Job: The HipHop Musical
(written and directed by Jerome Saibil & Eli Batalion)

Well, actors/writers/performers Eli Batalion and Jerome Saibil slapped me silly. They've written an updated version of the enigmatic Job story, in which God and the devil wager on what the prosperous title figure will do if his prosperity is taken away, and whether he'll still be a "good" man. They've set it in an international record company where Job, who's risen through the ranks, is tested by the company prez and the suspicious, conniving vice prez (the latter thinks that a demoted Job will curse the president and is only working hard because he's been rewarded so often.)

For a full hour of clever and tireless work, the company of two - they've also written the music, along with Paul Bercovitch - play all the parts, among them Job's wife, the three friends who offer little support in his time of trouble and another office worker who provides some final words of wisdom about questioning the higher powers. Hell, the duo even shift back and forth playing the same character, at times doubling up and offering us two mirror-image figures for the price of one.

Blending Prokofiev, Mozart and Bizet with a hiphop rhythm and enough internal rhymes to drive Stephen Sondheim crazy, Saibil and Batalion never stop with the jokes and the wit. They can even josh themselves when the rhymes don't quite fit. Where else are you gonna hear someone aurally pair the name of economist Thomas Malthus with the phrase "solve this?" And they never drop a beat. Amazing.

OK, guys, converted. In my 14 years of fringing, your show is one of the most creative I've seen.

— Jon Kaplan 

 

Bible belted
July 11-17, 2002
 
Yo, even if your musical taste consigns hiphop to a different galaxy, don't miss this endlessly inventive take on the Bible's enigmatic tale of Job, the man tested by heavenly and hellish powers. Set in an upscale record company, it's blessed with writer/performers Eli Batalion and Jerome Saibil, who play all the characters -- sometimes two at a time -- and never miss a beat in the humour or the music. One of the most creative Fringe shows I've seen.

— Jon Kaplan