Say Oy Vey!
A Tale of Bridge, Romance and a Nice Prune Danish
Music by John Kander
Lyrics and Story by Michael Lange
Arrangements by Marc Ellis
Produced by Silly MusicThe mashugganeh people at Silly Music have done it again. After their sparkling success with Goy and Dolls, the Silly folk have put their thinking yarmulkes on and come up with another ready to be classic.
Say Oy Vey is a parody of the Broadway musical Cabaret and there the similarities end. While Cabaret dealt with pre-war Nazi Berlin, Say Oy Vey deals with family relationships among familiar Jewish characters. Issues such as middle-age romance, a faltering marriage and playing Bridge at the shul are explored with humour, sensitivity and a wink.
The action opens and closes at the weekly Bridge night at Beth Emeth Synagogue. The teams are happily playing, schmoozing and kvetching. The eyes of Samuel Baum and Mae Feinberg meet, and the rest as they say is history. We are taken through the first date, the courtship, the family objections, the mild hysteria of Sam’s daughter and Mae’s son and the final acceptance.
It is a tribute to the writing and performances that even though Say Oy Vey has never been performed as a stage play, just hearing the music and lyrics enables us to picture the entire production in our minds. Mae, Sam and all the surrounding players come to life.
Their personalities come through in their songs. When Sam sings Don’t Plotz to Mae, you immediately understand his desire to calm her anxiety over the possibility of getting involved. When Mae decides it’s time to tell her son David about Sam, she becomes a young girl in love, while preserving her nurturing and maternal sensibilities. The cast sing songs about where to eat, how to fight and the meaning of love, all with a familiar Yiddishe tam that whisks us as listeners into their family circle.
I sincerely believe this is a CD worth owning. It’s one of those soundtracks you can listen to over and over again, and always enjoy it as much as you did the first time. The story is timeless and the satirical lyrics to already familiar songs are hilarious and touching. Click here to listen to musical excerpts from the CD and to purchase your copy of Say Oy Vey!
You can purchase your own copy of Say Oy Vey for the price of $14.99 which includes all shipping charges. Click on this link to go to the order form. PLEASE REMEMBER TO ENTER THE WORDS "GANTSEH MEGILLAH" IN THE BOX THAT ASKS HOW YOU HEARD OF THIS CD.
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