In one of the highlights of the musical "The Chabadniks," Yehuda Koppel, the Torah prodigy who refuses every match, gives Ron, the Tel Aviv wedding dress designer, a passionate and prolonged kiss, and thus comes out of the closet to the astonished eyes of the Chabad village rabbi and his assistant.
In the great hall of the Cameri Theater, on a hot Saturday afternoon, the audience erupts in thunderous applause. Against the backdrop of the struggle currently taking place over the image of the state, it seemed that the spectators – some of whom arrived at the hall armed with Israeli flags, ready for the regular Saturday night demonstrations – wanted to convey another message through the same enthusiasm.
Udi Gottschalk, the creator of the musical together with Elad Peretz, is not very surprised. "There are regular places where the crowd cheers," he says. "These are the places where the audience feels you can think differently and get out of the box a little bit, try to see the good in everything. Not only what is forbidden, but precisely what is permitted. And it's true that there is still a way to go until there is a fundamental correction here, but it's enough that someone decided to come out of the closet because they saw the musical, or that the musical gave them a little hope – and as far as I'm concerned, I did mine."
"The Chabadniks". Applause in complex scenes, photo: Simcha Barbiro
Loving satire
Gottschalk certainly did his thing. "The Chabadniks," which also raises the issue of the treatment of foreign workers and asylum seekers, has already run about 130 times since it premiered in August 2022 – and with that success the creator is galloping on. At the beginning of August 2023, the Haifa Theater and the National Theater co-produced an adaptation of a musical created by Gottschalk based on Avi Nesher's 2004 film, "The End of the World to the Left," with Gal Malka and Shani Sasson stepping into the shoes of Netta Gerty and Liraz Cherchi, in the southern development town of the late 70s.
"I read the End of the World Left material and really enjoyed it. They, like the Chabadniks, talk about differences, cultures, gaps in perceptions and how to bridge them. About 'remote' populations located in the south of the country. Apparently, I am attracted to weaker populations and want to shine a spotlight on them in order to raise them to the level of discourse and awareness in Israeli society."
"The End of the World to the Left". Differences and gaps in society, photo: Yossi Zweker
Gottschalk, who says musicals are his DNA ("I fly to London a few times a year, and see everything in the West End"), doesn't stop there. He is currently in the development stages of three more musicals.
"We try to make musicals accessible to the audience that are no less on a level than Broadway and the West End. Today, the Israeli audience wants to escape from the reality it finds itself in, wants escapism, and a musical is light, fun and funny on the one hand, and on the other hand, beneath all these layers, it introduces messages of satire and social criticism. It's not really a knife in the stomach, it's with a caress and a smile. It's loving satire."
Udi Gottschalk. "Israelis love to sing", photo: Simcha Barbiro
Gottschalk isn't the only one. In recent years, theaters in Israel have enjoyed an extraordinary flourishing of new and original Israeli musicals. Among other things, we can mention "The Most Beautiful Year of My Life," which was staged a year ago in a co-production of the Haifa Theater and Habima Theater; "Road Marks," which has been staged more than 300 times; "Zero in Human Relations," which celebrates no less than 400 performances at Beit Lisin; and "Crossing the Wall," which only recently dropped and will be replaced by a musical adaptation of the 1987 film "Blues for the Great Vacation."
"The most beautiful year of my life." Leaf in co-production, photo: Reddy Rubinstein
In Camry, alongside "The Chabadniks", you can find "Ringo", and next year the intriguing musical "Kafepot", by Gitit Fischer and Shir Reuven, is expected to be staged, with original music by Nono - centered on a high school student who convinces her friend to go on a journey with her to Poland, hoping that there she will fall in love with her. Moreover, recent successes have led Cameri to issue a call for proposals for original musicals.
"For a long time, musicals in Israel were an illegitimate genre," says Moshe Kaptan, artistic director of Habima Theater. "They would be ridiculed and punched. The musical was, in fact, the stepchild of theater in Israel."
Why, actually?
"A musical is such a complex genre, and you have to adhere to a lot of parameters in order for it to be done at a high level. Only in the last 15 years has the public repertory theater begun to produce musicals at a professional level and at standards accepted abroad, and then the genre has also become worthy and legitimate. For a long time, productions that boasted of being a musical were staged here, when they were not, or did not meet the standard of a musical - and the audience treated them as gigs.
"As soon as the repertory theater opened its doors to the genre, with productions such as 'The Producers', through 'Fiddler on the Roof', 'Hair', 'Evita' and more – which became flagship productions and were produced to very high standards supervised by rights holders from abroad – the serious attitude towards the genre made it legitimate. This has made its mark both at the box office and in the trust that the audience gives. As a result, we, the theater creators, also wanted to do more and more of it, and you really see a lot of young people sitting down and writing musicals."
Moshe Captain. "They used to mock and punch a musical", Photo: Gideon Markowitz
As part of that wave, Uri Pasteur conceived in 2013 the "Feast of the Original Musical", which gave a stage, for the first time, to musicals such as the successful "Billy Schwartz" (by Ohad Hitman and Shirili Desha) and many more, some more mature and some less. In those years, the adoption of original musicals by audiences was relatively low, and only in recent years do we seem to be witnessing a renaissance.
"On an artistic level, because we're not a country with a culture of musicals like in the U.S. and Europe, it took us a little longer to mature with the creation of an original musical," Kaptan says. "We didn't have a deep enough familiarity with the genre, which led to a lot of attempts to write in it, which were not mature enough. So alongside the great joy, I do see the long way we still have to go in understanding what the structure and writing of musicals are, but eventually it will happen. And the more Israeli artists specialize, the more present it will be in the theaters' repertoire."
A new generation of creators
Tzipi Pines, director of the Beit Lisin Theater and also its artistic director, agrees with Kaptan. "It's an important and fascinating genre, if it's well made and serious. Creating a musical requires not only resources, but also skills. You have to know how to dance, sing and act, and a generation has emerged here that knows how to do these three things.
A generation of choreographers and professionals who know how to direct a musical has also emerged. We create things that in other places in the world are part of the culture, but you have to remember that with us all these things are new, and this is an achievement."
Tzipi Pines. "Important genre", photo: Coco
Pines says that the cost of producing a musical is much higher than the cost of a play, so lifting one requires the resources of a repertory theater and a large hall. And maybe that's also why, to be safe, many theaters choose to adapt Israeli films that have already proven themselves at the box office.
Pines: "When you take a film whose name is known, it's already a brand. On Zero in Human Relations and Crossing the Wall, we recreated all the music, and there's nothing harder than assimilating new songs. After all, it's much easier for the audience to go to 'My Fair Lady' or 'Mary Lou,' when all the songs are familiar."
So why process source materials at all, and not continue with overseas successes?
"At the end of the day, every culture wants to hear its voice on stage, and it is less interested in foreign materials. What succeeds today in the theater, for example, are materials that are connected to the collective memory of Israel and arouse some kind of longing. And on the other hand, people want escapism, so the musical should be happy, comic, with communicative songs. To leave the theater with an optimistic experience."
"Mary Lou". It's easier when all the songs are familiar, Photo: PR
Can we become Broadway in the future?
"You made me laugh, do we have the resources of Broadway? Do we have an audience willing to pay such prices? The audience is willing to pay 400 shekels for "Matilda" (a London production that opened during the summer months in Israel, L.S.), but it will not pay 400 shekels for an Israeli musical. When he comes to the theater, he expects the price of a movie. It's a market failure."
Gottschalk: "When you go to New York or London, it's clear to you – whether you like theater or not – that as part of the trip you'll go see a play or two. Here, in Israel, the subject of what culture is and how to perceive culture is still not strong enough, and this is not the first thing people think about - 'Let's go to a play.'
"On the other hand, there is a sense of togetherness in the Israeli DNA, of unity. We love singing in public, sitting around the fire and singing. The theaters understand this, but are also looking to bring in an audience. Therefore, in many cases they will rely on some well-known brand that has succeeded, and the adaptations of familiar films provide a good solution for this. An Israeli audience that longingly remembers a movie they loved, and sees that there is a musical about it, says: 'Walla, interesting, worth seeing and experiencing.' And that's something that, as a theater, is much safer to invest your cultural budget in."
"Zero in human relations". No less than 400 performances, photo: Reddy Rubinstein
We won't stop singing
But with all due respect to the new wave, the Israeli musical is by no means a contemporary invention. In fact, already in 1933, a musical called "Hymn to the Made of the Land" was staged at the satirical theater "The Broom", which would later receive the Medal of Honor as the first Hebrew musical.
"The plans of the broom were topical. These were skits that later evolved into programs with a single plot - in which songs were interwoven," says Rami Samo, director of the Habima Archives. "At the same time, cabaret theater began to flourish, and there were also programs of skits and songs. For example, the song 'Anemones' performed there by Shoshana Damari, which became part of her repertoire."
Those who really reached a milestone in the development of the musical in Israel were, of course, the military bands. "The troupes wanted to operate as a military theater, and they put on plays that incorporated songs," explains Samu. "From there, theaters adopted this model. The Central Command troupe, for example, had a successful show in the 50s called Raid in the Village, and the Ohel Theatre took the show as it was and called it Five Five. Naomi Shemer wrote most of the songs for the play, and Yohanan Zarai composed."
"Go over the wall." It's hard to assimilate new songs, photo: Coco
However, and until the ability of military troupes is demonstrated, the musical is considered an assigned genre in the repertory theater. "It was treated as something that wasn't art. In those years the theater in Israel was mostly European, Stanislavsky. It wasn't until the 40s that songs began to be incorporated into plays, and that too sparingly, usually as a theme song."
Samu cites as examples the poem "And you drew water in Sasson from the springs of salvation," composed (with lyrics from the Book of Isaiah) especially for the play "This Land," which was staged in 1942 and dealt with the settlers in Hadera; Or "The Jackal Song," written for the Tent Theatre's 1957 Pedagogical Poem. "In between, the theater established the first musical, 'Do Re Mi,' which premiered an American musical in Israel - 'The Pajama Games,' directed by Menachem Golan."
Rami Samo: "The military troupes, which wanted to act as a theater, staged plays with songs. Theaters have adopted this model. The Central Command troupe had a successful program, 'Village Raid,' and the tent theater took it for what it is and called it 'Five Five.'"
The producer who ended up selling hot dogs
This November, the cinematic musical "The Victors" is expected to be released, which harks back to the euphoric days after the Six-Day War in 1967. The film focuses on two pairs of friends, who deal with bereavement and shell shock. One of the plot lines deals with a young actress named Neta (Yael Shtulman), who gains fame during the euphoric days after the Six-Day War, while her husband deals with post-trauma.
In one scene, Neta comes to audition with Giora Godik – the renowned theater producer who became the engine of Israeli musicals in the 60s – who sits in the theater and smokes a pipe in front of her. She auditioned for the lead role in the play "The Lady and the Paratrooper", starring Mike Burstein (played by Dor Harari). In an instant, the setting changes, and the background fills with a glittering carpet of blue lights, as Netta cracks into Namber alongside Burstein, in which the two tap dance as if they were Debbie Reynolds and Gene Kelly in Hollywood's golden age.
Giora Godik z"l. Nehru to celebrate Israel, photo: from Wikipedia
"We discovered that there was a crazy wave of entertainment plays and musicals against the background of the euphoria of the Six-Day War," says Eliran Peled, the film's director. "In the late '60s, the great Israeli musicals were born, huge productions that came to celebrate the victory. ' Casablanc' immigrated before the Six Days, but he made most of his fame after the war. It became a show that everyone flocked to to celebrate Israel.
"After Casablanc went down, in 1968, Godick produced I Like Mike at the Alhambra Theatre, which was also based on an old play adapted to the period, as a big-budget musical. It's a euphoric musical, the song 'Cheers to this People' is taken from there. And it became a real wave: Avraham (Desh) Paschanel then produced 'A funny thing happened to me on the way to Suez' – and it went on and on."
Yehoram Gaon and Efrat Lavi in the film "Kasbalan", 1973. A period of huge productions, photo: Asa Dovrat
Peled diagnoses a trend in the popularity of musicals in Israel: "It is interesting that 'The Conductors' comes out during the renaissance of the genre in Israel. It's happening now, and the last time it happened was in the '60s. Somehow it happens at the end of times, or when we're very good, or when it's hard for us.
"Godick is a bit of a tragic story. He was the one who brought Broadway to Israel. In the early '60s, he brought My Fair Lady, for example. He put all his fortune into it, and at first it worked well for him. From the money he made from the plays he imported, he started doing original productions. But in 1969, when we realized that we were in a war of attrition and the public lost the euphoric feeling of the six days, it reached bankruptcy, and then it also fled the country in the middle of the night."
In 1970, Godick created the slightly bizarre musical "To the Horses' Cheeks That Will Get the People of Israel Out of This Trouble," which ran about ten times before dropping. "In the end, Godick ended his life in the '70s as a hot dog salesman in Germany, and there's something touching about that," Peled explains. "He was a man who had an amazing dream and did everything to make it come true, but also paid a price for it."
Eliran Peled: "In 'The Victors' I was interested in dealing with the less euphoric side of the Six Days. A man told the inquiry that he felt at war like a mute character in a musical movie - and the musical echoes that. There's something about this medium that makes it possible to touch things in a different way."
Peled discovers that the decision to create a film musical, which is quite rare in our regions, was already born in the research stages. "I was interested in dealing with the less euphoric side of the six days. Focus on the characters who in the midst of all this euphoria have experienced a lot of complexity, bereavement and PTSD.
"One of the men in the investigation said he felt like a mute character in a musical movie – and the musical echoes that. There's something about this medium that binds you to a certain legality, but also allows you to touch things in a different way – that if it were a regular drama film, it would be much more complex to touch them."
Kind of a breakthrough
Musicals are not everyone's cup of tea. After all, there really is something strange about the moment when a character stops talking and starts a song. "In recent years, in musicals around the world and in Israel, there is an awareness of how ridiculous it is to suddenly sing, and then there is a celebration of this ridiculousness instead of going against it," says director and playwright Rom Reznik, who created the musical "The One" together with Canaan Levkovich.
"The one." Pushing the boundaries of the genre, photo: Oron Kaplan
"The great success of 'The Book of Mormon' in New York a decade ago was something of a breakthrough. The biggest parody of musicals was, in fact, an excellent musical in its own right. The fact that the creators of 'South Park' (Trey Parker and Matt Stone) wrote a musical, it broke something up, changed the attitude.
"Today it is impossible to approach the matter without this external observation. In a world of hyper-realistic TV shows and movies, it's impossible for the stylish world to be unaware of style. And I think that's a good thing. You don't have to be constantly parodying the thing, and yes it's worth celebrating this genre, but stay with the eye that winks at the audience. Something that says without saying, 'We know it's like it's funny when someone starts singing.' It harnesses the audience to the situation."
Rom Resnick: "The creators of 'South Park' wrote a musical, and it changed and dismantled the approach. Today it's worth celebrating the genre and staying with a winking eye that says, 'We know it's like it's funny when someone starts singing.' It harnesses the audience to the situation."
The musical "The One" opened about a year ago at the Triangle Theater, the gay theater founded by the Tel Aviv Gay Center, and it still runs together. At the center of this witty work is a young Tel Aviv man whose partner leaves him, and who finds himself on a journey in search of "The One" in the urban jungle of dating apps.
What is particularly interesting is that despite the complexity of the production and the high costs, musicals also entered the Fringe Theater. Thus, in recent years you can find more and more original musicals such as "Ness Ziona", "The End" and "Shmuel", musicals that enjoy greater artistic freedom and try to push the boundaries of the genre ("The One", for example, opens with the actors performing a stormy and stylish gay sex scene).
However, not everyone is in a hurry to get into productions of this type. Resnick, for example, was initially concerned about the artistic and production complexity of writing an original musical. "It's hard work, but as soon as we had a clear story about a gay guy in Tel Aviv who is used to being in a long-term relationship, and then was thrown into the single life of Grindr – we started perfecting this theme."
And the audience isn't just LGBT. "A musical invites you to let go of something. You have to devote yourself to something that's a little nonsensical, a little ridiculous, sometimes weird, and once you do that, you can earn a lot."
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