Kazablan
[1] The musical's huge success made "young Jerusalem-born singer" Yehoram Gaon "not only ... an overnight singing star, but also a figure of solidarity and pride for people of Sephardic origin, many of whom were entering a theatre for the first time.
[6] "The melodramatic piece was highly successful when first presented, since it gave voice to the feelings of discrimination acquired during the first years of statehood by Moroccans and other new immigrants, many of whom were residents of the temporary camps called ma'abarot.
[7] According to the Columbia Encyclopedia of Modern Drama, the work was written as a "Zionist play" seeking to show how the rifts between cultures was an obstacle to creating a unified Israeli society.
[9] Frisch, the director, was forced to film the movie in Greece because at that time "the State of Israel was so inhospitable to [its]...subject matter"—which included a serious look at the cultural divide between Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews.
"[11] As Israeli historian Tom Segev put it, "Much like West Side Story, which producer Giora Godik had imported a few years previously, Kazablan obliquely hinted at social distress and, as on Broadway, turned it into an entertaining spectacle that angered no one and, consequently, worried no one."
[13] The musical version of that play, starring Yehoram Gaon, opened on December 10, 1966 on Godik's Alhambra Stage in Tel Aviv.
[15] The cast album lists lyrics by Amos Ettinger and Hayim Hefer, book by Yoram Kaniuk, Igal Mossinsohn, and Yoel Silberg.
[25][26] Well received by audiences, one website describes it in this way: "West Side Story with a Middle Eastern beat, this fun fantasy features more than 1,000 actors, singers and dancers!," and "Israel's hit musical becomes the film that breaks all box office records!.
[20] However, although it was positively received by the public (and continues to be shown as part of Jewish film festivals),[28] and despite its two Golden Globe nominations, not all professional reviews were good.
TimeOutChicago described it as "An Israeli musical directed by the dreaded Menahem Golan that manages to come off as an uncomfortable cross between Jesus Christ Superstar, Fiddler on the Roof and West Side Story.
