YAEL UNTERMAN

A new Jerusalem exhibition brings together paintings that grapple with redemption, healing, and the search for hope in the shadow of trauma.

An all-women musical brings King David’s epic journey from outcast to servant king to life on stage in Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh.

Fairy-tale expectations are flipped in this witty, high-energy staging of Once Upon a Mattress.

Although the show’s message is that life is not all about winning, to me everyone involved in the production was a winner.

The 2001 movie upon which the play is based is the highest-grossing French-language film ever released in the US, with box office sales of $33 million.

Set in 1941 Paris, the play portrays a fictional encounter between legendary Spanish painter Pablo Picasso and a certain Fräulein Fischer.

Under the direction of Yael Valier, Yehoshua Looks and Simon Stout do a superb job of bringing to the stage the adaptation of Mitch Albom’s bestselling memoir.

With a fast-moving plot, multiple characters, and frequent scene changes, staging this play is a challenge, particularly in the Khan Theater’s smaller space. But director Weisberg pulled it off.

Clearly a major group effort, this production wowed the audience on opening night with exquisite songs, playful and dynamic choreography, splendid acting, and moments of surreal comedy.

This piece had only been performed a single time since its debut, over two centuries ago, and it has a connection with Jerusalem