By Michael Block

You know what audiences are begging for? A musical about the Holocaust! That is completely and one hundred percent facetious. In fact, why even tread the waters of the time? A good story. The Gold isn’t necessarily a Holocaust musical. The Holocaust is a backdrop for the show with music and lyrics by Philip Yosowitz and book by Yosowitz and Andrea Lepcio. This is a musical about remembering. Oh yeah, and a little boxing.
Spanning decades, The Gold follows the rise of Joseph Cohen, a Jewish man living in Germany, as he sets his eyes on the 1936 Olympic Games. When love, lust, and the rise of the Nazis prevent Joseph from the gold, his world is turned upside down when his family is taken to Concentration Camps. To protect their young son Aaron, they send him to live with their German friend. Jump ahead years, Aaron is now a boxing prodigy who finds himself training for the Olympics in Israel, the same place his long lost father is. The reason many people go to musicals is for the music. That’s the thing we remember. Unfortunately for The Gold, the score is not something memorable. It’s a very old fashioned musical with a sweeping epic score that is dated. It’s logical to try and be the next Les Miserables but fulfilling that dream is hard to do. The Gold sadly did not. Even if the score had some grand moments, what is holding the show back is the book. The Gold needs a facelift. But it needs a script doctor, and one beyond a plastic surgeon. For starters, the dialogue is silly and the timeline is laughable. Yes, Yosowitz and Lepcio try desperately to incorporate many milestones and moments in Joseph and co.’s life. But when you go from first date to first kid within scenes, you can’t help but have a look of bewilderment. And this happens so frequently. The Gold must be trimmed, perhaps losing some characters and cutting some songs. Just because you like the melody doesn’t mean you need a reprise. Even with the structural changes, the dialogue must be improved. This company is filled with talent but some of the words that rolled off the tongue had shades of bad community theater. To no fault of their own. It’s what was on the page. Even with cosmetic changes, will it be enough?
Like many classic musicals, The Gold featured a large cast with an ensemble relegated to playing those typical ensemble roles. They provided a wall of sound that gave Yosowitz’s score substance. Even with thin characters, there were some solid performances. Through strong subtleties, Josh Davis easily gave Joseph Cohen a life from youngster to a man who's seen the horrors of the world. The power in his voice elevated Yosowitz's music. As his wife Sarah, Karis Danish provided strength and determination, even inserting a flare of pluck. Jenn Malenke’s Gabrielle was placed in a tough position. Being the sister of Joseph’s rival and being Sarah’s best friend, Gabrielle was always forced to do something difficult. And when she was asked to be the Joseph and Sarah’s son’s caretaker, her life too was turned upside down. Malenke’s character wasn’t given substance in the text but she sure did try to give worth Gabrielle. And it was appreciated. Having kids in a show is hard. As Young Aaron and Young Julie, Graydon Peter Yosowit and Stephanie Ticas won over the crowd with their cuteness and impressive vocals. Yet they also managed to pull focus from the overall arc of the story. By the time we saw the adult versions of Aaron and Julie, played by Adam Maggio and Emily Kron, it’s likely you were over them. The pen pal plot line desperately needs to be shrunk so when it gets to Maggio and Kron’s time as the characters they don’t have to force an arc in causing their performances to suffer dearly.
Spiro Veloudos had a grand task in directing The Gold. Making sense of the overall picture seemed to be on the backburner, instead choosing to hone in on the individual plot points. Veloudos’ puzzle did not fit together. He was inherently given some roadblocks to drive around but seemingly paid little care to them. Veloudos and lighting designer Joe Beumer chose to go a quick black after every single scene. Kudos for keeping a consistent vocabulary but man was it repetitive. Was this to help with the scene changes? If so, then scenic designer Meganne George faltered in her design. With Veloudos’ tempo being an issue, having to wait for a table and chair, sometimes making an appearance for a book scene less than a minute long, destroyed any semblance of momentum. Musicals thrive from applause. When the audience doesn’t applaud after a song, you know there’s an issue. And let me tell you, it’s hard to clap after a Nazi song. Doesn’t matter how triumphant the sound is, it’s a song about Nazi pride! The same goes for dramatic plot points, like a death in a Concentration Camp. You’re not going to get claps. Is there a way to avoid this in this particular story? No. As crazy as it sounds, the lack of applause can also deter a continuous flow. Veloudos’ staging, for the most part, was confined to the boxing ring George set up. Was it strange to have people step inside the ring when they probably shouldn’t be in there? Yeah. But that’s the design. I suppose it can be forgiven. What can’t be forgiven is the intentional, or unintentional, ode to Les Miserables. Never can you ever wave a flag and not compare it to Les Mis. That Israeli flag waving killed the message of hope within the scene as it immediately upstaged itself.
The Gold has problems. Some fixable. Some unavoidable. The story Philip Yosowitz and Andrea Lepcio set out to tell is confusing based on synopsis alone. On the surface, you want to make it the next Rocky. But it’s not a boxing musical. There is a message of hope but it has to be sold as a Holocaust musical. And unfortunately, that’s not a draw.

Name: Josh Davis

Hometown: Columbia, MD

Education: BS, Business from The University of Delaware

Select Credits: Broadway: OCM Beautiful: The Carole King Musical; Regional: Bella: An American Tale, Les Miserables, Guys & Dolls, Beauty and the Beast

Why theater?: Theater has job security, the pay is amazing and there's very little competition. What?...Oh. Well, it beats working a desk job and there is nothing like the process of putting a show together and performing live on stage. Nothing like it in the world.

Who do you play in The Gold?: I play Joseph Cohen, a Jewish-German boxing hopeful for the 1937 Olympics.

Tell us about The Gold: Joseph Cohen, a Jewish-German boxer, finds his 1936 Olympic ambitions crushed as the Nazi’s rise to power. He soon learns that his toughest fight lies outside the ring, as he is separated from the woman he loves and their young son. Set against the backdrop of the Holocaust and the creation of Israel, The Gold is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the journey of self-discovery that each of us takes as we search for purpose in our lives. At least that's what the program says.

What is it like being a part of The Gold?: I've been with this show since 2009 when it was produced for the first time in Houston, TX. Since then it has gone through many iterations. Last year we did a staged reading of an updated script and this year the script has gone through more evolution and we get to perform it full out this time. It's been a wonderful experience watching it grow and evolve.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Theater that is truthful no matter if t's a drama  comedy or absurd farce.  The last show I saw at the time of doing the interview was The Color Purple. I was so truthful and raw. I wept not only for the story but for the magnitude of talent on stage. I'm inspired by my cast mates at Beautiful each of whom are artist sin their own way. I'm also inspired by those people who are told ,"no that can't be done" and figure out a way to do it. Pessimism is the death of art and creativity. but it can also be a powerful motivator.

Any roles you’re dying to play?: In musical theater? Well, I always wanted to play Fanny Brice, but I'm not sure that will happen. I'd love to play Hedwig, Sweeney Todd and Indiana Jones even though that's not a musical. Or maybe the bad guy that Indiana Jones has to fight.

What’s your favorite show tune?: "Stars" from Les Mis has a special meaning to me. It was one of the first songs I heard that I really loved singing in high School and I had the chance to play Javert 3 times since then.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: Kevin Spacey

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: A young Jim Carey. "Once Upon This Island"

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: The original Death Trap

What show have you recommended to your friends?: The Color Purple and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Video Games

What’s up next?: After The Gold I'll heading to the Dallas Theater Center to perform in Bella: A New American Musical directing by Robert O'Hara

Name: Philip Yosowitz

Hometown: Cleveland, OH

Education: B.A. UCLA, M.D. UCLA, General and Plastic Surgery Residency UCLA and Walter Reed Hospitals

Favorite Credits: The Gold is my first completed Musical Theatre work.

Why theater?: As a young boy, my family went to NYC several summers.  I distinctly remember seeing Most Happy Fella and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? with Jane Mansfield.  I was hooked. Music, and musical theater, provided the perfect counterbalance to football and baseball.

Tell us about The Gold: The main protagonist, Joseph Cohen, is a Jewish-German boxer who is intent upon winning the 1936 Berlin Olympics. His dreams are thwarted by the Nazi regime, and his fight for the gold becomes the battle for his family, identity, and country. Left with nothing, Joseph must reinvent himself in a new land. The Gold is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the journey of self-discovery that each of us takes as we search for purpose in our lives.

What inspired you to write The Gold?: Two core parts of my childhood intersected to serve as the springboard for The Gold.  As a young boy, I was exposed to the events of the Holocaust as my father sponsored surviving family members to come to the US and live with us until they got on their feet. My father himself had been fortunate to have left Czechoslovakia and made his way to the US in the 1930's.  Another major part of my childhood was participating in sports.  Years later, as I was playing the piano, the Atlanta Olympics were on the TV in the background. The Gold began to emerge.

What kind of theater speaks to you? What or who inspires you as an artist?: Epic, musical theater speaks to me.  But I will say that my favorite singer is Karen Carpenter.  I guess that dates me.  Her voice was perfect and pure.

If you could work with anyone you’ve yet to work with, who would it be?: I've been incredibly fortunate to have worked with my daughter on The Gold.

What show have you recommended to your friends?: Beautiful was poignant; I loved the music and the character.

Who would play you in a movie about yourself and what would it be called?: Denzel Washington in "On the Lam".

If you could go back in time and see any play or musical you missed, what would it be?: The first performance of Porgy and Bess.

What’s your biggest guilty pleasure?: Working in the garden.  Though in Houston, it is HOT... And not such a "guilty" pleasure.

If you weren’t working in theater, you would be _____?: A baseball player.  I still dream of playing for the Cleveland Indians.

What’s up next?: I've written the music for a show based on Joan of Arc and am now working on the lyrics. I do love epic musicals!

For more on The Gold, visit http://www.thegoldthemusical.com/