Review: JOSEPH JOSEPHSON IS DEAD at Tmu-na Theatre

Let's talk about death!

Oh! We are all afraid when we hear that word. D-E-A-T-H!
We are all afraid of what we leave behind, and have we left enough? Do we live in the moment? I share these fears, too.
I'm proud to say - I am afraid of death. God.

The musical Joseph Josephson Is Dead is a musical comedy about the Josephson family, forced to gather together to do the shiv'ah for their grandfather's death. But the Josephsons are busy with everything except the death of their grandfather, and their anxieties, obsessions, dreams - and even the visit of death - simply cannot stop them.

The story of the Josephson family is told by The Grim Reaper, who studies human ways of dealing with the ultimate end, and finds that, when he arrives, life breaks out in full force.

I'll start my review with the play itself. The play and the songs written by Adi Moore and Alexei Osetinsky are fascinating and charming! Words are flowing, the music is pleasant to the ear and exciting, and the play itself penetrates your bones - it has the effect of causing the theater to become a space full of questions that we as an audience should ask about our lives.

The special direction Adi Moore created was awesome! The character design of The Grim Reaper playing Ido Colton was full of uniqueness and magic.

Unfortunately, the musical was not free from a plethora of technical problems:
Musicals must be amplified - even if they are "fringe". I sat in the front row, and many things I just did not hear. I felt sorry for the actors who had to scream while singing; the vocal quality was diminished. The lighting was not well planned and the timing often wasn't right. To top it off, a set collapsed during the musical because it wasn't tightened correctly to the floor.

In conclusion, the musical Joseph Josephson Is Dead is no less than genius. But they will need to sharpen the technical elements in order to turn the technical side (which has high potential) into a work of genius, as well.

Photo Credit: Ben Mor
For tickets and further information, visit Tmu-na Theate

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