A tale of two Herzls premieres in Tel Aviv in new opera ‘Theodor’

“Theodor,” an original Israeli Opera production about two periods in the life of founder of modern Zionism Theodor Herzl, could be considered required listening for anyone pondering the current state of the Jewish nation.

Running May 10-15 for a first, limited run at Tel Aviv’s Israeli Opera house, it’s a Hebrew opera (with English subtitles) for the ages, diving directly to the heart of the issues presently plaguing Israelis as the country considers the nature of its democracy and what the Jewish state should look like as it marks its 75th year.

Composer Yonatan Cnaan and librettist and director Ido Ricklin create two parallel realities, with Theodor the student (Noam Heinz) developing his Jewish spirit while his older self (Oded Reich) — Herzl of the long, black beard — realizes what needs to be done and writes his seminal work, “The State of the Jews.”

There’s no Zionist Congress scene in Basel, but there’s still plenty of tension and drama as befitting any opera, with ruminations on Jews and equality, race and independence.

It was three years ago that Cnaan and Ricklin were approached to write the opera, the brainchild of philanthropist Daniel Jusidman whose family foundation underwrote the opera.

The idea, said Cnaan, was to tell the story of the man behind the history, “the man without the beard,” back when Theodor was still a Viennese university student.

“Herzl without the beard is the guy we don’t know,” said Ricklin.

The opera launches as Herzl, now a Viennese journalist, covers the Dreyfus affair in Paris, an event that deeply unsettles him. It turns back in time as the young Herzl is accepted into a nationalistic student fraternity in Vienna, and depicts what it’s like for him and his friend Paul as the only Jews in the group.

Herzl’s student society experiences and the Dreyfus affair are fused together in the opera, highlighting how he was affected as a student and then experienced that trauma again as an adult — motivating him to conceive of the modern Zionist movement.

“No one knows how the Dreyfus affair impacted Herzl,” said Ricklin. “It’s open to interpretation, which is where we offer our own.”

This debate about fact and fiction is an ongoing conversation the two men have been having for the last two years, said Cnaan, as they figured out what to interpret and what to emphasize, what to fictionalize and what made sense in the larger context of Herzl’s history.

“We texted at 12 a.m. about Herzl,” said Ricklin.

That exchange of ideas extends to music as well, said Cnaan.

The two had a habit of using the Hebrew word barvaz, meaning duck, instead of words when they worked on their libretto.

“You know, as in, ‘barvaz, barvaz, barvaz, barvaz,'” said Ricklin, singing his way through one aria.

“It took a while to know how to draw the initial frame, to know what kinds of colors I wanted to use,” said Cnaan of his composing process. “Theodor” is his first opera, although he did compose “The Star of Izmir,” a rock opera and a classically trained composer and conductor, he has composed for other musical works. “You can never tell what will happen. Sometimes the arias push the music and sometimes it’s the other way around.”

The music in “Theodor” is definitely operatic, but it’s melodic to the ear and lighter in tone than older, more traditional pieces.

That was Cnaan’s intention as a lover of musical theater with a degree from Indiana University’s opera department, where he sang in the chorus and fell in love with contemporary American opera.

He had the meteoric success of Lin Manuel Miranda’s historical musical “Hamilton” in mind when it came to “Theodor.”

“Yonatan’s music is very intuitive and becomes the main event,” said Ricklin, a veteran playwright and director who has directed dozens of contemporary and classic operas and is the dramaturg for the Israeli Opera. “I listened to his music hundreds of times and I know the words by heart, and when I listen to the music, I know what the words will do. You direct the subtext, not the words.”

The two also became passionate about their subject matter, and, noted Ricklin, “These are Herzl’s own words.”

They found it fitting and comfortable to write an opera and compose music for Hebrew. — and it worked for the singers, most of whom are native Hebrew speakers.

“They immediately understood,” said Cnaan. “Meeting the singers once they were cast had a major influence on us both. Once we knew who the singers were, we could write the music for this person and that voice.”

Herzl’s wife, Julie, was supposed to be in only half a scene and a “screaming soprano,” said Ricklin. When mezzo-soprano Anat Czarny was cast, it changed their thinking and they tripled the size of her role.

Ditto for one of the waitresses, who was meant to be a naive Viennese server with no name and one line. But when soprano Tali Ketzef was cast in the role, said Ricklin, they decided to give her an aria. “Now she’s a tempting, alluring example of fascism,” said Ricklin. “She is sweet, beautiful and horrible.”

This mix of highs and lows, intense drama and tension is all classic operatic style, but there’s something in “Theodor,” with its younger cast, themes and tones, that should appeal to a younger audience as well, and that’s certainly the intention of Ricklin and Cnaan.

“We thought about that a lot,” said Ricklin. “We brought a younger Herzl for the younger generation, making him and his friend Paul (Shaked Strul) pivotal characters for people who are 18 or 21, to see themselves onstage.”

Cnaan sees operas like “Theodor” as the future of the genre.

As Herzl said, “If you will it, it is not a dream.”

The opera’s opening night performance of “Theodor” on May 10 is sold out. Tickets are still available for May 12, 14 and 15. Check the Israeli Opera website for tickets and information about pre-performance lectures and post-performance conversations.