| Rutka | |
|---|---|
 Cincinnati set in 2024 | |
| Music | Jocelyn Mackenzie and Jeremy Lloyd Styles |
| Lyrics | Jocelyn Mackenzie and Jeremy Lloyd Styles |
| Book | Neena Beber |
| Setting | 1943 Poland |
| Premiere | 13 October 2024: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park |
Rutka is an indie rock musical with a book by Neena Beber and music and lyrics by Jocelyn Mackenzie and Jeremy Lloyd Styles. It is based on the diary of Rutka Laskier.
In 1943, 14-year-old Rutka Laskier, living in the Jewish ghetto in Nazi-occupied Będzin, Poland, writes in her diary about typical teenage concerns. [1] [2]
This musical is based on Rutka’s Notebook: A Voice from the Holocaust, the diary by Laskier over the course of three months of 1943 while living in the Jewish ghetto in Będzin. [3] The diary remained hidden until 2006. [4]
The original book was by Sarah Gancher but later was credited to Neena Beber. [1] [5] Music and lyrics are by Jocelyn Mackenzie and Jeremy Lloyd Styles of Pearl and the Beard. The musical style is indie rock. [1]
The musical had two workshops, including a concert performance in January 2023 at Lincoln Center's New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. [5] [3]
The musical had its world premiere in a pre-Broadway tryout 13 October 2024 at Cincinnati's Playhouse in the Park and opened 17 October, with a planned run through 10 November. [3] [6] [7] [8] It is directed by Wendy C. Goldberg with set design by Todd Rosenthal. [2] [9] [10]
Laura Collins-Hughes, writing in The New York Times in September 2024, listed it among "15 Shows to See on Stages Around the U.S. This Fall". [11] The Business Journal called it "emotional, bittersweet and intense". [7] City Beat called the score "energetic and uplifting". [6]
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