublin
itself, where nowadays the shul is rarely opened because of the lack of a 
minyan.  Even folks closer to my age knew very little, thanks to five decades 
of Communist rule.  (Ignorance, of course, doesn't keep people from being 
anti-Semitic, and there was plenty of evidence of that as well.)

Despite its apparent success, my show has never been revived.  When I say it 
was for kids, I refer to both the cast (though not the band, designers, or 
techs) and audience.

A reminder that Judith Brin Ingber and I will be performing at University of 
British Columbia Wednesday night at 7 pm.  A varied multimedia program, almost 
all Jewish in content and entirely Jewish in its personnel.



Eliott Kahn wrote:

> >
> >Since we're sort of on the topic of Jewish musicals, anyone have interesting 
> >thoughts/tidbits/source info on some of the other lesser (known) B'way shows 
> >with explicit Jewish content and charachters:
> >
> >The Rothschilds
> >Milk and Honey
> >Parade
> >Falsettos
> >Catskills/Ukraine
> >Ragtime
> >others???.....
>
> Thank you to Eve for bringing this up; I'll have to find a recording of 
> Oliver! now. It's been a looong while since I've heard it.
>
> I picked up THE ROTHSCHILDS CD and was quite disappointed by the score. It 
> just didn't strike me as very good--nor do I recall it sounding especially 
> "Hebraic"--please let's not discuss what this means.
>
> On the other hand, there are two musical theatre scores with Jewish 
> influences--both musical and dramatically--that I would heartily recommend. 
> One is FUNNY GIRL by composer Jule Styne and lyricist Bob Merrill. The other 
> is RAGS by composer Charles Strouse and lyricist Stephen Schwartz.
>
> These are shows with distinctively Jewish characters who sing in distinctly 
> American-Jewish idioms. Again, I consider the musical and dramatic idioms 
> American-Jewish. For a stronger connection to Eastern European culture one 
> must look to the Yiddish Theatre.
>
> It is certainly not a coincidence that all these shows originated in the 
> sixties when so many second-generation Jews were upwardly, socially mobile.
>
> Two favorites:
>
> FUNNY GIRL
>
> I'm Private Schvartz fin Rockavay
> And you know I've heard reports
> That the Kaiser moves a block avay
> When they tell him, "Here comes Schvartz...."
>
> Tell Far Rockavay
> Not to move the dock avay,
> 'Cause sailing home is General Schvartz!"
>
> RAGS
>
> Two sunny rooms facing the street,
> Only last year they were painted.
> One room to sit, one room to eat,
> One to get better acquainted.
>
> Eliott Kahn
>
> >Regards,
> >
> >Adam Davis, Director
> >Kfar Jewish Arts Center
> >773.550.1543
> >
> >Kfar Jewish Arts Center is an inclusive arts incubator that serves to 
> >stimulate, promote and produce the next generation of Jewish expression.  
> >Hebrew for village, Kfar is an artistic community of local actors, musicians 
> >and artists.  Visit our Kfar at  
> ><http://www.kfarcenter.com>www.kfarcenter.com.
>

--
Alex Lubet, Ph. D.
Morse Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor of Music
Adjunct Professor of American and Jewish Studies
Head, Division Of Composition and Music Theory
University of Minnesota
2106 4th St. S
Minneapolis, MN 55455
612 624-7840 612 624-8001 (fax)


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