 Prepare for a dazzling two evenings of musical theater, as Beth El and Baltimore Hebrew Congregation join forces in presenting The Orphan Queen – the Story of Esther on February 20 and 21, at 8:00 pm at BHC. This original Broadway-style musical, which has played to rave reviews in various other cities, will be making its Baltimore debut. Proceeds from the sale of tickets will benefit the Beth El and Baltimore Hebrew religious schools.
The Orphan Queen, which features 32 original songs, was written and produced by Baltimore Hebrew Congregation’s Cantor Robbie Solomon. The full-length original musical, which has been produced in several locations since its first run in 1977 – including a four-week engagement at the Jewish Theatre of New England in 1999 – is a creative interpretation of the Esther story. Victoria Mansouri will be directing the Baltimore production, and Maria Broom is the choreographer. The cast will be made up of younger actors and actresses, as well as veterans of the local stage and members of the synagogue community. Beth El’s own Cantor Thom King will play the role of Ahashverosh, and Cantor Solomon will portray Mordechai.
“The show is very much about the process of transmitting the story and the joy of our tradition to a new generation,” says Cantor Solomon.
The play, which takes place in two acts, is set in Persia during the reign of King Ahashverosh, a man fond of raucous parties. Act I opens with the chorus introducing the story and its philosophy with the singing of Chance. The story continues through four more scenes in the first act, each punctuated with original musical numbers, including Swingin’ Purim, Vashti’s Song, Conspiracy and Prince of Deception. Act II opens as the King, during a sleepless night, orders his scribe to read to him from his book of the chronicles, which reveals that Mordechai had saved the King’s life by unmasking an assassination plot. The King contemplates how to reward this hero in How Shall I Honor this Man. Near the end of the play, Esther reveals that she is a Jew and denounces Haman, singing Everybody Loves a Party.
“Purim is the ultimate example of the Jewish response to difficult circumstances and hard times,” explains Solomon, an internationally known composer of Jewish choral works. “Instead of wallowing in sorrow…we rally around an optimistic outlook and make good-hearted fun of our tormentors.”
In addition to creating The Orphan Queen, Cantor Solomon has authored dozens of songs of Jewish content, including World of Our Fathers, Peace by Piece, and Falasha Nevermore. He is also well known as a performer/song writer with the popular Jewish musical group SAFAM, which has more than 10 CDs of original works in its repertoire. In addition, he has published and recorded a choral series with Transcontinental Music Publications and collections of pieces written for numerous synagogues around the country.
The cast includes: Cantor Robbie Soloman as Mordechai, Cantor Thom King as King Achashverosh, Becky Mossing as Vashti, Alessandra Fabiani as Esther, Russ Margo as Haman, and Abram Eli Foster as young soloist.
Tickets for The Orphan Queen range from $18 to $50. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit the Orphan Queen website, www.orphanqueen.com. |
