Most Americans have heard of Hansel and Gretel, the kids who find themselves in a gingerbread house with a witch and an elusive breadcrumb trail. The recent movie Hansel & Gretel Witch Hunter updated this 1812 Grimm Brothers fairytale, with varying reviews. Before the Witch Hunter hit the screens, though, Ami & Tami, the Israeli version of this known story made it’s debut. Russian born Israeli composer Matti Kovler created this show to illustrate the more modern issues kids face, specifically the stress of overcommitment. Singing lice in place of breadcrumbs bring this show to life, along with a cast of multitalented Boston-area music students. One of the first productions of the newly founded Jewish Music Theater, founded by Kovler, this show is a taste of what Jewish Music Theater plans to bring to Boston and the world— going beyond the Fiddler On the Roof stereotypes. 

Althought not yet a complete production, the show will make it’s workshop premier tomorrow (March 21st) at the Hebrew College for the JCC Boston-Haifa Diller Teen Fellows, a natural connection given that Kovler is a Haifa native.

“We are excited to see the reponse of real kids- specifically from the American and from the Israeli perspectives,” says Kovler. “It is rare to be able to connect with kids from both Haifa and Boston, and this is a special opportunity to further the connection bewteen the sister cities while also promoting new works that have a connection to both.”

See a taste of this exciting new work here:

Interested in checking out the preview? Hebrew College, Thursday March 21st at 6:30pm.

 

Contributed by Laura Mandel, New Center NOW director and Ami & Tami costume designer

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