Rabbi convicted of murder inspires musical

A MUSICAL about a Philadelphia-area rabbi convicted of his wife’s murder in 1994 is yet to debut, but it’s already causing a stir among his former congregants.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles is set to debut A Wicked Soul in Cherry Hill, about Rabbi Fred Neulander, who was convicted in 2001 for hiring a man to kill his wife Carol.

The Geffen Playhouse describes the musical as “written with humour and chutzpah” by Matt Schatz, who grew up in the south New Jersey community of Cherry Hill where Neulander lived and worked.

“This is … very serious to us. To make light of it or to exploit it for entertainment value is not something we will ever condone,” stated the congregation’s president Drew Molotsky.

Schatz told the Inquirer the show will neither be a Broadway-style musical extravaganza nor a comedy. “It’s tough material, you want to do justice to it, and you don’t want to hurt people.”

WITH JTA

Hear a sample: https://soundcloud.com/schatzmatt78

Writer Matt Schatz.
Photo: Soundcloud screenshot.