An Australian musical exploring the little-known story of Jewish refugees expelled from Egypt in the 1950s will be presented in Sydney as part of the inaugural Festival of the Spoken Word.
One of a Kind follows the Rossano family, a wealthy Egyptian Jewish family forced to leave everything behind in 1957 before rebuilding their lives in Sydney.
The semi-staged, one-act musical combines Middle Eastern musical traditions with contemporary musical theatre and explores identity, migration, resilience and belonging.
Co-written and co-directed by Judy Campbell and Aaron Robuck, the production has been more than a decade in development.
It was shaped by research conducted with the Jewish Arts team, members of Sydney’s Egyptian Jewish community and Racheline Barda, author of Egyptian-Jewish Emigrés to Australia.
Inspired by the experiences of Jewish refugees forced to flee Egypt during the 1950s, the musical brings a rarely told chapter of Jewish and Australian history to the stage.
Campbell said the production gave a voice to a story that deserved wider recognition.
“One of a Kind tells a story that deserves to be heard, not only because it reflects a remarkable chapter in Jewish history, but because it speaks to universal experiences of losing home, rebuilding identity and finding hope in a new country,” she said.
“We believe audiences will leave moved by the humanity of these characters and the resilience of communities who begin again.”
The cast includes Sebastian “Bash” Nelson, Sarah Davies, Sara Camara, Blake Erickson and Robuck.
Live musicians will perform a score influenced by Middle Eastern musical traditions and contemporary musical theatre.
The production is part of the Festival of the Spoken Word, an expanded form of the Sydney Jewish Writers Festival featuring theatre, music, poetry, comedy and conversation.
Presented by Jewish Arts as part of Shalom Collective’s month-long celebration of Jewish storytelling, One of a Kind will be performed on Sunday 2 August at 3 pm and 7 pm.
Tickets: One of a Kind bookings