The Jerusalem Syndrome

ABOUT THE SHOW

In the late 1960's, psychologists in Israel began to document about 200 cases a year of Westerners who, upon traveling to Jerusalem and experiencing the religious and historic sites there, suffer a mental breakdown and suddenly come to believe that they are God or the Messiah or a character from the Bible.

Most of those afflicted have deeply rooted psychological problems. Some, however—about 25 or 30 every year—are normal, regular people who have no psychological problems in their medical history. For them, the condition is temporary, and with proper medical treatment they snap out of it in three to seven days. Afterwards, they remember their delusion with some embarrassment but they go on to return to their normal, everyday lives and have no further psychiatric disturbances. It is this strain of the syndrome that the experts have labeled the Jerusalem Syndrome proper.

This new musical takes a comical look at this real-life psychological malady as it follows three separate characters on their journeys to Israel: a Columbia University professor who goes to Israel with her husband and comes to believe that she is Abraham’s wife, Sarah; a gay, African American man from South Beach who goes to Jerusalem for a real estate closing and "becomes" Jesus; and the klutzy son of a Cleveland travel company magnate who is leading a senior citizens tour of Israel when he suddenly "turns into" Moses.

During the course of this zany musical, their lives intertwine with each other—and with God, Eve, John the Baptist, Noah, King David and not one but two Virgin Marys, all of whom they meet in the psych ward at Hadassah Hospital.

The Jerusalem Syndrome is an outrageous musical comedy, but it is also a story of hope in which the characters come to see that today, just like in the times of their biblical alter egos, God is performing miracles all around us.

The Jerusalem Syndrome…  If it weren't true, you'd never believe it.

DON STEPHENSON (DIRECTOR) directed Titanic at Lincoln Center, Broadway Classics at Carnegie Hall, Of Mice and Manhattan for the Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center, Noises Off at Asolo Rep, The Other Place at The Alley Theatre,  A Comedy of Tenors (BroadwayWorld nom. Best Director of a Play), The Producers, Vanya, Sonia, Masha and Spike, and Lend Me a Tenor at Paper Mill Playhouse, The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd (BroadwayWorld nom. Best Director of a Musical), Will Rogers Follies (BroadwayWorld nom. Best Director of a Musical) and Guys and Dolls at Goodspeed Opera House,  Buyer and Cellar and Noises Off at Pittsburgh Public Theatre, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (BroadwayWorld nom. Best Director of a Musical), and Sister Act at the Marriott Theatre, The Cottage at Theatre Aspen, I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers at Theatreworks/Hartford, Lend Me a Tenor at Bay Street Theatre (BroadwayWorld nom. Best Director of a Play), Titanic at The MUNY, the Hangar Theatre (BroadwayWorld nom. Best Director of a Musical), and Westchester Broadway Theatre, Struck at New Jersey Rep. (BroadwayWorld nom. Best Director of a Play), Deathtrap, Noises Off, and The 39 Steps at the Flat Rock Playhouse, The Mystery of King Tut and Skippyjon Jones for Theatreworks/USA and The Great Unknown for The New York Theatre Festival.  He directed the critically acclaimed productions of Oleanna, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and the musical comedy Doctors and Diseases at the historic Barter Theatre. Other New York directing credits include The War Party (New York Fringe Festival), Attack of the Elvis Impersonators (Theatre Row), A Charles Dickens Christmas (Urban Stages), Buck Simple (Garrick Gaieties), When Pigs Fly (Kaufman Theatre), Golden Voices (Symphony Space), Old Flames (Theatre Studio Inc.), Sunday in the Park with George, Cabaret and the new musical Paperboy at The Manhattan School of Music.

As an actor, Don originated the role of Bill O’Wray in the acclaimed Tony nominated Broadway premier of Trouble in Mind, starred as Leo Bloom in the Tony Award winning Broadway production of The Producers and played the D’ysquith family in the Tony Award winning A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.  He created roles in the original Broadway casts of Titanic, Parade, Dracula and By Jeeves. Other Broadway credits include Rock of Ages, the Tony Award winning revival of Private Lives, and Wonderful Town at Lincoln Center. He was featured in the Encores productions of Me and My Girl, The Bandwagon, and Pardon My English.   

On television and film, Don has been seen on FBI: Most Wanted, The Blacklist, The Americans, Happy, Law and Order: SVU, The Good Wife, Turn: Washington’s Spies, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Law and Order, Glee,  Law and Order: Criminal Intent, 30 Rock, Ugly Betty, Deception and on the Wolverine podcast series.  He also plays the role of Edmund Lowry Jr. in Red Dead Redemption II for Rockstar Games.

A native of Chattanooga Tennessee, he holds a BA from the University of Tennessee.

ALEX SANCHEZ (CHOREOGRAPHER) is a New York City based Director and Choreographer. He is thrilled to be the choreographer of The Jerusalem Syndrome at The York Theater Company. Current and upcoming choreographic projects include: Florencia En Las Amazonas for The Metropolitan Opera and The Gardens of Anuncia a tLincoln Center Theatre. Alex was the Musical Stager for the Broadway production of Paradise Square. He also choreographed the pre-Broadway musical, Roman Holiday for GFI productions. Other New York choreographic credits: The Public Theater, Playwrights Horizon, New York City Center Encores!, and Amas Musical Theater. As a director/choreographer, he helmed the musicals On Your Feet for Paper Mill Playhouse. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat for Maine State Theater, Sweet Charity, Newsies and Evita for The Marriott Theater in Chicago. In the Mood, Bud Forrest Entertainment/international/national tour. The World Goes Round, NYC Riverside Theater. Regional choreographic credits: The Goodman Theater, Paper Mill Playhouse, Goodspeed Opera House, Williamstown Theater Festival, Guthrie Theater, Stratford Shakespeare Festival, Dallas Theater Center, Chicago Shakespeare Theater,The Marriott Theatre, Berkshire Theater Group, Glimmerglass Opera, St. Louis Muny, Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Kansas City Starlight, Pittsburgh CLO, Riverside Theater, Woodminster Amphitheater and SDC Dancebreak. In New York, Alex performed in 10 Broadway shows and was in the original cast of Fosse, The Red Shoes, Carousel (LTC revival), Big: The Musical, Follies (Roundabout Theater revival), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Chita Rivera: A Dancers Life. Other Broadway shows: Love! valor! Compassion!, Once Upon A Mattress and Wonderful Town. Prior to his Broadway career, Alex was a soloist ballet dancer with Ballet Chicago for four seasons, ballet guest artist for The Ruth Page Ballet, The Festival Ballet, Southern Ballet Theater, Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Company and The Chicago Rep Dance Ensemble. Alex is the 2022 winner of The Chicago Joseph Jefferson Award for best choreography, 2015 co-recipient of the SDC Joe A. Calloway Award for Best Choreography, and two-time winner of the Broadway World Award, 2011 & 2012. He has been nominated for an Outer Critic Circle Award, Lucille Lortel Award, Connecticut Critic Circle Award and nine Joseph Jefferson Awards and was the 2022 SDC Breakout Award Finalist. He was also honored by Dance Magazine as one of 25 to Watch in 2016. More info: Alexsanc.com

MILES PLANT (MUSIC DIRECTOR/ARRANGER/ORCHESTRATOR) is music supervisor of j2 Spotlight Theatre in NYC, an organization dedicated to reviving long lost gems of musical theatre while collaborating with the original writers or their estates. With this theatre company, Miles has music directed A Class Act, A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, Woman of the Year, Sugar, The Baker's Wife, and The Goodbye Girl. His National Tour credits include Bandstand (Music Director) and The Sound of Music (Associate Music Director). Miles has orchestrated and arranged for numerous production companies including j2 Spotlight Theatre, Arizona Broadway Theatre, and Phoenix Theatre.