‘Out of Zion will go forth the Torah,’ and out of the Negev will come great musical comedy. Back in the day, we enjoyed many great performances from Gilbert and Sullivan, never quite believing that those great English operettas came out of the Israeli desert.
After the Light Opera Group of the Negev (LOGON) had given us The Mikado about three times, plus all the others, they decided to move on to other light musicals.
And this year, it was the turn of Oklahoma, the great drama full of wonderful songs written by Rodgers and Hammerstein in 1943.
The company is touring the country, and we saw it in Netanya. What a show! The singing was great, the acting up to standard, and the choreography was exceptional.
It was great to see old-timer Ed Spitz still singing in an impressive baritone.
In the audience that night was Luis Har, who was rescued by the IDF after 129 days in Hamas captivity.
Those in the cast
The leads, Gidi Raz Haggan as Curly and Maya Chaikin as Laurey, were charming and loveable; the villain, Jud Fry, played by Noah Herman, was far too nice; and Tamar Naggan as Aunt Eller, held the whole thing together.
The familiar score was a joy to listen to, and even the political message was not lost on anybody.
“We know we belong to the Land, and the Land we belong to is grand.”
LOGON does it again!
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