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YSU professor revives ‘Grand Design’ musical
A new score was written for the production.
YOUNGSTOWN — A musical written 25 years ago by a Youngstown State University professor has been polished up for another performance.
“The Grand Design: Esther and the Story of Purim” is the work of Stephen Sniderman, professor emeritus in the YSU English department. Based on the biblical Book of Esther, it was performed in 1985 at Congregation Rodef Sholom.
Sniderman wrote both the book and lyrics, and recently revised both. He also enlisted Larry Harris, professor emeritus at YSU’s music department, to write a new musical score because the original one had been lost.
Sniderman said the Book of Esther is the perfect story for a musical. “It includes love, power, bigotry, treachery and, most importantly, the heroism of a strong-minded woman who saves her people from destruction.”
Paula Ferguson, a community theater veteran, is the director and was in charge of casting.
Ferguson was the technical director for the Jewish Community Center when it had a theater group in the early ’90s, and was the assistant technical director at Youngstown Playhouse until last year.
She directed the Playhouse’s production of “Working” last spring, and New Castle Playhouse’s production of “Quilters” in the fall.
Both the actress and actor in the lead roles have operatic backgrounds. Anne Bentz, a soprano who is a professor of music at Westminster College, plays Esther. Josh Taylor, an opera student at YSU, is the King.
Other cast members include Tom O’Donnell as Haman and Tom Ewen as Mordecai.
In the Old Testament’s Book of Esther, the King of Persia is seeking a new queen and chooses Esther, not knowing she is Jewish. The King’s advisor, Haman, hates the Jews and convinces the King to exterminate all the Jews in Persia. Esther tells the King she is Jewish, but he cannot rescind the decree of genocide. Esther helps the King figure out how to save the Jewish people from mass destruction — by arming them and teaching them to defend themselves.
“The Grand Design” will be presented one week before Purim, the Jewish holiday that celebrates Esther’s deeds. “Purim” means “lots,” which was the method by which Haman determined when the Jews would die.
Sniderman has taught creative writing at YSU since 1969. He has had his plays produced at the Youngstown Playhouse (“Stranger” and “Gulliver!”), at YSU (“The Trial of Big Bill Haywood”) and in Cleveland, New York and California.
He called Harris’ musical score “wonderfully melodic and memorable.” Harris, who will also perform the score on an electric piano, said he was sold on Sniderman’s work as soon as he read it.
“I was initially concerned about my ability to totally comprehend the story,” said Harris. “But after one reading, I was convinced that Dr. Sniderman had written a very colorful libretto, full of humor and deeply religious concepts side by side. The challenge was to musically present these emotions and situations through the use of soloists, chorus and simple keyboard accompaniment.”
Harris wound up writing 20 new songs for the production.
Teaching the music to the cast was a challenge, he said, because there are no recordings of it. The payback, said Harris, is “the chance to work with new people and reach a new audience with my personal musical interpretation of the cherished story of Esther.”
Costumes for the musical were created by Pat Petaccio and Ginnie Hurd.
“The Grand Design” is being sponsored and underwritten by the B’Yachad Committee, a consortium of Mahoning Valley Jewish organizations whose goal is to provide entertainment and education.