Kazablan (Casablan or Kasablan in its first production; Hebrew: קזבלן) is an early Israeli Hebrew language play, staged first as a 1954 drama followed by a 1964 screen adaptation, later as a 1966 musical comedy, and still later produced as a 1974 musical comedy film. The name Kazablan comes from Casablanca, the birthplace of the main character.
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." Gaon later reprised his role in the film version.
Plot
The story has been called an Israeli adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, and the musical "an Israeli version of West Side Story. The plot involves a man and woman who fall in love across different cultures: here, Kazablan is a Mizrahi Jew from Morocco in love with Rachel, an Ashkenazic Jew from Europe. "While the two protagonists share religion, their contrasting cultures and ethnicities fuel community scandal and a bitter family feud."
1954 play: drama
In 1954, the play Casablan, by playwright Yigal Mossinson (sometimes spelled "Igal Mossinsohn") was performed on stage by the Cameri Theater. "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." Mossinsohn was awarded the David's Harp Prize for the play.
The play was written as a "detective play," focusing on the accusation that Kazablan was guilty of an attempted murder by stabbing. It is eventually revealed that the actual stabber was an Ashkenazic Jew, but audience members realize how easy it was to assume that Kazablan was guilty, revealing their deep-seated prejudices. While the love interest between Kazablan and Rachel is part of the story, it is depicted as "impossible and hopeless" in the play. 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.
1964 film: drama
The play Casablan was the basis for a 1964 black-and-white movie of the same name filmed in Greece, and co-produced as a Greek-Israeli-USA production. Directed by Larry Frisch, it starred Nikos Kourkoulos, Xenia Kalogeropoulou and Lykourgos Kallergis. Mossinsohn was given credit as the playwright, with the screenplay adapted by Alex Maimon.
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. Later, the musical version of the play would address the subject matter in a much less serious and more "whimsical" way, managing "to make the Israeli ethnic divide seem like fun." 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." Minister Haim Gvati was impressed: "A dynamic play, very impressive," he wrote in his diary. "No wonder it has been running for several months."
The film was released overseas in January 1964 with a New York City premiere of December 12, 1964.
1966 play: musical
The 1950s in Israel was a time "typified by the rise of commercial producers of light comedies and of the independent impresario Giora Godik who specialized in lavish production of [Hebrew language productions] of international musicals," such as My Fair Lady, The King and I, and Man of La Mancha. After enormous success with his production of Fiddler on the Roof, Godik "was looking for more musical material," but "After having difficulty finding an American or British musical which would arouse as much interest as Fiddler," he decided to stage "an original Israeli musical," and decided on a musical version of the Mossinsohn play, Casablan.