CUTMAN: a boxing musical AUDIENCE INSIGHTS Goodspeed’s Audience Insights is made possible through the generosity of GOODSPEED MUSICALS GOODSPEED The Max Showalter Center for Education in Musical Theatre CUTMAN THE CHARACTERS The Norma Terris Theatre May 12 - June 5, 2011 ARI HOFFMAN: The protagonist of Cutman who is a native of Queens, NY and _________ dreams of being the Welterweight Champion of the World. Weighing in at 145lbs, this Jewish boxer has been training with his father Eli since he was a young boy. Ari MUSIC & LYRICS BY struggles to maintain his Jewish identity while searching for boxing recognition and DREW BRODY representation. ELI HOFFMAN: A custodian at the local synagogue who directs all of his passion BOOK BY towards the training of his son, Ari. After leaving his career as cutman to Marvin JARED MICHAEL COSEGLIA Hagler, Eli married Edie, Ari’s mother. Eli trained Ari to be an unstoppable boxer, but he is reluctant to let Ari fight professionally. STORY BY EDIE HOFFMAN: A native of Queens, NY, who is mother to Ari and wife to Eli. Edie JARED MICHAEL COSEGLIA is devout in her Judaism and has owned a bridal shop since 1989. Edie does not & support her son’s ambition to become a professional boxer. CORY GRANT OLIVIA: A student at the Fashion Institute of Technology who comes into the Hoffman’s LIGHTING DESIGN BY lives after taking a window dressing position at Hoffman’s Bridal Shoppe. Olivia finds JASON LYONS herself falling in love with Ari and stands by his decision to fight professionally. LINCOLN: Also known as “Toughest in the Land,” Lincoln has been part of the boxing COSTUME DESIGN BY world his whole life. He trained with the best and had a short lived professional boxing WADE LABOISSONNIERE career. He now owns and operates a gym in Brooklyn, NY. MOE GREEN: A renowned Jewish boxing promoter in New York. He is proud, loud, SCENIC DESIGN BY extravagant, and always has his eye on the next big payday. ADRIAN W. JONES RABBI ROSEMAN: The rabbi of Beth Israel Synagogue, Rabbi Roseman has been an important person in the Hoffman’s lives for many years. He is a source of solace and CHOREOGRAPHED BY LISA STEVENS advice for the Hoffman’s. AVIVA GELLMAN: The Cantor for Beth Israel Synagogue. She has a divine singing DIRECTED BY voice and is a progressive Jew with an appreciation for tradition. She is about to be JARED MICHAEL COSEGLIA married. KARIM KARVER: The reigning WBA Welter-Weight Champion of the world. Karim was PRODUCED FOR GOODSPEED born in Brooklyn, NY, and weighs in at 147lbs. With Moe Green at his side, the “Butcher MUSICALS BY of Brooklyn” is a rising star in the boxing world. MICHAEL P. PRICE Audience Insights updated 04.14.2011 2 CUTMAN AND TRADITION Did You Know... THE SPORT OF BOXING AND THE JEWISH then heads straight for the boxing ring A CUTMAN is the person religion contain a host of ancient rituals to begin his training. Is Ari forsaking his responsible for preventing and which have a significant impact on the Judaism or is he simply taking a step treating physical damage to lives of their practitioners. Therefore, closer to his career? a fighter during the breaks tradition is a predominant theme between rounds of a fulll throughout Cutman. In Cutman, we meet several characters contact match such as boxing, who follow Jewish customs, one of kickboxing, or a mixed martial One boxing tradition appears early in the them being Edie Hoffman, mother arts bout. Cutmen typically handle swelling, nosebleeds, show. The term “ring” is used to describe to protagonist Ari Hoffman. Edie, an and lacerations. The rules of the area where the fight takes place, but expert “schmoozer” (a person who full contact sports stipulate the perimeter is actually a square. Before converses casually in order to make that these injuries can be a ropes separated the fighting space from social connections), owns a bridal shop cause for premature match the crowd, people would often invade and is the product of a traditional Jewish stoppage, counting as a loss to the circle and interfere with the fight. This upbringing. In contrast to Ari, Edie strictly the injured fighter. The cutman prompted match organizers to create a follows Jewish observances, such as is therefore essential, and can perimeter to keep spectators away. The keeping the Sabbath (the seventh day be a decisive factor in the best method to secure the ropes was to of the Jewish week and a day of rest in outcome of the match. put stakes in the ground and this created Judaism). the square “ring” we see today. While most athletic Practicing these rituals becomes a commissions require cutmen growing problem for Ari. He is a man to be licensed, there is full of “chutzpah” (supreme self- usually no formal training or confidence), as he dreams big and aims certification required. Most high. Ari not only fights in the boxing cutmen learn their trade ring, he also defends his decisions in through apprenticeship and love and ambition. However, Ari must self-education. Cutmen should face the consequences of his actions; not be confused with fight for example, his decision to get a tattoo doctors, whose task is closer to that of neutral referees, only heightens his sense of internal providing medical advice and conflict. According to some Rabbis, the monitoring the safety of both presence of a tattoo makes the body fighters in accordance with unfit for Jewish burial. regulations or law. Ari’s struggle with tradition reoccurs throughout Cutman. His desire to box, his Early in Cutman, Ari is already in the strong feelings for a non-Jewish female, ring surrounded by fighters. His training, and his tattoo clash with his religious talent, and ambition make him a true heritage. Through his journey from a small contender. However, to function in the synagogue in Brooklyn, NY to the ring boxing world, Ari and his fellow fighters at Madison Square Garden, Ari battles must embrace other traditions. For with opposing ideologies to find his own example, Ari will eventually fight with identity. A boxer is treated by his cutman members of his own weight class, use a mouth guard to protect his gums, and battle for a coveted championship belt. He learned these rituals from his trainer, cutman, and father, Eli. Ari is immersed in the world of boxing, and this environment forces him to question his Jewish identity. At the top of the show, Ari is wearing a skullcap head covering worn by some Jews, known as a yarmulke. Lincoln asks him to remove it and he does so without hesitation. He 3 What is That??? BOXING AND JUDAISM Welterweight: A weight THE HISTORY OF BOXING division in professional boxing Boxing has been part of the world of Maxie Rosenbloom was one of these which requires boxers to be a sports since 3000 B.C. Archaeologists fighters. An American boxer and actor minimum of 140 pounds and a discovered Ancient Egyptian carvings of from Leonard’s Bridge, Connecticut, maximum of 147 pounds. fighters, bare-fisted, facing one another, Maxie won his first heavyweight title in with spectators surrounding them. The 1930 and filmed his first movie in 1933. Light Welterweight: An first detailed account of boxing as a He was nicknamed “Slapsie Maxie” by extension of Welterweight competitive venture, however, exists a journalist due to his open gloved style requiring boxers to weigh a in Homer’s The Iliad. The tale discusses of boxing. He and other fighters such as minimum of 132 pounds. boxing as a traditional sport played by Benny Leonard, Barney Ross, Abe Attell, Mycenaeans to honor those lost in battle. and Al Singer were champions to the Super Welterweight: An world and to their people. extension of Welterweight The first recorded boxing match was on requiring fighters to weigh a January 6, 1681. Christopher Monck, Duke In the 21st Century, Jewish boxers from maximum of 154 pounds. of Albemarle, organized the match. The all over the globe have won more than Duke’s butler and his butcher twenty World Championships. Two of fought and the latter of the two these Jewish championship fighters are was victorious. At that point, Dmitriy Salita, a former light-welterweight boxing had no regulations. The champion, and Yuri Foreman, a former first boxing rules were called super-welterweight champion. Since The Broughton’s Rules and they Salita’s championship win in 2005 and were introduced in 1743. Foreman’s championship win in 2009, they have reigned as two of the most JEWISH BOXERS prominent fighters in the boxing world. Jews entered the ranks of American Boxing in 1928. During this time, Jews were the most dominant culture represented in boxing, followed by the Italians and then the Irish. However, by the end of World War II, there was little Jewish Found on the island of Santorini interest in boxing. Jewish boxing rapidly Greece, this ancient painting depicts two Minoan youths disintegrated likely due to the availability enjoying the sport of boxing. It is of education through the G.I. Bill. the earliest document showing the use of boxing gloves. The remaining Jewish boxers managed to acquire 26 World Championships in the first half of the last century. Despite the decline of Jewish boxers, they still shared a distinct presence in the boxing world as promoters, managers, and Dmitriy “Star of David” Salita matchmakers. Watch Orthodox Stance, a documentary After the war and its devastation, there about Dmitriy Salita for free on Hulu: may have been a reduction in Jewish http://www.hulu.com/watch/95978/ boxers, but there was never a loss of orthodox-stance pride.