ELI THE FANATIC
a neighborhood musical
Based on a short story by Philip Roth
Music & lyrics by Danny Paller
ELI THE FANATIC is a tale of Americana – what happens when people who have exorcised the ghosts of Old World culture, so they can fully embrace the American dream, come face-to-face with those ghosts.
Set in the late 1940s in a fictional New York suburb, the Jews of Woodenton have “made it” in America – and consequently, find themselves in a panic when a traditional yeshiva with boys displaced from the Holocaust is set up in the former Puddington Estate on the hill. The young lawyer Eli Peck is charged with removing them, through legal pressure, but instead, Eli finds himself questioning his own assimilated Jewish identity.
This musical is unproduced.
AUDIO SELECTION
Woodenton (opening number) – 4 min 20 sec
After a short prologue the residents of Woodenton pay homage to their town. Meanwhile, up on the hill, a realtor is showing the Puddington Estate to Leo Tsuref, head of the yeshiva.
Excerpt is sung by Billy Weisel,
David Schnee, Gali Freedman,
Arthur Freund, and Rachel Frielich. Graphic design by Gali Freedman.