Rumpelstiltskin (1965 musical)

Rumpelstiltskin
Hebrew: עוץ-לי-גוץ-לי
Music	Dov Seltzer
Lyrics	Avraham Shlonsky
Book	Avraham Shlonsky

Rumpelstiltskin (Hebrew: עוץ-לי-גוץ-לי, "my-advisor-my-midget") is a Hebrew language–musical based on the fairytale of the same name by the Brothers Grimm, written by Avraham Shlonsky. Shlonsky's rendition casts the story in a humoristic light, rather than the grim tone of the original.[1] All monologues and dialogues are spoken in rhyme, and incorporate sophisticated wordplay using the Hebrew language at a high level alongside many inverted allusions to Jewish tradition, including one to the taboo over uttering the Tetragrammaton. Most notable of these allusions are those to the holiday of Purim and its connected piyutim, and to the bases of Hebrew grammar and pronunciation. This musical is considered one of the longest running, most popular shows in Israel.

Casts

Character	Original cast 1965	4th Cameri Revival 2002	5th Cameri Revival 2020
The King	Ze'ev Revach	Alon Ofir / Itay Tiran / Ido Mosseri / Asaf Goldstien / Shoham Shiener	Nadav Netz / Gilad Shmueli
Miller		Eli Gorenstein / Igal Naor / Assaf Pariente / Simcha Barbiro	Eli Gorenstein / Simcha Barbiro
The Miller's daughter	Shoshik Shani	Elinor Aharon / Meyrav Feldman	Jordan Nikfahama / Noy Halperin
Rumpelstiltskin	Avraham Chalfi	Yossi Toledo / Asaf Goldstien	Alon Sandler / David Bilenca

History

Rumpelstiltskin was first performed in the Cameri Theater in 1965, directed by Yossi Yizraeli, who adapted Shlonsky's original script of a non-musical play into a libretto for a musical.[2] In Israel, this musical is considered a classic and is still presented to this day.

References

1. קָהָל נִכְבָּד, בְּרֶגַע זֶה מַתְחִיל סִפּוּר-הַמַּחֲזֶה (Dear Audience, at this moment begins our play's story) – National Library of Israel
2. פסק דין קבע את גבולות עבודת הבמאי (A verdict set out the limits of the Director's work)