By Khalida Sarwari
It’s usually the day after Thanksgiving when Christmas goes into full gear. There are pretty lights everywhere, Santa Claus is ho-ho-hoing his way into malls and, of course, every other channel on TV running Christmas classics. Saratoga native Stephen Guggenheim and his brother Scott grew up watching the classics like everyone else and he loved them, but he knew something was missing.
“Growing up as a Jew, you have ‘The Nutcracker’ and ‘A Christmas Carol’ and movies on TV, and there’s really nothing to portray how we live and for Hanukkah or any of our other festivals,” he said. “So it’s kind of a dilemma at this time of year; what do we do? We still support all the arts. So you go see ‘A Christmas Carol;’ you go see ‘The Nutcracker,’ but there’s nothing for us.”
As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. So the Guggenheims got to work creating their own show that celebrates Hanukkah, launching it at the Cubberley Community Theatre in Palo Alto in 2003 and eventually going on to perform various versions of it around the country over the years.
“The MeshugaNutcracker!” showcases eight stories that pay tribute to the first celebration of Hanukkah in the new state of Israel, as well as Judah Maccabee’s triumphant saga and accounts of perseverance. Ranging in theme from silly to poignant, the show takes place in the fictional town of Chelm and includes dancing dreidels, singing sufganiot and Hanukkah songs interwoven with “The Nutcracker” score.
Last December, the brothers were approached by Fathom Events about adapting the musical into a film. They jumped at the opportunity.
“We wanted to bring it to a larger audience,” Guggenheim said. “We had talked about taking it to New York to a larger audience.”
They rounded up eight actors, along with Emmy Award-winning and Broadway actor Bruce Vilanch, and filmed the full-length musical comedy in one night in Los Angeles. Stephen has a role in the movie, as Gronam, the town’s mayor.
The show has been received very favorably by audiences, Guggenheim said.
“People, they come back over and over and over again to see it, Jewish and non-Jewish,” he said. “It’s all explained and everyone gets it. Everyone has the same hope for light, hope for goodness, hope for the light at the end of the tunnel. We all have that in common, no matter what faith you are.”
For the Guggenheims, the process of making the film has been a family affair from the start. Stephen wrote and and co-directed the film with his brother and Scott’s wife, Shannon Guggenheim. Stephen also arranged the vocals for the musical.
“We never fought,” Stephen said with a laugh. “We were in total agreement from the very beginning.”
The brothers grew up in Saratoga and attended Monta Vista High School in Cupertino. Stephen still splits his time between Saratoga and Fairfield. Scott and Shannon live in San Jose.
Presented by Fathom Events, in partnership with Guggenheim Entertainment, “The MeshugaNutcracker!” will be screened at theaters across the country for one night only on Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. In the South Bay, residents will have a chance to see it at Century 20 Oakridge and at AMC Cupertino Square 16. The Guggenheims, along with the rest of the cast, are expected to appear at the Oakridge screening.
For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit fathomevents.com. Tickets will also be available at participating theater box offices.
Link:
Saratoga brothers behind film celebrating Hanukkah out in theaters Dec. 19
