A New Rock Musical
Mata
Hari
Written by Jay Berkow and Dave Ogrin
Featuring the song 'Resilient'
ABOUT THE SHOW
MataHari
A New Rock Musical
Book by Jay Berkow
Music by Dave Ogrin
Lyrics by Jay Berkow and Dave Ogrin
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Inspired by true events from the life of the notorious WWI spy, a complex tangle of sex, intrigue, and politics, the musical chronicles the original "femme fatale". Mata Hari is a demonstration of resilience – battling against all odds to be true to herself and free Europe from tyranny. Born in 1876 Holland, Margaretha Zella travels to Indonesia and is almost destroyed by a brutal marriage. Refusing to accept the role of an abused wife, she escapes to Paris and reinvents herself as Mata Hari, Indonesian for “Eye of The Dawn”.
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The musical begins with Mata Hari’s arrest in 1917 on charges of treason and counter-espionage. During her interrogation, the complex details of her past are brought to light; her marriage, the murder of her children, and her self-reinvention as both the seductive dancer and the infamous spy. Caught between powerful forces, sex, and love, she must rely only on herself to control her destiny. As Mata becomes trapped in a web of political turmoil and passion, her own agenda for World War I is revealed.
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Though the scheduled developmental reading at the York Theatre NYC (May 2020) has been postponed, we hope that, like Mata Hari herself, our industry and our musical will return triumphantly to the stage.
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Meanwhile, we are delighted to share one Mata Hari song, RESILIENT. This music video features the voices of over 60 Broadway stars and actual frontline healthcare workers singing together and was created to show our support for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS – COVID 19 Emergency Relief, The Emergency Nurses Association and the American College of Emergency Physicians.
Music
Book and Lyrics
Jay is an internationally recognized playwright, director, and educator. He is the award-winning director/choreographer for the off-Broadway production of Jolson & Co. He serves as Director of Music Theatre Performance for the nationally ranked program at Western Michigan University. He is a much sought after director in regional theatre. Among Jay’s many titles available for production are Jolson & Co. (Samuel French, Inc.), What A Glorious Feeling (Playscripts, Inc.), and The Cure for Love.
THE
TEAM
Music and Lyrics
In his pre-theatre days, Dave Ogrin worked as a producer, writer, musician, and engineer with such talent as The Beastie Boys, Grand Master Flash, Paul Simon, Public Enemy, and Run DMC. Since then, Dave has co-written the 60’s sci-fi spoof Wild Women of Planet Wongo (NYMF, Red Barn Theatre/Key West, Brooklyn Fireproof. Chopin Theatre/Chicago), the rock n roll
women-in-prison send-up Hell Hole Honeys (Eugene O’Neill Music Theater Conference, TRU New Voices Award, Alleyway Theatre/Buffalo NY), and The Legend of Julie Taymor (Fringe Festival NYC).
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