This description of Maccabeat! The Hanukkah Musical! from its NYMF website show page pretty much tells you all you need to know about this musical: it’s certainly not meant to be historically accurate, and is not portraying a serious story. What Maccabeat does give you is an entertaining, made-up story; a bouncy score; and, most importantly, a fun night at the theater.
Judah (Mitch Dean), the son of a high priest, is torn between his world and the alluring world of the Greeks. He clashes with his father, tries out for the Olympics, falls for the sister of an important Greek official (Margaret Anne Florence), and has a genuine goal of merging the two cultures. However, unbeknownst to him, the Greek king, Antiochus (Michael Daly) plans to steal gold from the Jewish temple, and wants to ultimately force the Hebrews to bow down to Zeus. He won’t stop short of using Judah to achieve these ends. Ultimately, Judah finds his true destiny, and discovers who he truly is.A less successful subplot involves Judah’s brother, John (Jeremy Cohen), and his arranged intended, Sarah (Rachel Frankenthal). Sarah decides to act more like a Jerusalem “valley girl” to entice John, and is successful, except now, John doesn’t even notice her when she’s not acting like a valley girl. Though there is an amusing word play between a girl who stands between two mountains and “valley girl,” the act is just annoying, and what’s the message supposed to be? Act like someone else to get someone to like you? It seems to distinctly clash with what Judah learns along the way.
Particularly effective and comedic in Maccabeat is its inclusion and references to modern-day entities, whether it be a play on modern stores (such as McDavid’s), or a take-off of comparatively modern songs (the song, “Shabbat Shalom” is sung to the oldies doo-wop tune of “Silhouettes”). Even though I can’t remember the exact names given to some of the other stores, it was still funny to see that the stores were renamed ot fit in these ancient times. Early in the show, when his father is reprimanding him for wearing a Greek toga, Judah argues that he purchased it at Abercrombie and [Hebrew word]. A coffee shop with the Starbucks logo comes up as Star[Hebrew word]. All of these stores carry the modern logos, making the name change all the more humorous. The score is particularly catchy, and I found myself singing, “Follow the Maccabee” as I left the theater. Yet there are also sweet ballads, such as “Father,” and “Judah.” The songs were all well sung by the performers, and the chorus as a whole really meshed well together; their voices were in beautiful harmony.
Mitch Dean is well cast as Judah. He has great stage presence, and has the necessary charisma to pull off the character. He also has a great voice. Matching his vocal power is Howard Kaye, as Judah’s father. His rendition of “Judah” is heartfelt and incredibly powerful. Michael Daly turns in a humorous performance as Antiochus, especially in his unsuccessful attempts to pronounce Hebrew words, such as L’Chaim (“Hi-lee-um”?).
Despite minor plot flaws, I think Maccabeat! The Hanukkah Musical! is a well-crafted piece of theater, with songs that further the plot, and let us get to know the characters better. It is definitely a fun musical, and a visit over to the remaining performances at the Acorn Theater will surely be an enjoyable experience. So go, have fun, and follow the Maccabeat!
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