Saturday Night Seder
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| Saturday Night Seder | |
|---|---|
| Created by | StoryCourse |
| Written by | Alex Edelman (head writer) Hannah Friedman Sas Goldberg Josh Harmon Adam Kantor Michael Mitnick Benj Pasek Mark Sonnenblick |
| Presented by | Jason Alexander |
| Opening theme | Dayenu! |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original languages | English Hebrew |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Erich Bergen Talia Halperin Adam Kantor Benj Pasek[1] |
| Producers | Rebecca Halpern Jen Snow Rachel Sussman |
| Production location | Virtual |
| Editors | Ellen Callaghan Shirley Chan Lindsay Gordon Mark Hall Andrew Keenan-Bolger David Mishler Nick Shakra Khaled Tabbara Kelly Teacher Jake Wilson |
| Camera setup | Videotelephony |
| Running time | 71 minutes |
| Production company | StoryCourse |
| Original release | |
| Network | BuzzFeed YouTube StoryCourse |
| Release | 11 April 2020 |
The Saturday Night Seder was a Passover Seder held on April 11, 2020 by StoryCourse in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; to provide relief and support to the public in an effort to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus. The seder was sponsored by BuzzFeed and aired on their Tasty YouTube channel.[2]
Overview
[edit]The seder was hosted by Jason Alexander on the fourth night of Passover. The Saturday Seder coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in many physical seders being canceled throughout the world.[3] The seder aimed to raise funds to benefit the CDC Foundation's Coronavirus Emergency Response Fund. In total, the seder raised more than $2.9 million for charity.[4]
The seder covered the story of the Jewish Exodus from Egypt in a humorous light. It featured both Jews and non-Jews.[5]
Participants
[edit]Appearances
[edit]- Pamela Adlon
- Julie Klausner
- Fran Drescher
- David Wolpe*
- Kendell Pinkney
- Mayim Bialik
- Dana Benson*
- Ilana and Eliot Glazer
- Debra Messing
- Richard Kind
- Judith Light
- Amichai Lau-Lavie*
- Michael Solomonov
- Dan Levy
- Andy Cohen
- Nick Kroll
- Finn Wolfhard
- Joshua Malina
- Judy Gold
- Michael Zegen
- Jimmy Wolk
- D'Arcy Carden
- Billy Eichner
- Reza Aslan
- Tan France
- Beanie Feldstein
- Isaac Mizrahi
- Sarah Hurwitz
- Jessica Chaffin (as Ronna Glickman)
- Chuck Schumer
- Nina West
- Mordechai Lightstone*
- Alex Edelman
- Sharon Brous*
- Sarah Silverman
- Bette Midler
- Harvey Fierstein
- Whoopi Goldberg
- Dulcé Sloan
- Liz Feldman
- Adam Kantor
- Camryn Manheim
- Milo Manheim
- Busy Philipps
- Seth Rudetsky
- Ari Shapiro
- Leigh Silverman
* Rabbis who appeared in the seder.
Performances
[edit]| Artist(s) | Song(s) |
|---|---|
| "Dayenu!" | |
| Alan Menken | "Kiddush" |
| Ben Platt | "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" |
| Idina Menzel | "Ma Nishtanah" |
| "Go Down Moses" | |
| "When You Believe" | |
| Mark Sonnenblick Shaina Taub Skylar Astin | "Next Year" |
Broadcast
[edit]The Saturday Night Seder could be seen on BuzzFeed's Tasty YouTube Channel and was simulcasted on Saturday Night Seder's website and the CDC Foundation's website. In total, more than 1 million people watched the Saturday Night Seder.[6]
Performance of "When You Believe"
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Following its broadcast, the program became notable for Cynthia Erivo and Shoshana Bean's performance of "When You Believe" from the DreamWorks film The Prince of Egypt (1998), an animated depiction of the Exodus story. The song's composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz provided the piano accompaniment. This performance received widespread acclaim as the program's highlight, thanks in part to the song's resurgence in visibility and popularity through the film's stage musical adaptation, which was running in the West End and suspended performances in response to the pandemic at the time. This led to Erivo and Bean's rendition receiving a studio recording and being released as a single (alongside the program's closing number "Next Year"), on June 30, 2020, by Ghostlight Records. The proceeds from the digital purchases of both songs benefitted the Jews for Racial and Economic Justice organization.[7][8][9] Erivo would go on to perform the song with her Wicked co-star Ariana Grande at the 2024 Met Gala and by herself at the 35th National Memorial Day Concert in Washington, D.C., both in May 2024.[10]
See also
[edit]
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the music industry
- iHeart Living Room Concert for America
- Together at Home
References
[edit]- ^ Gray, Ellen (April 10, 2020). "Ardmore's Benj Pasek sets the table for an all-star 'Saturday Night Seder'". Philadelphia Inquirer.
- ^ "Virtual 'Saturday Night Passover Seder' featured star-studded acts like Ben Platt's hauntingly beautiful rendition of 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'". Insider. April 12, 2020.
- ^ "What Can You Do for People in Crisis? Put on a Seder Show". The New York Times. April 9, 2020.
- ^ "Actors, Singers Raise Money For CDC Charity With Virtual Seder". NPR. April 13, 2020.
- ^ "Seinfeld's Jason Alexander, Fran Drescher, Billy Porter and more raise $1.5m for CDC with remote Seder". The Independent. April 13, 2020.
- ^ "Stars' Saturday Night Seder: 1m viewers, $2.6m in charity, 4 big Jewish insights". The Times of Israel. April 15, 2020.
- ^ "This Saturday Night Seder performance of 'When You Believe' makes us believe in miracles". Entertainment Weekly. April 13, 2020.
- ^ "Songs From Virtual Passover 'Saturday Night Seder' Released for Charity". Variety. June 30, 2020.
- ^ Malone Kircher, Madison (April 30, 2020). "Why Is This Rendition of 'When You Believe' Different From All Other Renditions?". Vulture.
- ^ "Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo channel Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston with Met Gala performance". Entertainment Weekly.
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