Thursday, April 17, 2025
On March 13, Congregation Tifereth Israel hosted the premiere performance of In the Spieal of the Night, an original Purim play co-written and directed by Jon Goldstein and Diane Stillerman. This musical comedy brought the ancient story of Purim to life through humor and familiar tunes from the 1950s, engaging both the cast and audience in a lively retelling of the holiday’s themes.
Glen Cove resident Jon Goldstein, who has an extensive background in theater and songwriting, was approached by Cantor Gustavo Gitlin to develop a new show. “Cantor Gustavo asked me to develop a show, and I thought about what I could handle doing,” Goldstein said. “I thought 1950s songs are very easy to play on the piano. Picking hit songs from the ’50s that everybody knew would make sure that it would be easy for the cast to learn, and easy for the audience to recognize, and that they would hopefully know those songs and enjoy them. I knew I wanted it to be funny, and that’s always been a strong point for me. So I was able to add lots of jokes.”
The process of writing the play took about five weeks, though one song had been on Goldstein’s mind for much longer. “The first song, Hebrew School Dropout, has always been a joke in my life, because I was in fact a Hebrew School Dropout,” he said. While In the Spieal of the Night was a new production, Goldstein has extensive experience writing musicals, including Liberty: A Monumental New Musical, which had two off-Broadway runs.
For cast member and East Norwich Michael Barsky, who played Mordechai, participating in the play was both a joyous and meaningful experience. “I thought it was so clever, so well-conceived,” Barsky said. “It really brings the Purim story to life in a way that makes you think about it differently. When you’re up on stage, singing and acting it out, it becomes almost like living history.” Having performed in the previous year’s play, which featured music from ABBA, Barsky was excited to take part again. “It’s just great camaraderie, just to be with the people here. You really bond with people and get to step out and do something different,” he shared.
Beyond entertainment, the Purim serves as a way to pass down tradition and history, something Cantor Gustavo Gitlin emphasized. “Fortunately, and many times unfortunately, history repeats itself,” he said. “As Jews, we’ve been persecuted since the beginning of our history.” He referenced the tragic events of Oct 7, 2023, as a reminder of how the Purim story remains relevant. “Every generation, there is a new Haman,” Gitlin said. “So when we tell these stories, when we read the Torah, when we read all the stories, and the Book of Esther, and all of our amazing literature, every year it takes a different angle, it takes a different meaning.”
The comedic elements of Purim, Gitlin explained, are integral to how the story is traditionally told. “The king wasn’t that smart—he was more worried about partying and picking the beautiful queen. He was a silly king,” he said. “Haman is so mean. Mordechai is righteous. Esther is brave. And when you think of the characters, it’s so easy to make a parody of them.” This approach ensures that children remain engaged while learning an important lesson. “We want the children to be engaged. We want to make sure that they know the story, they listen. In a way that they learn the message.”
While In the Spieal of the Night was a premier performance, Goldstein is open to the possibility of staging it again in the future. “Maybe we’ll do this show again here at CTI in five years, but probably we’ll come up with something completely different for next time around. But perhaps I’ll offer it to other temples if they want to do the show at their temple for the next Purim.”
