Rutka (musical)
2024 musical by Jocelyn Mackenzie and Jeremy Lloyd Styles
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Rutka is an indie rock musical with a book by Neena Beber and music and lyrics by Jocelyn Mackenzie and Jeremy Lloyd Styles. It is based on the diary of Rutka Laskier.
| Rutka | |
|---|---|
Cincinnati set in 2024 | |
| Music | Jocelyn Mackenzie and Jeremy Lloyd Styles |
| Lyrics | Jocelyn Mackenzie and Jeremy Lloyd Styles |
| Book | Neena Beber |
| Setting | 1943 Poland |
| Premiere | 13 October 2024: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park |
Premise
In 1943, 14-year-old Rutka Laskier, living in the Jewish ghetto in Nazi-occupied Będzin, Poland, writes in her diary about typical teenage concerns.[1][2]
Development
This musical is based on Rutka’s Notebook: A Voice from the Holocaust, the diary by Laskier over the course of three months of 1943 while living in the Jewish ghetto in Będzin.[3] The diary remained hidden until 2006.[4]
The original book was by Sarah Gancher but later was credited to Neena Beber.[1][5] Music and lyrics are by Jocelyn Mackenzie and Jeremy Lloyd Styles of Pearl and the Beard. The musical style is indie rock.[1]
Production
The musical had two workshops, including a concert performance in January 2023 at Lincoln Center's New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.[5][3]
The musical had its world premiere in a pre-Broadway tryout 13 October 2024 at Cincinnati's Playhouse in the Park and opened 17 October, with a planned run through 10 November.[3][6][7][8] It was directed by Wendy C. Goldberg with set design by Todd Rosenthal.[2][9][10]
Reception
Laura Collins-Hughes, writing in The New York Times in September 2024, listed it among "15 Shows to See on Stages Around the U.S. This Fall".[11] The Business Journal called it "emotional, bittersweet and intense".[7] City Beat called the score "energetic and uplifting".[6]