INTERVIEW: Classic Israeli children’s tale receives new production in NYC
LABA: A Laboratory for Jewish Culture is set to delight children ages 2-8 in the coming weeks. They are bringing their production of Hanna and the Moonlit Dress to their old stomping ground of the 14th Street Y in New York City. Performances run Jan. 20 to Feb. 11.
Audience members — both the young and young at heart — can expect an interactive musical based on Hanna’s Sabbath Dress, a story by Itzhak Schweiger-Dmi’el. The new production, which has toured North America, has been adapted by Yoav Gal and Ronit Muszkatblit.
In the play, Hanna runs to tell her friends about her brand-new dress. Then, Zuzi the dog and Edna the cow, the girl’s friends, join her on a wild adventure. The show runs 40 minutes and also features a 15-minute workshop.
Recently, Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Muszkatblit, who also directs the production. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
What inspired the performance Hanna and the Moonlit Dress?
Growing up in Israel, the soundtrack of Hanna and the Sabbath Dress became part of my childhood memories. When my kids turned 2 and 3, in an effort to expose them to Israeli culture, I started playing the CD (yes, there still were CDs then), and I realized that it would be a wonderful story to translate into English and bring to the theater world here.
As part of the adaptation journey, I was exposed to the original book. The simplicity and beauty was so captivating that I decided to stick to it and not the musical. Another part that really inspired the visual language of the play and underlying message was the first song that talks about six days of creation towards the Sabbath, which is God’s and our the resting day. I was really inspired by this whole notion that we can — adults and children — create worlds and stories with paper and pencil and some scissors. We can all craft worlds like the world of Hanna and the Moonlit Dress.
Has the piece changed a lot since being on tour?
I wouldn’t say that show has changed, but I would say that we have learned to create it in various configurations. Mostly bringing the audience into a proscenium setting even more than what we usually did at the 14th Street Y Theatre, where the children have much closer access and freedom of movement.
What are the interactive elements of the show?
From the minute the children enter the theater lobby, we want them to be engulfed in the creation process. They are welcomed by the storytellers (the actors) in the workshop setting, where they can create part of the paper props (flowers and butterflies) and decorate their own tickets, which are the stars. As we weave their answers into the storytelling during the play, we use their props to create part of the story. They are the friends and flowers that accompany Hanna, the hero, on her journey, and together with their tickets, the stars, they help create a star-studded nighttime sky (the whole theater lights up with glow-in-the-dark stars), which then become her path back to her home.
What have been some of the reactions of the children who have experienced the show?
The children are captivated by the show. They become guides and helpers, and interact with the journey through the laughter, sighs and answers. Whether its Zuzi the dog or their wonder when her white paper dress transforms into a stained-like canvas, or by trying to help her find a solution, they become part of the journey. They laugh, they dance, they really become part of the play with the actors. When they leave they usually want to hang out and meet the animal characters, the actors and the masks.
Another area of curiosity for them is when they check out all the sound-making instruments and special effect[s]. They’re not usually used to the music and the soundscape being created live in front of their eyes. Emily [Erikson], our music director, usually lets them play and try our special sound-making instruments.
Interactive video: https://vimeo.com/248804641.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Hanna and the Moonlit Dress, a production of LABA, will play Jan. 20 through Feb. 11 at the 14th Street Y in New York City. Click here for more information and tickets.
