Purim Unmasked

How things have changed. Time was–it seems like a lifetime ago–when we would have been easing ourselves cosily into the only unoccupied seats in the George Goddard Hall, ready to chuckle, cheer, cringe or groan at those longfamiliar golden oldies–gags, corny one-liners, sketches, familiar showbiz snippets and well-choreographed chorus-line production numbers–which regularly featured in our muchcherished annual Purim Spiel. This year, even though growing numbers of us are now armed with green passports, we will have been safely gazing at screens from our armchairs.

But as Alan Gold announced in his welcoming remarks, “The show must go on”–and what an exhilarating show it turned out to be, with an extensive and talented cast bent on cheering us all up! Right from the Overture, we were once again reminded of the reliable support always provided throughout by our valued Musical Director and pianist, Marilyn Benson. Aided and abetted by Martin Carr, Alan this year brought us a novelty entertainment, offering old treats in a new guise.

Streamed directly into our homes, thanks to the brilliant technical ingenuity of Alex Stuart, this revue worked unexpectedly well–and so comfortably, with players no longer entering and exiting, no audience members coming in late, no more scene shifting, no rustling of programmes or coughing fits from the spectator behind you or their knees in the small of your back, no more problems with the mics.

What we received instead were a slick, quick-fire sequence of enjoyable turns, one clearly captioned item sliding seamlessly into the next. And if I may use such a term, it presented a truly catholic range of subjects, from Moses cartoons to Groucho Marx’s Lydia, the tattooed lady. Best of all–you could actually watch your favourite bits again and again!

Although the tone was still predominantly comic with pantomime-style sketches a-plenty, (Oh no they weren’t!–Oh yes they were!…) there was also an everlurking reminder of more sombre issues. Players, acting solo or at most in twos or threes, were distanced between screens or remained seated. At each initial appearance, players came on masked and these masks would be significantly removed in front of us. There were so many phrases or concepts that would have had any of us flummoxed this time last year. What would we have made of lockdown: corona; or covid? Why would Haman exultantly display a virus he had invented? Why on earth would Mordecai be referred to as “Professor Astrazeneca Mordecai, the man from Moderna”? Why would YINN be marketing facemasks–“Get on line and buy one today…they combine security with sexiness”?

With amusing numbers galore, one can merely touch briefly on the most gloriously absurd items. Tony Plaskow’s fleeting honorary membership of The Eagles in his epic rendering (with unforgettable wig!) of “Hotel California”! Martin Carr, wearing a truly funny bagpiper’s tartan bonnet with a pompom,