Hazzan Mike Stein of Temple Aliyah has a personal connection to “Mordechai Superstar,” the Purim shpiel he is writing and directing this year. Stein was in the original Broadway cast of “Jesus Christ Superstar” in 1971 – he played the role of Peter.
“Mordechai Superstar” will be Stein’s Purim shpiel swan song, because after 23 years, he will retire as cantor of Temple Aliyah at the end of June.
“I have so much fun writing the shpiel every year, and this year is especially meaningful,” Stein said. “I thought, ‘Why not go out with a bang?’”
He even asked some of his friends in the original cast of “Jesus Christ Superstar” to join the show.
During the pandemic, a group from the 1971 Broadway production started meeting on Zoom every week. Stein joined the group about a year ago, after he learned about it from fellow cast member Charlotte Crossley.
“All of our reminiscing about the show and how we were all so fortunate to have been on Broadway at the time as very young people created a bond,” he said. “So, ‘Superstar’ was on my mind.”
When Stein writes the shpiel, he cuts and pastes the original words from the play he is parodying, and then manipulates the text to make it fit with the story.
He explained, “What’s the buzz? Tell me what’s happening” became, “What’s the shpiel? Tell me what’s happening. Hey, shlemiel, tell me what’s happening?”
“I don’t know how to love him” becomes “I don’t know how to tell him,” sung by Queen Esther as she reveals that she is Jewish.
“Writing this play brings back so many memories,” Stein said. “I can hear the original singers as I write the words to the songs; [I remember] what I was doing on stage while they were singing. We were a close-knit group, many ex-pats from ‘Hair,’ and most of us were hippies more than actors.”
Doing a Purim shpiel is what Stein loves most about the holiday.
“The shpiel helps us laugh at ourselves. We take a conflict that has the potential to destroy our people, and we make light of it.“
– Mike Stein
“The shpiel helps us laugh at ourselves,” he said. “We take a conflict that has the potential to destroy our people, and we make light of it. Unfortunately, that is how we have faced so many similar situations and what gives the Jewish people her sense of humor and irony.”
Stein’s favorite part of the story is the idea of Jewish identity: Trying to assimilate and then, when it matters the most, unmasking and showing who you really are.
“There is a sense of triumph, that good can overcome evil,” he said. “And throughout the story, God’s name is not mentioned, but we know that God is there in the mix.”
Purim shpiels also create community.
“There is a core of actors and singers doing our Purim plays for over 20 years,” he said. “It keeps expanding as people come and go, and there is anticipation all year long about the play’s name, casting, etc. This is what synagogue life is about.”
When asked what people can expect from this performance, Stein said, “To laugh and laugh and laugh again.”
“Superstar” was not a comedy, so some of the seriousness rubbed off, and some moments have a taste of introspection for Mordechai and Ester.
”[It’s] a little bit irreverent, but that is to be expected from a shpiel. I hope people walk away with a bit of a taste of what I experienced on Broadway.
After “Jesus Christ Superstar,” Stein was in the original road show of “The Who’s Tommy.” He settled down, had a family and joined the United States Navy Band White House Unit in Washington DC; he played fiddle for four presidents at the White House and around the world. After retiring from the Navy, Stein became a full-time cantor in Washington, D.C., before moving to LA and joining Temple Aliyah.
“I have come full circle,” Stein said. “I have been so fulfilled as cantor of Temple Aliyah for 23 years, but writing and directing this shpiel allows me to draw on experiences that mean so much to me from my past. It feels really good.”
Temple Aliyah and Shomrei Temple are teaming up for Purim events this year. “Mordechai Superstar” will be performed at Shomrei Torah in West Hills at 7p.m. on March 6. For more information, go to TempleAliyah.org/purim.
