Trailer for the musical show "Little Gifts" with the participation of Rami Kleinstein and Tal Mosari (Israeli Children's Theater)
Officially, Hanukkah is the festival of lights.
The message is beautiful, and even romantic.
The victory of light over darkness.
In practice, neither lights nor shoes.
Hanukkah has long since become the "children's holiday" which is great fun, especially with you as a child.
The Israeli attempt to import the Christmas celebrations that we have all seen on television has become a celebration of a local trade, where the child stars make three and sometimes even four appearances a day throughout the country.
Usually these are scams whose real purpose is to sell cheap merchandise at an inflated price.
Sometimes these are people who really want to make art.
Armed with two girls aged 6 and 3, I set out to try to separate the chaff from the chaff.
Festigal on Festigal
At the beginning of the month, our full review of the 41st Festival was already published here on the website.
Since then, he has returned to the headlines following a viral post on Instagram.
One of the major media outlets in Israel decided to echo the claims made in the post, including in the comments, and turned the whole thing into a real indictment against the production of the festival, even though some of the claims made in the post could easily be dismissed - for example, that Hanoch Rosen is not directing the current festival.
In practice, he certainly directs, but in the plot of the festival itself we are swept into a world where Hanoch Rosen abandons the festival to direct some festival in Italy.
It is not clear what is more amazing, that someone came to Festigal and thought that the plot (which includes, among other things, a journey between parallel universes) is based on a true story, or that a journalist published an item based on the same claims.
In any case, this year's festival is everything we expected and more.
A polished and uncompromising product - at a level above the competition - which, for its ticket price, provides both a high-standard children's show, with positive messages hidden within a frenetic TikTok plot - and performances (in playback) of some of Israel's biggest pop artists, including Anna Zak, Eden Hasson, Agam Bohbot and more .
The meta-plot of the festival does not always work, but the original songs and especially the humor of the trio "What's the matter" succeeds in blurring the difference between the adults and the young in the audience, even if the song that has stuck in our house the most ever since is "Mini Me" from an Eliana Tidhar commercial that was shown on a loop before the start of the show.
The 6-year-old reviewer's score: five stars (and no, she still doesn't believe that "Zina" is a boy. Despite Shalom Michaelashvili's stubble)
Beyond Anna Zak's performance, there is also a positive message.
Festigal on Festigal (photo: official website, Orit Panini)
Baby in the land of children
Like the Festigal, but for the little ones.
Since 2008, various productions of "Festival Baby" have been running on Hanukkah, with a stable and solid foundation called Yuval Shem Tov, better known to your children as "Yuval Hambalal".
I can tell you about the big troupe of dancers, the original numbers, the childish-in-a-good-bit setting and of course the charming Kogomello, Mickey Mouse the Big Soul, the guest appearance of Sonic the Hedgehog, the giant puppet of Punch the Dog, and even Kofiko who celebrated his 70th birthday on stage - but The truth is that those who have been to one performance of "Motek" already know the standard.
Yes, I would like to take advantage of the platform to take my hat off to Shem Tov, that hundreds of thousands of children have already grown up on his captivating character.
One can argue about the quality of the content (Shem Tov signed the story of the play of the show, as with other Hanukkah shows) but one thing cannot be debated: this man came to work.
For years now.
every show.
three times a day for several weeks.
sometimes more.
This coming Saturday he will take the stage at the Drive Inn Hall in Tel Aviv four times.
At nine in the morning, at 12 noon, at three and six.
Every time he will give his all, sweat his soul - and all for the little bosses who sit in the stands and laugh at another stupid joke.
Not many "respectable" stage artists work with this intensity, and with this passion.
A week after we saw Messi and Mbappe approach the penalty kicks after 120 minutes of football without a drop of sweat on their faces, it was hard to miss the amounts of sweat dripping from Shem Tov's face.
The mass of silly rhymes and smiles that attack from an unexpected place.
That's how it is when you do the work with all your heart.
Four times a day, and he finishes the tank each time.
Every time.
The 3-year-old reviewer's score: five stars (and she doesn't know how much Mickey helps children in day care)
Finishes the tank every time.
The confused Yuval in "Honey in the Children's Land" (Photo: Nir Stolo)
the angel
Bringing the children together with one of the children's stars from life-size television is the almost inevitable choice for most parents, but it is worth remembering that there are quite a few very high-level children's shows that are presented throughout the country, including in the public repertory theaters.
Ephraim Sidon, who adapted his book from 1985 into a musical at Beit Lesin, says that in his eyes the theater is still the most exciting place for children.
The place where the screen opens and you can't touch it, and behind it are people - assuming they are good - making them go "wow".
There is no doubt that "The Angel" directed by Tzipi Pines is such a success story.
This is not the first time the show has come on stage, but it seems that every time it comes back, it encounters a more sophisticated, less concentrated and more challenging generation of children.
"The Angel" also conquers these children, who spent the Corona period glued to screens and demanding non-stop stimulation.
The play does this through a wonderful story, a great cast (can you please cast Mittal Nautik in all the plays I see starting today?), catchy music and a captivating message - which manages to move even the parents in the audience.
This is exactly the level of content I would like to introduce to my girls.
An invested theater, which respects its stage - and also its audience.
The 6-year-old reviewer's score: five stars (and she also demanded to buy the original book, we're already halfway there)
Respect the audience, and themselves.
The cast of "The Angel" (photo: Redi Rubinstein)
small gifts
It is not easy to see legendary musicians, those who can fill the culture hall or Caesarea with their audience, suddenly become child stars.
Rami Kleinstein's move into this niche was quite natural.
Kleinstein did not become the confused Yuval, but a follower in the footsteps of Eric Einstein, Chava Alberstein and Mati Caspi, who decided to cultivate alongside their rich and impressive music career a childish and innocent side.
At the beginning of the year I already finished praising Kleinstein's new children's songs, which became a great TV series under the name of that great hit.
Now, Kleinstein together with his musical partner Noam Horev collaborate with the Israeli Children's Theater and bring the songs to the stage in a production that goes far beyond Hanukkah chanting.
There was a hedgehog, there was no turtle.
Tal Mosari, Inbali, and Rami Kleinstein with Shmulikipod in "Little Gifts" (photo: Israeli Children's Theater)
Tal Mosari, the Benjamin Button of Israeli theater works so hard on stage and makes everything look easy.
On stage were also Inbali, Shmulikipod, Yael and Amri and of course Phyllis, the cheeky flamingo doll.
In short, a big celebration.
Yes, it would have been nicer if the beautiful songs had been performed live and not in playback - but this is probably the only petty criticism I have of the show directed by Udi Gottschalk.
Rarely does a "show for the whole family" really live up to its promise, and this is the case.
My 3 year old beamed with happiness when she saw Peter the Rabbit and his friend Benjamin on stage.
The 6-year-old already knew how to recite some of the songs (she was disappointed by the lack of the hit "Tzev Ho Tzev") and the parents enjoyed a string of Kleinstein's greatest hits that closed the show.
Definitely a show for ages 2-102.
The 6-year-old critic's score: five stars (despite the initial disappointment that Noah Halperin and Eden Goldman from the TV series do not appear)
culture
in what
Tags
Yuval the confused
Hanukkah
Festigal
