The Heart and Body Remember

Last night we had our first full cast rehearsal of the new production of ESTHER and the Secrets in the King's Court.
It was fun, exciting and great to be together again.
ESTHER is celebrating its tenth anniversary. Mazel tov. Several of the women present last night were in that production a decade ago. Others from the new adult cast members had seen it. And many of the little girls, who were born during or after the run of ESTHER had heard its music on CD.
So, when music director Gayle Berman started playing the introduction to out opening number, bum bum bum bum bum bum bum bum (you can hear the melody, right?), every gave a smile of familiarity and launched into song.
We were singing away, "Welcome to Shushan, to Shushan the capital." Suddenly Gayle stopped playing. "The correct pronunciation of that word is like this. The melody should be this way." And on and on, one correction after another.
My friend, Eudice, who is also production manager, hit the nail on the head, "We learned it a different way ten years ago. It's hard to unlearn it." You see, the heart remembers song.
But, B"H, we've got enough newbies who fell right into the groove, learning the new melodies, pronunciations and rhythms with ease. The rest of us will lean on them for a while.
At the end of the evening, we played Show and Tell. That's when smaller rehearsal groups show what they learned the week before.
The first group to perform we're the King and his men. They were singing the King's 70 Years. But the King was at a wedding. Since I had played the King in the original production of ESTHER, they asked me to step in.
I hadn't sung the role in a decade, and the key didn't seem exactly right, but I gave it a try. Who could remember a part that has since been blurred by four other subsequent productions and four other characters that followed it? Yet, soon I was twirling and dancing like I did ten years ago.
The body remembers.
The heart remembers. The soul remembers. Those of us who were lucky enough to be in the original ESTHER are simply going to have to unlearn what we knew, or better...put it in the category of ESTHER1. And we're going to have to embrace the new musical arrangements and all the new surprises waiting for us in ESTHER 2. Or maybe ESTHER TOO.
It won't be easy, but with smiles and good feelings and hard work, we can do it together.
To read more about this year's production, you're invited to visit us on Facebook.

New Season, New Excitement

We're off to a new season of Raise Your Spirits. It's our 11th year of raising spirits throughout Israel. And this year we're presenting our first original musical, created exactly ten years ago - ESTHER and the Secrets in the King's Court.
ESTHER was a spectacular success a decade ago, and we're expecting great things from her now, ten years later. With a new cast and crew, new musical arrangements, new choreography and new staging ideas, ESTHER is going to bring tremendous excitement to the Gush Etzion stage, as well as other locations in Israel, IY"H.
Emails abound, getting the cast ready for a summer of rehearsals and humongous excitement is in the air.
ESTHER was written by Arlene Chertoff, Toby Klein Greenwald and Sharon Katz with music composed by Rivka Hattin Epstein. This year's production includes musical arrangements by Amit Ben Atar, Paul Salter and Mitch Clyman. Direction by Toby Klein Greenwald, music direction by Gayle Berman and choreography by Sarah Orenstein.
More news to come as we head off to Shushan!
For more information, www.raiseyourspirits.org or http://www.facebook.com/pages/Raise-Your-Spirits/295615200474928

Excitement is mounting for the newest RYS production, ESTHER and the SECRETS in the KING'S COURT.

Even last night after the Yom Yerushalayim Tefilla, when I handed out the notice at Zumba, women were abuzz. J

And yesterday's Pirkei Avot reminded everyone (who learned the Perek) about ESTHER.

Perek 6, Mishna 6

The Mishna speaks about the virtues with which sovereignty, priesthood and Torah are acquired. They include studying, listening, …awe…humility,…joy, purity…slowness to anger…good heartedness…love of charity….and saying something in the name of its speaker.

The Mishna continues, "Thus we have learned,  'One who says something in the name of its speaker brings redemption to the world, as it is stated (Esther 2:22), "And Esther told the king in the name of Mordechai."'"

I read those words and thought of all of the wonderful Raise Your Spirits Women, and the stories of Jewish history and heritage that their performances introduce to others. I'm excited that RYS is performing ESTHER this year. 

Today is Yom Yerushalayim. Jerusalem Day.

Together may we see Mordechai and Esther's dream fulfilled – the complete redemption of the Jewish people and the return of all of our brethren toJerusalem and Eretz Yisrael.

ANNOUNCING AUDITIONS for our newest SHOW

Excitement is running high here in Gush Etzion. Auditions have been announced for the newest RAISE YOUR SPIRITS production: ESTHER and the SECRETS in the KINGS' COURT. 

As Raise Your Spirits celebrates TEN YEARS to the production of ESTHER, we're going back on stage to introduce a new audience to this fabulous show. JOIN THE CAST.

AUDITIONS FOR SINGERS/ACTRESSES:

WHERE: The boutique theater in the Rakefet room of Matnas Efrat.
WHEN: Monday night, May 21st, from 7:30-10:00 PM

WHAT TO PREPARE: Two minutes of a song, OR a song + monologue. Please bring sheet music or playback, if available.

AGE: From 5-120. Girls under the age of 12 must come with a mother, or other female relative or friend who is 15 or older.

ESTHER..., the story of the miraculous salvation of the Jewish people from the murderous hands of HAMAN, through the courage of Esther, Mordechai and the Jewish people.
Written by Arlene Chertoff, Toby Klein Greenwald and Sharon Katz.
Music by Rivka Epstein Hattin.

New choreography and musical arrangements!


ALSO AUDITIONS FOR MUSICIANS AND DANCERS!
For more info: toby@wholefamily.com

Photo above, the cast of ESTHER ten years ago! Photographer, Hilary Hurwitz