Wendy Ginsberg

'Mendel & Moses," the musical at the Canon Theatre, is stirring up controversy within the Jewish community. "Mendel" tells the tale of a contemporary Jew who is transported back to ancient Egypt by an angel. There, he follows and advises Moses during the exodus and while wandering in the desert. He emerges with a newfound appreciation of his own Judaism. That might sound like a show ready-made for groups from temples and other Jewish organizations.

'Mendel & Moses," the musical at the Canon Theatre, is stirring up controversy within the Jewish community. "Mendel" tells the tale of a contemporary Jew who is transported back to ancient Egypt by an angel. There, he follows and advises Moses during the exodus and while wandering in the desert. He emerges with a newfound appreciation of his own Judaism. That might sound like a show ready-made for groups from temples and other Jewish organizations.

At the annual Passover Seder, Jews tell the story of their escape from slavery in ancient Egypt. Repeated each year, the recitation can become routine. Jeremiah and Wendy Ginsberg try to make the story more vivid and immediate by transporting a contemporary Jew back to the first Passover in their new musical, "Mendel & Moses," at the Century City Playhouse.

It took a long time, and many plagues, before the Pharaoh set free the Jews. Later, the Jews themselves displayed a similar inability to learn from their mistakes, while wandering in the desert. The new musical "Mendel & Moses" glances at this theme. Yet the show's creators, Jeremiah and Wendy Ginsberg, find it equally difficult to change their ways--judging from the new production of "Mendel" at the mid-sized Can~on Theatre, after an earlier run at the smaller Century City Playhouse.