For years Jews have joked that the only place to go on Christmas
Day is out for Chinese food and to the movies. No more.
Gentile? Jew? Not even sure what a gentile is? No matter! The latest craze in holiday entertainment is “The MeshugaNutcracker,” a loopy musical spin on the Tchaikovsky classic designed for the pleasure of Jews and gentiles alike.
“Christmas generally dominates this time of year, and there’s hardly anything that Jews can go and do that isn’t Christmas-related,” said Lexie Lazear, a cast member in the show. “Sometimes Jews get so starved for entertainment, they end up going to see “A Christmas Carol” or “The Nutcracker,” which are shows we can’t relate to and can’t take ownership of. This show is something that Jewish children can finally take ownership of. This is something they can ‘belong’ to.”
The show, produced by The National Jewish Theatre Festival and Guggenheim Entertainment, was co-created by director Scott Guggenheim and his wife, choreographer-lyricist Shannon Guggenheim. The two were chatting – lamenting, actually – that the only things for Jews to do on Christmas Day are go out for Chinese food or see a movie.
When Shannon pointed out that Jews were seeing Christmas shows out of desperation, Scott said, “That’s crazy.” Shannon corrected him, saying it was “Meshuganuh!” – Yiddish for “crazy.” Then she corrected herself, saying it’s “Meshuganutcracker!” Viola! A new musical was born.
“The show is amazing – it’s fast-paced, bright, colorful, loud, fun, engaging – everyone can get into it,” Lazear said. “There really is something for everyone in this show. You don’t have to be Jewish to get it.”
The musical tells the Hanukkah story of the Maccabees in a play-within-the-play, featuring colorful – if slightly dim – characters from the fictional town of Chelm. The songs also address the “December dilemma” Jews have being surrounded by Santa, Christmas trees and carols. Children are the heroes in several stories in the show, including two that deal with the Holocaust. But don’t expect any sermons.
“The stories in the show are playful and silly, but some manage to be serious at the same time,” Lazear said. “All the stories have happy endings, and the overall message of the more serious stories is hope.”
The show opened at one theater in the Bay Area in 2003, but now does a six-city West Coast tour having proved wildly popular with audiences of all ages and creeds. Check out the show when it comes to San Jose this weekend.
Also expect to see:
n Dancing dreidels
n Costumes that include latkes, bagels, colanders, garbage cans and doughnut tutus
n “Nudge-nudge, wink-wink” jokes for adults
n Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” music with Hanukkah-related lyrics added
n Pop culture jokes, including Star Trek and Shakespeare
n Roller-skating angels
n Stories based on Hanukkah books for children, including tales by Eric Kimmel
