SAN DIEGO— Recently I had the opportunity to see the reading of Ei8ht, a new youth musical written by San Diego Jewish community members Becky Cherlin Baird, Sarah Gimbel, 12- year-old Ari Gimbel, and 9-year-old Maya Gimbel.
Read at the Liechtag Hive in Encinitas, the play focuses on not only the story of Hanukkah, but the current epidemic of business that prevents us from truly connecting with one another and remembering what really matters- the people in our lives. It’s a cute fast-paced 60-minute show with eight original songs written and composed by young Ari.
Since it was just a reading and not a fully staged production, the kids were all wearing white hoodies with the show name on them. Ai- assisted illustrations were on the large tv screens at the back of the “stage” to help set the scene as it moved from the town square to the family home, to the grandparents’ shop.
I was curious about how the show came about and especially about Ari’s and Maya’s creative contributions. The Gimbels and Cherlin-Baird graciously spent some time with me on zoom and told me all about their process.
It all started when Becky noticed that during the winter season there’s very little story telling for our community. She felt that for Jewish people, especially children and teenagers, in the midst of all the red and green, there’s a connection missing. Every year she would say that she wanted to do something for Hanukkah, and this past August, the idea of doing a musical around the holiday really started to take shape. As the idea blossomed, so did her aspirations for the show- it should not only be a musical, but it should kick off in December (as it did), and be fully staged in 2026, and not only that, but be attractive for Jewish communities across the country.
A veteran of juvenile theater herself, she began by reaching out to theater friends, looking for partners. She knew it was really important that whoever she worked with would be people who were aligned with the mission.
One day as she and Sarah were sitting together it hit her, she had everything she needed right in front of her: Ari could write the music, Maya could help with the story telling and Sarah could help fill in the pieces.
She floated the idea to the Gimbel family, and in spite of already being in the middle of rehearsals for The Little Mermaid, and Ari being in the middle of Bar Mitzvah prep, they all said yes and jumped onto the project.
First, they wrote the basic story, and then the words to the songs, and then the music.
Ari, who started composing at age 2, credits his dad Rabbi Cantor Jeremy Gimbel with being his inspiration. For this play, as they were talking about what it could be, he sat down at the piano and just started to play, and the music poured out of him. They workshopped and recorded what flowed from his fingers and then he transcribed it into sheet music. Then he used some software to make it a fully orchestrated version. He also produced a piano vocal for the other kids to learn from.
I just have to take a minute to say that as a theater reviewer, I am blown away that Ari, at only 12 years old, is composing music for theater that is better than many of the “professional” shows we’ve seen coming through San Diego.
Maya, who credits big brother Ari with being her inspiration, brings in the storytelling and comedic timing. Becky keeps everything on track with the larger vision. Sarah, who credits her children as being her inspiration, polishes it all up and provides logistical support. The whole thing came together in only six weeks.
On a side note, I asked Sarah what she did to have such mature, poised kids, and she said that she attributes a lot of it to growing up in the theater and also to the fact that she and her husband never spoke to them like little kids or babies, but always used grown-up language and vocabulary. They’ve also had a lot of interaction with adults. (By the way, if you need a song or a story, they are available for commission.)
Back to the show, I asked what it would take to see the production fully staged, and where they’d like to see it staged. Unsurprisingly, the biggest barrier to seeing the show not only fully staged locally, but available for Jewish communities around the country, is money. Once you figure in copywriting it all, and getting the right contracts and licensing, it’s about $100,000 worth.
Becky said she’d love to see it staged at the JCC as that’s the Jewish home for all San Diego. Maya said she’d really like to see it staged outside of the Jewish community so we can share our Jewish stories with the larger world, just as they share their Christmas stories with us.
If you would like to learn more, or to contribute to the cause, Becky can be reached at kidzonstg@gmail.com
To follow Ari and Maya on Instagram, you can find them at @arigimbel and @maya.gimbel. For inquiries into commissioning them, Sarah can be reached at sigimbel@gmail.com.
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Associate Editor Sandi Masori is a theater and food reviewer for San Diego Jewish World