Back Stage Bosses

When things go smoothly on stage of any production, it means that the bosses backstage are taking care of business.
They don't get the applause of the crowd or the spotlight, so I wanted to show them my admiration and appreciation.
Thank you to our Stage Manager Bati Katz (my owner daughter) and her assistant Elisheva Ariel. Thank you to our Mike Ladies Hilary Hurwitz and Shellie Ben David.
Thank you to our Make Up Ladies, headed by Zohar Mendelson. And thank you to our Sound and Light Team, headed by Yair Balams. (I noticed our director Toby Klein Greenwald up there too.)
Thank you to Michal Yechieli and Tzippy Cohen who were running the subtitles. And more folks....we'll get to you too.
We've all been together for so many years. The on stage performers depend on our back stage gals.
I just wanted to say THANKS!!

Ten Years Later - The Same Story

Ten years ago when Arlene Chertoff, Toby Klein Geeenwald and I wrote ESTHER and the Secrets in the King's Court, the intifada was raging. Terror was everywhere. It was a frightening time. It actually reminded us of the days of HAMAN, when the very existence of the Jewish people was threatened.
It took Jewish leaders with faith and courage to lead Am Yisrael in repentance and help bring about the salvation of the Jewish people.
SIGH!! I guess things haven't changed much. Am Yisrael is again threatened, but we must have faith and improve ourselves to deserve G-d's protection.
ESTHER encouraged us to strengthen our faith ten years ago. IY"H it will do its job again!!

Finally the Finale

We've gone through every song, every dance, every scene, every stage moment possible of our newest production "ESTHER and the Secrets in the King's Court"..
Well, tonight, we finally did the finale!!!
Now, rehearsals are very long studious processes. You've got to pay attention. You've got to wait around until it's your turn to perform. When a new scene comes up, the director has to see the vision in his/her eye and then translate it on to the stage.
And when you have almost 100 women and girls in your production, moving them around on stage is a logistical challenge akin to a troupe movement.
ESTHER's director Toby Klein Greenwald envisioned a magnificent finale for us, and with everyone's cooperation and attention, tonight we painstakingly pulled it off.
There was a special part for each group in the show - from the littlest Shushan residents (we call them the Golden Voices) to the Persian Dudes, the Haman's Sons, the Shushan Ensemble, the King's Advisors, the Queen's Court, and of course King Achashverosh, Kings Vashti and Esther, Mordechai the Jew, Haman and his equally evil wife Zeresh, our narrators Darius and the Megillah Muse.
Everyone had her moment in the spotlight, and that was just great.
Well, we've done the finale, and now, we're going back to the beginning.
We're so excited, we can't wait to welcome our audiences to Shushan!

Enter! Evil!

Throughout the history of the world, there have beenfigures whose very name sent fear and tremors through the very soul of mankind.

The ancient world was full of them: Og King of theBashan; the Canaanite General Sisera, Nebuchadnezzar, Nero, Caligula. The past many centuries have had their own maniacs - Attilathe Hun, Ivan the Terrible, Chelminiki, Mussolini, Stalin, Dracula, Hitler, yemach shemam.

Ruthless, vengeful, cruel, and bloodthirsty individuals,they were responsible for destruction and murder beyond our ability to fathom.

Today one dastardly name stands out above all others. Ahmadinejad,the president of Iran,who remains with his "finger on the bomb". His hatred of the Jewish people and theState of Israel is vitrolic and unparalleled in modern times.

Ahmadinejad learned from the best!! – another Persian,perhaps his great great great great grandfather, the diabolical Haman.

Haman, second to King Achashverosh of Persia, laid outthe original plan for Ahmadinejad – chas v’shalom - wipe the Jewish people offthe face of the earth.

The Jews of Persia were saved long ago through prayer andunity – thanks to the leadership of Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai theJew.

We too can be safe from the evils threatened from theNorth, if we strengthen ourselves in prayer, in Torah and devotion to ourbrethren.

Beware, Ahmadinejad, your plans will come to naught,IY”H.

Remember...Haman was hung on the same gallows he prepared forMordechai. G-d protects His nation.

The Costume's the Thing

Our rehearsals for the upcoming RAISE YOUR SPIRITS show, "ESTHER and the Secrets in the King's Court", are getting really serious.
Harmonies, dancing, staging - everything is getting more exact.
It's all been pretty laid back until now, and very theoretical.

But on Thursday night we got on stage in our costumes, and suddenly everything changed. Everyone realized that this show is really happening, and everyone - from our littlest darlings to our special cameo performers - did everything as best and professionally as possible.

In their costumes - dolled up down to the feathers in their hats - our performers were in character and in great form.
Theory time over. The costume's the thing that lit a fire under each of us.

And now, the play's the thing!!!
The one month countdown begins now!!!

Rosh Hashana Raise Your Spirits Remembrances

During the Rosh Hashana prayer service there are so many things that reminded me of Raise Your Spirits and the productions in which we have performed over the past eleven years, and the characters I have played in those productions.
Funny thing to think about on Rosh Hashana, eh, but what can you do - Raise Your Spirits is Jewish history and remembrance. So is Rosh Hashana.
Toward the beginning of the Mussaf prayer, we ask G-d to "recall all the creatures fashioned since earliest times" and to have mercy on them all. We read, "You lovingly remembered Noah and You recalled him with words of salvation and mercy, when You brought the waters of the Flood to destroy all living flesh because of the evil of their deeds..."
"...G-d remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark, and G-d caused a spirit to pass over the earth and the water subsided."
Suddenly I was on stage in NOAH! Ride the Wave! watching as all the animals boarded the ark two by two, dancing their way to salvation. Then I was Noah himself in In Search of Courage, questioning why G-d had chosen my family and myself for life.
Toward the end of the prayers when the last shofar blasts were sounded, I read an explanation for the custom of blowing 100 shofar blasts of each day of Rosh Hashana.
The Artscroll Machzor said, "The source of this custom is the Scriptural narrative of the triumph of Deborah the Prophetess over Sisera, the Canaanite conquerer. In her song of gratitude for the victory, Deborah noted that Sisera's mother whimpered as she worried over the fate of her dead son. Her friend comforted her that he had surely won a great victory and was apportioning spoils and captive women about his officers and troops. (Judges 5:28-30) According to the Midrashic tradition she whimpered and groaned 101 times...By sounding the shofar 100 times, we seek to nullify the forces of cruelty exemplified by Sisera and his mother...Although she whimpered one time more than 100, we do not sound the shofar 101 times, because we, too, feel the pain of a mother who loses a child, even one as loathsome as Sisera." (Sefer HaToda'ah)
So, of course, I thought about Judge! The Song of Devora, and I was on stage as the despicable mother of Sisera whose only comfort at the loss of her son was the pain and cruelty to others.
Well, the entire year's Torah readings here and there contain memories of Raise Your Spirits productions, so I guess it's fitting that we start off right away with thoughts of our shows on Rosh Hashana.
May the new year bring good health, happiness, peace and success to all.
And a tremendous wish for success for those women on and off stage this year in Raise Your Spirits' ESTHER and the Secrets in the King's Court.

A Father and Sons Reunion

Well, it wasn't really a reunion. It was a UNION.
Tonight for the first time, I met and rehearsed with my sons. I am Haman in the new Raise Your Spirits Theatre production of ESTHER and the Secrets in the King's Court. 
Haman had ten sons - all as slimy, evil and conniving as he. In fact, they ended just as deservedly - hanging from a tree. (To commemorate this event, my machatenesta - son's mother-in-law - makes gingerbread cookies and hangs them from a branch.)
The girls/boys/girls/whatever danced for me in a number we do together. It's called He's the Man!! It's a Hip Hop number, because Haman is THE Man!! And these creepy kids idolize their Dastardly Dad.
Well, their dance was a wow, but they were so beautiful, so adorable, so smiley and delicious. So, I told them to toughen up. They're wicked! They're nasty! They're slimy!
Now we're trying to think of a proper name for them. "Haman's Sons" seems a little plain for these young dynamos. What about Haman's Nasty Boys? Or Haman's Conniving Kids?
We haven't come up with something that rocks yet, but I'll tell you. This number ROCKS like crazy. My sons are BAD (that means, they're good)! And I, Haman, am SUPER BAD, the Baddest Daddest Guy Around.
Well, you'll just have to see it. If you think of a good name for my Bad Boys, let me know.
* * *
BTW, Boys...don't let me catch you smiling....or else. (Your loving Dad - grrrrrrrrrrrr)