Tonight, Camp Simcha Special premiered its very own theatrical production, S. T. Rella. The show was a beautiful composition of drama, dance, and song. Our very own Duvi Becker, who started writing the show when there was still snow falling in Camp Simcha, directed the production.
The show follows S.T Klein-Kaufman (Eli Lipschitz), our busy camp office manager, as she gets freed from her office by mistakenly drinking a “coffee” that was left on her desk. Initially, she is ecstatic that she can finally get out of her stressful cubicle and leave camp. But as the show progresses, she meets various people who convince her that Camp Simcha is the best place on Earth.
The show featured many different types of dance styles, including: break dancing, free-style, tricotee, bergamask. For the break dancing scene, a camper and former staff member joined two current staff members to create an unforgettable dance routine. The show also featured a beautifully choreographed dance to the song “Seize the Day (Newsies).”
The scenery and costumes were surreal, and helped complement the show’s song and dance. In one scene, S.T meets some realistic cannibals in the forest. She manages to escape as they all break into dance to the song “Higher.” The dance received a standing ovation and merited an encore performance. In the final scene, two campers had a duet singing “All Star.” That performance merited an encore as well.
The play had many original scores, including “Simchonian Rhapsody” and “A Small Piece of Heaven.” They were all recorded in our brand new, on campus, recording studio.
A musical like S.T. Rella makes us proud to be part of Camp Simcha Special. The super-talented staff here put on a play unlike any other being performed in myriad camps across the Catskills. The uniqueness of Duvi Becker’s vision puts his productions in a league of their own. Concepts and ideas that began as a seed in Duvi’s head, find their way into reality and onto a stage via the cast that we saw perform tonight. However, it is Duvi’s tenacity and unflagging enthusiasm that makes it happen. Not just makes it happen, but happen in such a way as to garner four standing ovations and three calls for encores from an audience that is not easily impressed. But the true litmus test was the ear-to-ear smiles sported by every single person seated in the Social Hall.
A play is just…well…a play. A musical, however, is a way to reach the audience’s emotions through song and dance, a medium that has proven itself to be among the most effective in shaping moods. Spirits lift, dark clouds clear, and the world is simply a better place after watching a musical performed by a passionate, dedicated crew like the one we witnessed. And what makes it all the more anomalous is the setting of this presentation. A natural by-product of Camp Simcha Special’s one-of-a-kind program is the togetherness and camaraderie that it engenders. That is something that we saw mirrored in the cast’s attitude. Rather than as a task, they viewed this work as a fun-filled challenge to be taken on with friends, among friends. Even more than the subject content, the manner in which S.T. Rella was executed makes us feel privileged to be a part of the world that is Camp Simcha Special.