My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding: A Musical

Reading The Globe and Mail¹ this weekend my husband came across an article about this improbably titled musical.²

My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding was written by David Hein and Irene Carl, and first debuted at the Toronto Fringe Festival in July, and seems to have been a hit with Eye Weekly and NOW Magazine. It’s now has been picked up by David Mirvish for a four-week commercial run at the Panasonic Theatre in November.

The authors are self-described “cashews” (Catholic Jews), and the musical is actually based on the true story of Hein’s mothers. Their interview with the Globe describes a bit about their process, Hein’s mothers, and what it was like for him growing up:

So as a teenager, what was more of a surprise to you, your mother coming out as a lesbian, or your mother coming out as a Jew?

David: Her coming out as a lesbian was, “Okay, I don’t really care who you date.” Whereas I didn’t really have an anti-Jewish response, it was just sort of a confused, “So what does that mean?” We sort of celebrated Hanukkah a little bit as we were growing up but not in any tradition; it was in a very Christmassy way.

Mirvish.com describes the musical thusly:

This original Canadian musical comedy became the toast of the 2009 Fringe of Toronto Theatre Festival when it played in July at Bread & Circus, a new venue in a tiny Kensington Market storefront. Based on a true story, My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding tells the story of a mother and her teen-aged son. The mother feels lost in life, wrestling with her identity. A new job brings new opportunities and with it a chance to truly find herself, discovering her sexuality, rediscovering her faith and coming out as a lesbian to her son, ex-husband and homophobic Jewish mother.

My Mother’s Lesbian Jewish Wiccan Wedding is for every mother who has ever come out to her children as a lesbian… and a Jew. It is for every girlfriend who has met her future lesbian in-laws… at Hooters. And it’s for everyone who’s ever been in love.

My husband read a song excerpted from the musical, and hoped they wouldn’t quit their day jobs. I reminded him that the first paragraph in the Globe article states they already have.

Tickets aren’t available yet, but you can be sure that when they are, we’ll be there. How can we not?

Footnotes:

1. Hard copy, of course. Print lives! [back]
2. Though, the article is also online, see “Our straight, non-occult, Cashew marriage“. [back]

Psyche is the editor of ahrfoundation.org and the curator for the occult resource SpiralNature.com, Psyche also operates a tarot consultation business, Psyche Tarot. She has been published in The Cauldron, Konton, Tarot World Magazine, among other magazines, and her essay “Strategic Magick” appeared in Manifesting Prosperity (Megalithica, 2008).

Psyche's website is http://www.ahrfoundation.org.