Imagine This
Imagine This is a musical set in the Warsaw Jewish ghetto during the Holocaust. With departure to a camp imminent, a local theatre troupe are encouraged by their director Daniel to stage a musical about Masada (where a group of 960 Jewish refugees in the year 70 attempted to evade Roman soldiers before committing mass suicide).
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Stage Production Notes
Composer Shuki Levy was moved by the parallels between the events of Masada and of the Holocaust, and compelled to write the musical. The characters in the musical were fictitious but the story was based on real-life events.
Levy was the co-creator of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television show and wrote music and theme songs, including Inspector Gadget and Mr T, for children’s television during the 1980s and 1990s.
Imagine This had its initial try-out at the Plymouth Theatre Royal in July 2007.
After opening on the West End in November 2008, Imagine This was lambasted by critics. Writing for The Guardian, Matt Wolf described the show as "conceptually cheesy" and in his review for Variety, David Benedict called the writing "schematic and predictable."
Imagine This closed after a month, with the producers citing negative press as a reason for poor ticket sales. The recession may have also played a part in the short run.
Imagine This was produced in Germany by the Free Musical Ensemble Münster in 2016.
Composer Shuki Levy was moved by the parallels between the events of Masada and of the Holocaust, and compelled to write the musical. The characters in the musical were fictitious but the story was based on real-life events.
Levy was the co-creator of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television show and wrote music and theme songs, including Inspector Gadget and Mr T, for children’s television during the 1980s and 1990s.
Imagine This had its initial try-out at the Plymouth Theatre Royal in July 2007.
After opening on the West End in November 2008, Imagine This was lambasted by critics. Writing for The Guardian, Matt Wolf described the show as "conceptually cheesy" and in his review for Variety, David Benedict called the writing "schematic and predictable."
Imagine This closed after a month, with the producers citing negative press as a reason for poor ticket sales. The recession may have also played a part in the short run.
Imagine This was produced in Germany by the Free Musical Ensemble Münster in 2016.
Filmed Production Notes
The final performances of the West End production were filmed live.
Imagine This aired on PBS in North America in the early part of 2010. A post-show panel discussion with director Timothy Sheader, Holocaust scholar Thane Rosenbaum, and cast members Peter Polycarpou, Sarah Ingram, and Roy Litvin, was filmed live at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City followed the musical.
The DVD was released in the UK and US in May 2010. The extras include 2 cut songs, and the panel discussion. The DVD has received generally positive reviews on Amazon.
Imagine This is available to purchase on DVD in the United States via Amazon.
The final performances of the West End production were filmed live.
Imagine This aired on PBS in North America in the early part of 2010. A post-show panel discussion with director Timothy Sheader, Holocaust scholar Thane Rosenbaum, and cast members Peter Polycarpou, Sarah Ingram, and Roy Litvin, was filmed live at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City followed the musical.
The DVD was released in the UK and US in May 2010. The extras include 2 cut songs, and the panel discussion. The DVD has received generally positive reviews on Amazon.
Imagine This is available to purchase on DVD in the United States via Amazon.
Imagine This PRODUCTION CREDITS
Opening Date: Nov 19, 2008
Closing Date: Dec 20, 2008
Air date: March 2010
Medium: TV and DVD
Where to watch: DVD
Theatre: New London Theatre, London
Producer: Beth Tratchenberg, Anita Mann, Leigh Mason, Jean Mason and ICW Productions in association with Theatre Royal Plymouth
Book: Glenn Berenbein
Music: Shuki Levy
Lyrics: David Goldsmith
Director: Timothy Sheader
Musical Director: Phil Bateman
Orchestrations: Chris Walker
Choreography: Liam Steel
Scenic Design: Eugene Lee
Costume Design: Ann Hould-Ward
Lighting Design: Tim Mitchell
Sound Design: Terry Jardine, Nick Lidster
Hair and Wig Design: David H. Lawrence
Stage Manager: Maggie Mackay
Cast:
Peter Polycarpou (Daniel/Eleazar), Leila Benn Harris (Rebecca/Tamar), Simon Gleeson (Adam/Silva), Steven Serlin (Jan/Aaron), Michael Matus (Izzy/Pompey), Stephan Sarah (Jeremiah/Sevan), Sarah Ingram Adolph (Naomi), Bernard Lloyd Lola (Old Man), Cameron Leigh Otto (Salome), Gary Milner Blick (Rufus), Nathan Attard (Leon), Richard Cotton (Captain Blick), Marc Antolin (Kalian Jacob), Rebecca Sutherland (Hannah)
Ensemble: Rachael Archer, Stuart Boothier, Oliver Brenin, Michael Camp, Joel Elfernik, Bob Harms, Paul Iveson, Roy Litvin, Aoife Nally, Grant Neal, Vincent Pirillo, Carrie Sutton, Gemma Sutton, Lucy Thatcher
Opening Date: Nov 19, 2008
Closing Date: Dec 20, 2008
Air date: March 2010
Medium: TV and DVD
Where to watch: DVD
Theatre: New London Theatre, London
Producer: Beth Tratchenberg, Anita Mann, Leigh Mason, Jean Mason and ICW Productions in association with Theatre Royal Plymouth
Book: Glenn Berenbein
Music: Shuki Levy
Lyrics: David Goldsmith
Director: Timothy Sheader
Musical Director: Phil Bateman
Orchestrations: Chris Walker
Choreography: Liam Steel
Scenic Design: Eugene Lee
Costume Design: Ann Hould-Ward
Lighting Design: Tim Mitchell
Sound Design: Terry Jardine, Nick Lidster
Hair and Wig Design: David H. Lawrence
Stage Manager: Maggie Mackay
Cast:
Peter Polycarpou (Daniel/Eleazar), Leila Benn Harris (Rebecca/Tamar), Simon Gleeson (Adam/Silva), Steven Serlin (Jan/Aaron), Michael Matus (Izzy/Pompey), Stephan Sarah (Jeremiah/Sevan), Sarah Ingram Adolph (Naomi), Bernard Lloyd Lola (Old Man), Cameron Leigh Otto (Salome), Gary Milner Blick (Rufus), Nathan Attard (Leon), Richard Cotton (Captain Blick), Marc Antolin (Kalian Jacob), Rebecca Sutherland (Hannah)
Ensemble: Rachael Archer, Stuart Boothier, Oliver Brenin, Michael Camp, Joel Elfernik, Bob Harms, Paul Iveson, Roy Litvin, Aoife Nally, Grant Neal, Vincent Pirillo, Carrie Sutton, Gemma Sutton, Lucy Thatcher
Sources
Articles
Websites
- David Benedict, "Review: 'Imagine This'" Variety (Nov 19, 2008)
- Mark Espiner, "What to say about... Imagine This," The Guardian (Nov 21, 2008)
- Quentin Letts, “Holocaust: The Musical,” Forbes (Dec 11, 2008)
- Elizabeth Renzetti, “It's theatre night - cheery panto, or Holocaust musical?” The Globe and Mail (Dec 6, 2008)
- Mark Shenton, “Imagine This review at New London Theatre London,” The Stage (Nov 20, 2008)
- Mark Shenton, "London's Imagine This, Musical About Actors in the Warsaw Ghetto, Will Close Dec. 20" Playbill (Dec 8, 2008)
- Charles Spencer, “Imagine This: melodrama shows off a dubious imagination,” The Telegraph (Nov 20, 2008)
- Matt Wolf, "Why the Holocaust musical was right to close," The Guardian (Dec 8, 2008)
- Michael Billington, “Imagine This,” The Guardian (Nov 19, 2008)
Websites
- "Imagine This" Facebook Page
- Shuki Levy, Accessed via: http://shukilevy.com/
Written by Luisa Lyons (April, 2017, Updated June 2018)