''Bar Mitzvah Boy'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film and television, a genre of film and television that incorporates into the narr ...

with a book by Jack Rosenthal, lyrics by Don Black, and music by

Jule Styne Jule Styne (; born Julius Kerwin Stein; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American songwriter and composer best known for a series of Broadway musicals, including several famous frequently-revived shows that also became s ...

. Based on Rosenthal's award-winning 1976 BBC1 teleplay of the same name, it focuses on young Eliot Green who, filled with apprehension, escapes from the

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

where he is about to make his bar mitzvah, much to the dismay of his middle class parents, who have invested their savings in a lavish party to celebrate their son's

coming of age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...

. The

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

production opened on 31 October 1978 at Her Majesty's Theatre, where it ran for 78 performances. The cast included Barry Angel, Joyce Blair,

Zelah Clarke Zelah Clarke (born 5 April 1954) is a British actress who has mainly appeared in television productions. Career Clarke had trained as a ballet dancer alongside Jenny Agutter and Fiona Fullerton. She began acting in smaller roles including Wes ...

, Leonie Cosman,

Ray C. Davis Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (gr ...

Gordon Faith Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...

, Ashley Knight,

Benny Lee Benny Lee (11 August 1916 – 9 December 1995) was a Scottish comedy actor and singer. He started his career in stage roles, and developed a television and film career. Early life Lee was born on 11 August 1916 to a Jewish family in The G ...

, Barry Martin, Vivienne Martin, Harry Towb, Kerry Shale and Peter Whitman. CBS released an original cast recording. It was choreographed by Peter Gennaro and directed by Martin Charnin. The Americanized adaptation by Martin Gottfried changed the setting from 1970s Britain to 1946 Brooklyn, but its central story remained the same. The

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

production, directed by Robert Kalfin, opened on June 10, 1987 at the American Jewish Theater of the

92nd Street Y 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a cultural and community center located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, at the corner of East 92nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Founded in 1874 as the Young Men's Hebrew Association, the ...

. The cast included Peter Smith as Eliot, with Larry Keith, Mary Gutzi, Mary Stout, Michael Cone, Michael Callan, Eleanor Reissa, Daniel Marcus, Kimberly Stern, and Reuben Schafer. A reading was held on January 26, 2007 at the Chelsea Studios, New York City, directed by Stafford Arima and featuring Faith Prince, Daniel Reichard and Peter Friedman. Pincus-Roth, Zachar
"Prince, Reichard, Friedman and Others Cast in Bar Mitzvah Boy Reading Jan. 26"
playbill.com, January 25, 2007

Song list

*Why? *If Only A Little Bit Sticks *The Bar Mitzvah of Eliot Green *This Time Tomorrow *Thou Shalt Not *The Harolds Of This World *We've Done Alright *Simchas *You Wouldn't Be You *Rita's Request *Where is the Music Coming From? *The Sun Shines Out of Your Eyes *I've Just Begun

References

External links

(dead link?)

{{Don Black 1978 musicals Off-Broadway musicals Musicals by Jule Styne Musicals by Don Black (lyricist) West End musicals