New theater for musicals opening in Tel Aviv this summer

The launch is the brainchild of Maor Maimon, a Tel Aviv-based producer, entrepreneur and lover of musical theater.

By AMY SPIRO
An artistic projection of the future Tel Aviv Theater. (photo credit: Courtesy)
An artistic projection of the future Tel Aviv Theater.
(photo credit: Courtesy)
The hall inside Tel Aviv’s Beit Hachayal is getting a NIS 1 million upgrade, rebranding itself as the Tel Aviv Theater and planning a summer of high-profile musical productions.
The launch is the brainchild of Maor Maimon, a Tel Aviv-based producer, entrepreneur and lover of musical theater.
“England has the West End, and the United States has Broadway, and Israel also needs” an upscale theater district, said Maimon in a statement on Tuesday. “Tel Aviv is the musical capital of Israel, and starting this summer the Tel Aviv Theater will be its official home. Maybe this sounds a little pretentious, but I’m positive that we have the most talented artists and the most extraordinary abilities to pull it off in the most precise way.”
The 890-seat venue will begin its NIS 1 million face-lift after Passover, to ensure it will be ready to open in time for its first production in July: the musical Flashdance. The renovation will include revamping the building’s facade, entrance and the venue’s lobby “to provide a home worthy of musicals and a contemporary entertainment experience.”
The local version of the 1983 film Flashdance – which later became a stage musical in London – will premiere in Tel Aviv on July 5, with tickets a reasonable NIS 199-249.
And that is just the first of a long line of musicals that the Tel Aviv Theater is already planning for its first six months. Before the end of 2019, it is also set to stage local versions of the musical Chaplin, based on the life of Charlie Chaplin; the popular children’s show Annie; the Andrew Lloyd Webber adaptation of School of Rock; and the off-Broadway musical Pippi Longstocking.
The theater is also offering a special membership, allowing theatergoers to purchase tickets to four shows for NIS 599 or six shows for NIS 750. This is news that any Israeli musical theater devotee will be happy to hear.