Thomas Malinovsky portrays the lead character, Hershel.
In a holiday season when some of the focus is on Christmas, City of Fairfax Theatre Co. (CFTC) is presenting a play about a different celebration. It’s an adaptation and expansion of the award-winning children’s book, “Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins.”
“A family is preparing to celebrate the last night of Hanukkah when their menorah breaks,” said Director Adam Ressa. “The kids don’t see why it matters so much, so their grandfather tells them the story of ‘Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins.’”
Suitable for all ages, including children 6 and up, it has a cast and crew of 25 and even an onstage clarinet player who only responds to the characters by playing his instrument. In addition, there are hand puppets, shadow puppets, puppets worn by the actors, and one puppet operated by five people.
“Even the set, to a certain extent, is a puppet,” said Ressa. “We’re seeing the grandfather’s imagination manifest through many different types of puppetry as he tells the story.”
This one-hour play will be presented at the Pozez Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia, 8900 Little River Turnpike in Fairfax. Show times are Thursday-Friday, Dec. 5-6, at 7:30 p.m.; and Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 7-8, at 1 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20, adults; $15, children 12 and under, via www.fairfaxcitytheatre.org.
In the story, a man named Hershel walks into an Eastern European village on the first night of Hanukkah and no one’s celebrating. He learns that goblins have taken it over and won’t let the village celebrate Hanukkah. So he vows to save the village from them, and the play shows how he does it.
“The message is the idea that everyone’s entitled to celebrate their own culture without fear,” explained Ressa. “It’s a universal concept that speaks to everybody, and it’s especially relevant that we’re performing this show in a Jewish community center. There’s something for all audience members to enjoy and think about, and some adults will even take away a deeper message. When you have layered stories like this, it makes it so much richer for everyone.”
Scenes take place in the village, a synagogue and in the grandparents’ apartment, with lighting, puppets and multiple technical elements illustrating the various locations. Regarding the actors, Ressa said, “It brings a tear to my eye watching them become a true ensemble. When they’re all working together to create this work of art, it’s truly inspiring. It’s a play well-worth seeing and is something that’ll both wow and surprise the audience.”
GMU junior Thomas Malinovsky portrays Hershel, who’s in his mid-30s. “He’s a trickster who goes from village to village fixing any supernatural issues they may have,” said Malinovsky. “He’s not strong physically but has a strong mind. He uses his humor and sharp wits to put one over on people.
“I really love playing him; it’s a huge honor to be cast in the lead. And as a Jewish person, it’s important to me to bring this story to life because, for many people, it was a childhood favorite. And for those who don’t know it, I hope they’ll learn something. December is usually full of Christmas shows, so this is refreshing. And it’s nice to have a play where everybody’s character is Jewish.”
Malinovsky said it’s lots of fun playing off the puppet characters, and he enjoys children’s theater because “you get to really play up your comedy. And whenever the kids in the cast laugh, I know I’m doing something right. The audience will like the puppets and the message that, even when things are hard, you can still enjoy the holidays with the people you love.”
Playing the grandfather, Zayde (the Yiddish word for grandfather) and telling the story is Bob Rosenberg. “He’s a family guy, loves his three grandchildren and loves to tell them stories,” said Rosenberg. “But he’s having a little trouble with this story because it takes a while before the children buy into the existence of the goblins.”
He likes his role because “not only is it fun to be a narrator, but I also get the excellent combo of being onstage the entire play and sitting – which is something actors don’t usually get to do. So I’m both in the play and watching it.”
Rosenberg said the story will especially strike a chord with the adult audience members “when they realize what it’s really about. So it’s both entertaining and educational.”
Elizabeth Suzanne is the show’s puppet captain. She’s in the ensemble, working some of the puppets, and is also the lead puppeteer for the Goblin King character. “I taught all the actors the basics of operating the puppets,” she said. “And I figured out how to make each particular puppet be best manipulated to perform as an actor onstage.
“The puppets actually engage with and respond to the human actors, so they need to look like they’re alive and focusing on something and have actual substance. I’ve been doing this a long time, and I really love it. Altogether, we have four really big puppets, plus multiple smaller ones – all of which serve individual purposes.”
Suzanne said the story is rooted in truth and lived experience, so “the presence of the goblins adds a fantastical element.” Therefore, having them represented as puppets “keeps that idea of fantasy and imagination still grounded in the actors who bring them to life. And having the puppets portrayed as real characters adds another unique layer to the storytelling.”
Producer Rebecca Kalant (director Ressa’s wife) wrote the script based on the children’s book by Eric Kimmel. She and Ressa both loved the book, as children, and often talked about what a great play it would make. Upon learning there wasn’t an official stage version, she obtained Kimmel’s permission to adapt it since CFTC is a nonprofit.
“The original is just about Hershel defeating the goblins in his village,” explained Kalant. “I added the framing device of the grandfather telling the story to his grandchildren to flesh out the story and provide some context.” Now, watching her adaptation performed onstage, she said, is “amazing. It’s so rewarding to see the actors engage with the material; it feels like a real accomplishment.
“For me, it was important to have a holiday offering accessible to everyone and, particularly, to Jewish children,” she continued. “And having my own baby six months ago underscored that desire. But it’s also a fun story for everyone and introduces non-Jewish children to a Hanukkah story.”