By DORIS RUBENSTEIN
It is likely that only the most frum (Jewishly observant) amongst the American Jewish World readers have not seen at least a television version of the Dr. Seuss classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The message is more “peace on Earth, good will toward all” than celebrating the birth of Jesus (who isn’t even mentioned once).
As a holiday offering, the Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) has staged productions of a musical play based on the Grinch story a dozen times, but this time there’s a small Jewish connection in it.
That small connection is an 11-year-old girl: Batya Rose Green Hofkin is playing the crucial role of Cindy-Lou Who in her CTC debut. In Batya’s own words, “I tried to make a relationship with Cindy-Lou’s character because she’s so sweet and kind. She’s the person who made the Grinch change his heart.”
Who is this sweet and kind Jewish girl?
Batya Rose Green Hofkin lives in Minneapolis and attends the Heilicher Minneapolis Jewish Day School. She comes from a very Jewish and very artistic family (Rimon: The Minnesota Jewish Arts Council pops up on the résumés of numerous members of the clan). Her great-grandfather was the longtime rabbi of Beth Shalom Synagogue in Michigan; her great-great-uncle, Bernard Raskas, was a rabbi of Temple of Aaron Synagogue in St. Paul for 38 years; a paternal great-grandfather, Albert Ginsburgh, was also a rabbi who held pulpits in New England.
Batya’s grandmother Rani is well-known locally for her artistic ketubot (marriage contracts) and other artistic endeavors. Her parents, Tamar Halpern-Green and Ben Hofkin, and the whole mishpacha (family) are stalwarts of Adath Jeshurun Congregation, and so are Ben’s parents, Michael Hofkin and Ann Ginsburgh Hofkin, the noted local art photographer.
It turns out that Batya is steeped in local theater. Grandparents Rani and Joel Green took her to theaters all around town, even as a toddler, including CTC productions. Batya always knew in her heart that she wanted to be an actress.
She had taken her own steps in that direction at Heilicher, in fourth grade, where she and a small group of classmates created the music and lyrics for a class play. She also composes songs to play on her ukulele. Her musical tastes are eclectic; she has sung in the Heilicher school choir and likes pop, musical theater and indie music. But it was the CTC’s 2023 production of Alice in Wonderland that persuaded her to take more concrete steps toward the stage, and her parents agreed to enroll her in CTC’s acting and voice classes.
Those classes gave the budding actress the opportunity to stretch her artistic and personal wings. She said, “For me, I never have had a lot of people who share my interest in theater. It’s so wonderful to be in a community that is so accepting and kind and wholesome.” One of her friends from voice training is also in the production. “These are my best friends now outside of school.”
The CTC classes opened the door for Batya’s first professional role in The Grinch. A theater arts training manager heard Batya sing, and then the casting director also noted her talent; they supported her in her personal decision to audition for the role of Cindy-Lou.
“I was beyond excited,” Batya recalled. “I’d never been in a professional play before.”
For her audition, she was asked to sing Cindy-Lou’s song, “Santa for a Day.” To prepare her for the audition, the staff sent her a recording of the music and lyrics and part of the script for the Cindy-Lou part. “It was sort of stressful, but I had a lot of support,” she commented.
There are even more Jewish performers in the show’s cast: Brody Breen, a 10th grader at Eagan High School, and Liam Beck-O’Sullivan, who’s appeared on numerous local and regional stages.
Finally, there’s a quasi-Jewish connection to the musical: composer Mel Marvin. In his own words: “I am (sadly) only an honorary Jew. As complete a goy as they come. I am proud to say, though, that I was made an honorary Jew by Isaac Bashevis Singer, who loved my Yentl score and insisted I must have been Jewish in several former lives. I believe him.”
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Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is now onstage at Children’s Theatre Company, 2400 3rd Ave. S., Minneapolis, through Jan. 5, 2025. The show is for all ages. For tickets, go to: childrenstheatre.org or call the ticket office, 612-874-0400.
(American Jewish World, November 2024)
ction is an 11-year-old girl: Batya Rose Green Hofkin will be playing the crucial role of Cindy-Lou Who in her CTC debut. In Batya Rose’s own words, “I tried to make a relationship with Cindy-Lou’s character because she’s so sweet and kind. She’s the person who made the Grinch change his heart.”
Who is this sweet and kind Jewish girl?
Batya Rose Green Hofkin lives in Minneapolis and attends the Heilicher Jewish Day School. She comes from a very Jewish and very artistic family (Rimon-The Minnesota Jewish Arts Council pops up on the resumes of numerous members of the clan). Her great-grandfather was the longtime rabbi of Beth Shalom Synagogue in Michigan; her great-great-uncle, Bernard Raskas, was a rabbi of Temple of Aaron Synagogue in St. Paul for 38 years; a paternal great-grandfather, Albert Ginsburgh, was also a rabbi who held pulpits in New England.
Batya’s grandmother Rani is well-known locally for her artistic ketubot (marriage contracts) and other artistic endeavors. Her parents Tamar Halpern-Green and Ben Hofkin and the whole mishpacha (family) are stalwarts of Adath Jeshurun Congregation, and so are Ben’s parents, Michael Hofkin and Ann Ginsburgh Hofkin, the noted local art photographer.
It turns out that Batya is steeped in local theater. Grandparents Rani and Joel Green took her to theaters all around town, even as a toddler, including CTC productions. Batya always knew in her heart that she wanted to be an actress.
She had taken her own steps in that direction at Heilicher, in fourth grade, where she and a small group of classmates created the music and lyrics for a class play. She also composes songs to play on her ukulele. Her musical tastes are eclectic; she has sung in the Heilicher school choir and likes pop, musical theater and indie music. But it was the CTC’s 2023 production of Alice in
Wonderland that convinced her to take more concrete steps toward the stage, and her parents agreed to enroll her in CTC’s acting and voice classes.
Those classes gave the budding actress the opportunity to stretch her artistic and personal wings. She says, “For me, I never have had a lot of people who share my interest in theater. It’s so wonderful to be in a community that is so accepting and kind and wholesome.” One of her friends from voice training is also in the production. “These are my best friends now outside of school.”
The CTC classes opened the door for Batya’s first professional role in The Grinch. A theater arts training manager heard Batya sing and then the casting director also noted her talent; they supported her in her personal decision to audition for the role of Cindy-Lou.
“I was beyond excited,” Batya recalled. “I’d never been in a professional play before.”
For her audition, she was asked to sing Cindy-Lou’s song, “Santa for a Day.” To prepare her for the audition, the staff sent her a recording of the music and lyrics and part of the script for the Cindy-Lou part. “It was sort of stressful, but I had a lot of support,” she commented.
There are even more Jewish performers in the show’s cast: Brody Breen, a 10th grader at Eagan High School, and Liam Beck-O’Sullivan who’s appeared on numerous local and regional stages.
Finally, there’s a quasi-Jewish connection to the musical: composer Mel Marvin. In his own words: “I am (sadly) only an honorary Jew. As complete a goy as they come. I am proud to say, though, that I was made an honorary Jew by Isaac Bashevis Singer, who loved my Yentl score and insisted I must have been Jewish in several former lives. I believe him.”
***
Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is onstage at Children’s Theatre Company through Jan. 5, 2025. The show is for all ages. For tickets, go to: childrenstheatre.org or call the ticket office, 612-874-0400.
(American Jewish World, November 2024)
