Giora Godik
Encyclopedia
Giora Godik was a Jewish Israeli
theater producer and impresario
, famous for bringing musical comedies to Israel. Called the "King of musicals," the 2007 film documentary, "Waiting for Godik
", tells the story of his rise and fall from one of the most "legendary" theater figures in Israel -- someone who "endeavored...to bring the American dream to Tel Aviv
", to someone destitute, who hit bottom. He "skyrocketed to the top and plummeted to the lowest depths."
, who told Meyer Weisgal in 1960 that she would like to him to arrange a visit for her to Israel and perform there simply for the cost of her transportation. Weisgal relates that he chose Godik, who was so happy with the idea that he immediately flew to Paris to make the arrangements. Her performance was an outstanding success, with fourteen curtain calls. At the end, she said to the audience, "We have suffered, you and I, during those terrible years [of the Holocaust]. If there is any consolation or comfort for the incalculable suffering of your people and my people, your warmth and affection has restored in me my faith in humanity. I love you dearly."
Giora Godik later specialized in "lavish production of international musicals," produced for the Israeli stage. His productions included Hebrew-language versions of musicals including My Fair Lady
,(1964), The King and I
, Man of La Mancha
, and Fiddler on the Roof
.
The Hebrew version of Fiddler on the Roof was so successful that Godik decided to produce a second version, this time in Yiddish, the language in which the original Shalom Aleichem stories upon which the musical was based were written. With this Yiddish production, based on the translation of Shraga Friedman, "Tevye had come full circle and returned to his mameloshn ("mother-tongue")."
The productions mounted by Godik made such an impression of Israeli theater goers that the newspaper Ha’aretz credited Godik as "being a primary force in Israel’s emulation of American culture".
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. That musical, Kazablan
, was a tremendous success, with a huge impact in Israel. 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.
, who was then the more famous star. "When Uri bought the rights to hold the concert two years later, Godik was angry that he blew the opportunity and went to the Knesset
’s Finance Committee to persuade them to bar the promoters from taking out foreign currency." Because at that time, expenditures of large amounts of foreign currency in Israel required government approval, Godik's pressure on the government made the visit and concert impossible.
According to stories that were published in Israel in conjunction with the premiere of "Waiting for Godik," the producer "never forgave himself for the blunder of his life and decided that no one would benefit from what he had missed: It was a case of either me or no one."
and Les Miserables
, "musicals were never again considered the forte of the Israeli stage."
The time following the 1967 Six-Day War
was a time of "stock-market mania and the desire for instant profits," and it was this mania that "infected Godik as well." It led him to make "a series of disastrous decisions," including failed attempts to stage musical's including "The Witch
" and Neil Simon
's "Promises, Promises
", causing him to fall into debt. "One morning all of Israel - and especially the 200 employees of Godik's theatre - were shocked to hear that the noted producer had fled the country during the night. The theatre closed down at once."
Godik fled to Germany. "Utterly destitute, he sold hot-dogs for a living, at the central railway station in Frankfurt. He believed he would soon resume his position as King of Musicals. But Godik stayed far away from the theater, never to return."
According to the documentary that recorded both his rise and fall, this "tragic story of the man, who touched the dream and crashed, is also the story of an unforgettable era and the tale of the local version of the musical genre."
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
theater producer and impresario
Impresario
An impresario is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays or operas; analogous to a film producer in filmmaking, television production and an angel investor in business...
, famous for bringing musical comedies to Israel. Called the "King of musicals," the 2007 film documentary, "Waiting for Godik
Waiting for Godik
Waiting for Godik is a 2007 documentary written and directed by Ari Davidovich, chronicalling the rise and fall of the Israeli theater producer and impresario Giora Godik.-Subject:...
", tells the story of his rise and fall from one of the most "legendary" theater figures in Israel -- someone who "endeavored...to bring the American dream to Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
", to someone destitute, who hit bottom. He "skyrocketed to the top and plummeted to the lowest depths."
Musical producer
Godik entered Israeli show business in the mid-1950s as an impresario specializing in the import of foreign entertainers. Among the individual performers brought to Israel was Marlene DietrichMarlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
, who told Meyer Weisgal in 1960 that she would like to him to arrange a visit for her to Israel and perform there simply for the cost of her transportation. Weisgal relates that he chose Godik, who was so happy with the idea that he immediately flew to Paris to make the arrangements. Her performance was an outstanding success, with fourteen curtain calls. At the end, she said to the audience, "We have suffered, you and I, during those terrible years [of the Holocaust]. If there is any consolation or comfort for the incalculable suffering of your people and my people, your warmth and affection has restored in me my faith in humanity. I love you dearly."
Giora Godik later specialized in "lavish production of international musicals," produced for the Israeli stage. His productions included Hebrew-language versions of musicals including My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe...
,(1964), The King and I
The King and I
The King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
, Man of La Mancha
Man of La Mancha
Man of La Mancha is a musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay I, Don Quixote, which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes's seventeenth century masterpiece Don Quixote...
, and Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof
Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
.
The Hebrew version of Fiddler on the Roof was so successful that Godik decided to produce a second version, this time in Yiddish, the language in which the original Shalom Aleichem stories upon which the musical was based were written. With this Yiddish production, based on the translation of Shraga Friedman, "Tevye had come full circle and returned to his mameloshn ("mother-tongue")."
The productions mounted by Godik made such an impression of Israeli theater goers that the newspaper Ha’aretz credited Godik as "being a primary force in Israel’s emulation of American culture".
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. That musical, Kazablan
Kazablan
Kazablan 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...
, was a tremendous success, with a huge impact in Israel. The musical's huge success made "young Jerusalem-born singer" Yehoram Gaon
Yehoram Gaon
Yehoram Gaon is a Jewish Israeli singer, actor, director, producer, TV and radio host, and public figure...
"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.
Godik Theater
Godik founded the "Godik Theater," first to bring singers and performers from outside Israel to produce foreign-made musical plays, and then to work with original productions. "At its peak," the enterprise managed by Godik "had about 200 employees, and paid very high salaries to dozens of actors, singers, musicians, directors, and dancers."Controversy
Beatles historian Yoav Kutner states that a dispute between Godik and music promoter Yaakov Uri was responsible for the cancellation of a planned visit by the Beatles in 1965. Although the claim is sometimes made that the blame for the failed opportunity lies with Israeli authorities who refused to admit the singing group out of fear that they would "corrupt the youth" of Israel,, Kutner notes that Godik simply preferred to bring singer Cliff RichardCliff Richard
Sir Cliff Richard, OBE is a British pop singer, musician, performer, actor, and philanthropist who has sold over an estimated 250 million records worldwide....
, who was then the more famous star. "When Uri bought the rights to hold the concert two years later, Godik was angry that he blew the opportunity and went to the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
’s Finance Committee to persuade them to bar the promoters from taking out foreign currency." Because at that time, expenditures of large amounts of foreign currency in Israel required government approval, Godik's pressure on the government made the visit and concert impossible.
According to stories that were published in Israel in conjunction with the premiere of "Waiting for Godik," the producer "never forgave himself for the blunder of his life and decided that no one would benefit from what he had missed: It was a case of either me or no one."
Collapse
Godik was a legend during his heyday, but his empire collapsed in the early 1970s, bringing an end to the period when musicals seemed to rule Israeli theater. Although after Godik's successes and eventual collapse, "occasionally the major theaters and some independent producers continued to produce international musical hits such as CabaretCabaret
Cabaret is a form, or place, of entertainment featuring comedy, song, dance, and theatre, distinguished mainly by the performance venue: a restaurant or nightclub with a stage for performances and the audience sitting at tables watching the performance, as introduced by a master of ceremonies or...
and Les Miserables
Les Misérables
Les Misérables , translated variously from the French as The Miserable Ones, The Wretched, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, or The Victims), is an 1862 French novel by author Victor Hugo and is widely considered one of the greatest novels of the nineteenth century...
, "musicals were never again considered the forte of the Israeli stage."
The time following the 1967 Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
was a time of "stock-market mania and the desire for instant profits," and it was this mania that "infected Godik as well." It led him to make "a series of disastrous decisions," including failed attempts to stage musical's including "The Witch
The Witch
The Witch is a Jacobean play, a tragicomedy written by Thomas Middleton. The play was acted by the King's Men at the Blackfriars Theatre. It is thought to have been written sometime between 1609 and 1616; it was not printed in its own era, and existed only in manuscript until it was published by...
" and Neil Simon
Neil Simon
Neil Simon is an American playwright and screenwriter. He has written numerous Broadway plays, including Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, and The Odd Couple. He won the 1991 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play Lost In Yonkers. He has written the screenplays for several of his plays that...
's "Promises, Promises
Promises, Promises
Promises, Promises is a musical based on the 1960 film The Apartment. The music is by Burt Bacharach, lyrics by Hal David, and book by Neil Simon. Musical numbers for the original Broadway production were choreographed by Michael Bennett; Robert Moore directed and David Merrick produced...
", causing him to fall into debt. "One morning all of Israel - and especially the 200 employees of Godik's theatre - were shocked to hear that the noted producer had fled the country during the night. The theatre closed down at once."
Godik fled to Germany. "Utterly destitute, he sold hot-dogs for a living, at the central railway station in Frankfurt. He believed he would soon resume his position as King of Musicals. But Godik stayed far away from the theater, never to return."
According to the documentary that recorded both his rise and fall, this "tragic story of the man, who touched the dream and crashed, is also the story of an unforgettable era and the tale of the local version of the musical genre."
External links
- Almagor, Dan, "Barad yarad bidrom sfarad: How "The Rain in Spain" Fell in Eretz-Israel," The Israel Review of Arts and Letters, Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA.org), November 19, 1998.: Story of the translation of "My Fair Lady" into Hebrew.