By DORIS RUBENSTEIN
No question about it: A mouse is not a kosher animal. However, a question apart is whether a mouse can be Jewish.
According to Steven Spielberg, the highly respected producer and director of Schindler’s List, among other Jewish-oriented films, the answer is yes.
Schindler’s List, Survivors of the Holocaust and even his most recent film, The Fabelmans, are not fare for the preschool set. Spielberg knew this well when in the early 1980s, and as executive producer, he set out to tell a Jewish immigration story for that demographic; the result was the animated film An American Tail, which premiered in 1986.
Millions of little kiddies who have come into the world since then have been able to enjoy the story of Fievel, the little Jewish mouse from Russia, whose family flees oppression and tyranny (in the form of cats). It’s available in the various electronic formats that have arisen in the ensuing years and can still be seen through streaming services.
Flash forward to the 2020s. The place: Minneapolis Tony award-winning Children’s Theatre Company. The CTC Act One creative team is committed to developing a new play that reflects the CTC’s commitment for “access, diversity, and inclusion in CTC’s audiences … so that the theatre will be a home for all people, all families, reflective of our community.”
In the search for source material, An American Tail surfaced: an immigration story (and the vast majority of Americans are immigrants), but one with a special Jewish twist to it, starting when the Mousekewitz mouse family shares the crumbs of Hanuka latkes that the owners of the household drop. This is when the bubbies in the audience might lean over and whisper to their little tateles (young loved ones) in the next seat: “See! The mice are Jewish!”
As in real life, everything does not go exactly as planned for the Mousekewitzes and Fievel; there are cats (and other dangers) in America, too. But since this is a children’s story and since the vast majority of immigration stories have happy endings, so, too, does An American Tail end on a high note.
The original American Tail movie already was an adaptation of a story by David Kirschner, Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss. It has its own musical score and songs. CTC wanted to make it its own. Once the rights to the story were acquired (Spielberg answered CTC’s initial email with an immediate “yes”), the organization jumped in to find the best team to build a new, 21st century adaptation for its stage.
Itamar Moses wrote the book (script) and some lyrics. His play The Band’s Visit, which addresses Israeli-Egyptian cross-cultural connections, won an Obie Award in 2017 and a Tony Award in 2018. Moses had seen An American Tail as a nine-year-old. Himself a child of immigrants, Moses felt compelled to take on the commission, thinking about the recent waves of immigrants and refugees to the U.S. and Europe. “We had to do it now!” he exclaimed in an interview. Much of the play’s plot remains true to the original story. Moses advises, “Don’t make changes if you don’t need them.”
Still, CTC created a musical that combines the iconic and beloved songs from the film with a whole series of new songs. Musical compositions are a team effort of Alan Schmuckler, Moses and Minnetonka native Michael Mahler. Mahler grew up in the shadow of Beth El Synagogue as a student at Benilde-St. Margaret’s. He and Schmuckler have collaborated previously and the two share a serious commitment to teamwork. Mahler said that they have a “Lennon-McCartney” approach to songwriting. Neither lives in the Twin Cities, but Mahler makes regular visits home to see family and brings along his Jewish wife, actress Dara Cameron, and their son Ezra.
Similarly, director Taibi Magar is the offspring of an immigrant. Her Egyptian Christian father stowed away (much like mice are wont to do) on a boat bound for Lebanon, fleeing religious oppression in his native land. Magar recalled seeing the movie as a child, too, and thinking “Gosh, this is my dad’s story!” She became obsessed with the movie.
Did the CTC team know this about her, or was it just beshert (predestined) for them to ask her to direct? With such an international background, it is no surprise that Taibi has directed plays all over the world, including in Germany, Scotland, England and Australia.
Yiddish dancing such as performed in the “L’Chaim” scene of Fiddler on the Roof was not in choreographer Katie Spelman’s vision for this production. Instead, Spelman threw herself into a study of how animals move and behave, since all of the characters in the play are animals.
The story is tried and true; its message of triumph over adversity is clear. And it’s Jewish. Find a tatele and take the kid to see An American Tail at the Children’s Theatre Company.
***
An American Tail the Musical runs April 25 through June 18 at Children’s Theatre Company, 2400 Third Ave. S., Minneapolis. For tickets, go online, or call the ticket office at 612-874-0400.
This production is best enjoyed by all ages. Lap passes are available for children three years and younger.
(American Jewish World, April 2023)
