Who knew the historic organ at Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim (KKBE) was such a lightning rod of religious division? Before getting downloaded on the new developmental production of the musical Happyland, this reviewer did not.
Charleston history buffs (and they are legion) are savvy to the organ’s significance as a beloved feature of a KKBE service, as well as the storied emergence of the original instrument installed in 1841, the first featured in a synagogue’s worship service in this country.
Now comes Happyland, the charmer of a site-specific production taking place in the sanctuary of KKBE through June 14.
It tells — in resounding song and story — why sometimes an organ is not just an organ. With book, music and lyrics by playwright and composer Toby Singer, the KKBE production co-produced by Robert Turkewitz and Elijah Siegler is directed by Linda Eisen, with Robin Shuler serving as dramaturg.
It’s worth noting that Turkewitz, who is a Charleston attorney, and Siegler, a professor of religious studies at the College of Charleston, first hatched this plan 15 years ago. It fixed on an historic 1846 lawsuit in the South Carolina Court of Appeals between two KKBE factions of congregants. Turkewitz and Siegler then enlisted Shuler, who in turn tapped Singer, KKBE’s former director of Koleinu, and then Eisen.
The 19th-century legal rift involved KKBE’s traditionalist and reformer congregants, with the former opposed to such changes and the latter set to embrace new ways of worshipping.
But don’t get mired in courtroom paper-pushing. Happyland is all human grist — sparring factions, moral inventory-making and plenty of showtune elan. What’s more, most characters are based on actual KKBE congregants.
At its center is Gustavus Poznanski, a Polish immigrant and the new rabbi at the synagogue who is aiming to seal a longstanding appointment, intent on being “the rabbi you all need.” He soon finds himself in the crosspipes of an organ-or-not debate at KKBE. In the musical, this segues into grappling with another raging 19th-century American debate: to enslave or not to enslave.
Singer’s sparkling, polished score warmly shines, performed by a stellar ensemble of local vocalists. Time and again, it prevails over some acoustic challenges that muted the dialogue though the songs can pace you through the exposition-centered story.
In word and note, Singer masterfully converges emotional depth with frothy dollops of irreverence, keeping the show buoyant with lines like “I totally understand bacon now” and lyrics rhyming “crustacean” and “castration.”
The fun gets underway with the Hamilton-esque “Forever Rabbi” Poznanski (Julian Blake Gordon) and his love interest Hetty Barrett (Annalisa Blevins), both solid vocalists and engaging performers.
Songs featuring the character Esther DaCosta, who lobbies for the organ, show off the gorgeous vocal talents of Lila Schneider. “What’s More American Than That?” is an irresistible vamp on the world’s celebrated oldest profession, delivered with nonchalant, raw comic resonance by Shannon Marie Carmody as the historically authentic Charleston madame Grace Peixotto.
We feel the work’s Charleston setting with the evocative embrace of “Where the Country’s Low” followed by a zippy, upbeat “Congregation, Congregation.” With the culminating “A Thousand Generations,” the score soars.
Since it’s a work in development, there’s a craving for a gut-grabbing number drawing from Singer’s sizable artistic arsenal on why music held such meaning to this congregation, which could help highlight the stakes of a work centered on an organ.
It also merits underscoring that debuting Happyland as site-specific at KKBE, acoustic challenges and all, was an inspired, merited launch, given the deep layers of history covered in the work, not to mention the resident organ. To be in the very place where this history transpired is a singular experience–a rare and meaningful opportunity for the birth of a musical, which is frequently a years-long proposition and one that likely will continue to evolve.
Charleston or no, Richard Heffner’s set featured projections underscoring the local, from the creation of the current synagogue to Carew Rice-reminscent projections and backdrop. Mira Turkewitz’s exquisite period costumes instantly transported us to a yesteryear KKBE.
Die-hard local historians inclined to quibble over facts would do well to take a leap of artistic truth here. This is the world of musicals, and those truths unfold on an arc that doesn’t always neatly square with who, what, when, where and why.
To borrow from Grace Piexotti, this art form trades in “experiences,” with the aim of guiding audiences through emotional journeys. Powered by moving, excellent music, Happyland offers this point of departure. Perhaps those organ advocates keen to embrace the possibility of worshiping on their own terms would likewise train their voices on the galvanizing power of the American musical, rifts and all.
As Grace would reason, what’s more American than that?
IF YOU WANT TO GO: The show runs through June 14 and takes place at KKBE, 90 Hasell St. For tickets and information, visit happylandmusical.com.
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