Join us for a very special Purim experience -- the world premiere of PHARAOH. Rabbi Misha's capstone project toward becoming a rabbi, PHARAOH tells the Passover story from Pharaoh's perspective. Presented by Theater for the New City, PHARAOH is voiced by Shulman, danced by South Indian Kathakali master, Kalamandalam John, and directed by Michael Posnick.

The production was inspired in 2008 when Shulman was in the village of Muzhikulam, Kerala to watch a fifteen-day play called the Asokavanikangam, or the Asoka Tree Garden, performed in the Kudiyatam, Sanskrit theater tradition. This Indian classic, taken from the Ramayana, the holy Hindu book, tells of how the arch-villian Ravana kidnaps the goddess Sita, taking her to his island of Lanka, and trying repeatedly to convince her to succumb to him. Longing to make a parallel play of his own, Shulman imagined a staging of the Exodus story in which Jews could watch a play about the inner life of Pharaoh, their greatest enemy, modeled on Ravana and reimagined for a western audience with Indian influences. The piece ultimately evolved into a two-man production: a dialogue between a Pharaoh character performed in physical theater by Kalamandalam John, founder and Director of Kalatharangini Kathakali School in South India, and Misha Shulman, clad in black, voicing all the characters of the story including Pharaoh, Moses (stuttering), Pharaoh's son, wife and father; an Egyptian priest and Death. They are accompanied musically by Galen Passen on sitar and Tripp Dudley on the drums. Kalamandalam John performs with the elaborate costume, colorful makeup, intricate gestures and expressive facial movements of Kudiyatam.

Following the 75 minute performance, stay for a New Shul Purim Celebration complete with hamentashen, spirits and soft drinks, and all the Megillah of this upside down holiday.  Costumes optional.

PHARAOH will run at Theater for the New City from March 15 through March 31 (Thursdays - Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm) so if you can't join us on March 23, you can purchase tickets for another performance.