COUSINS to Have World Premiere as New Holiday Musical in Philadelphia

At a moment when differences in faith and culture can too easily become lines of division, Cousins, a new musical premiering in Philadelphia this holiday season, asks audiences to consider something simpler: What might happen if we begin with kindness? Running from December 6 through 23rd, it will premiere at the Horan Studio at the Arden Theatre, 62 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tickets range in price from $40, to $30 group rate to select subsidized tickets for participating schools and community groups group rates of $5.

Cousins, a new family holiday musical conceived by Dr. Barry Mann, an award-winning surgeon, nationally recognized medical educator, author and longtime Philadelphia-area academic leader, is inspired by a true story and by Mann’s children’s book Miri and Her Drum Set: A Modern Hanukkah Miracle. Cousins features a book and lyrics by Barbara Bellman and Barry Mann, with music by Emiliano Messiez.

Set during Hanukkah, Cousins follows five-year-old Miri and her beloved grandfather, Sabi, on what should be an ordinary trip to the mall. When circumstances leave them lost during a snowstorm, three Muslim teenagers step forward to help. What begins as an unexpected act of kindness grows into a joyful story of friendship, generosity and the connections that can emerge across generations, cultures and faith traditions.

Filled with warmth, humor and an original score, Cousins offers families and audiences of every age a holiday story about discovering that what connects us can be greater than what sets us apart.

Members of the cast and creative team following an invited reading of Cousins in Philadelphia on September 9 – Photo by Hope Feldscher-Horwitz

Mann collaborated with Philadelphia-based playwright and librettist Barbara Bellman and Latin Grammy-nominated composer, pianist and orchestrator Emiliano Messiez to bring the story to the stage. Messiez’s original score draws from contemporary musical theatre alongside musical and cultural influences reflecting the diverse worlds of the characters.

The cast features Delilah Edinger as Miri and longtime Philadelphia theatre artist, composer and educator Charlie Gilbert as Sabi, along with Rachel DeMasi as Mama, Security Guard and Mall Announcer; Kara Rantovich as Maryam; Malik Cole as Issa and Clerk 2; and Abrham Bogale as Mohammed, Clerk 1 and Santa.

The world-premiere production is directed and produced by Philadelphia-based Marley Shropshire, an award-winning director, producer and writer specializing in new-work development. The production is being built with a predominantly Philadelphia-based company of actors, musicians, designers and theatre artists. The creative team also includes Steven Gross, Music Supervisor / Music Arrangements & Orchestrations; Jeff Smith, Music Director; and Scott Berkowitz, Stage Manager. Mann serves as Executive Producer.

For Mann, Cousins marks a new chapter in a career spanning medicine, education and cross-cultural understanding. A retired surgeon and nationally recognized medical educator, he spent two decades directing surgical residency training and serving in academic leadership at Main Line Health, including as Chief Academic Officer. He is the author of SURGERY: A Competency-Based Companion, a recipient of the Alpha Omega Alpha Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teacher Award, and currently serves as Dean of the Faculty of Health and Allied Sciences at Pentecost University in Ghana.

Mann’s longstanding interest in building connections across cultures has also included Dreams of Peace, his Hebrew-Arabic educational project exploring linguistic similarities between the two languages. That same interest in discovering what people share across cultural and faith traditions finds a new expression in Cousins.