"Don't act like stars": Hanoch Rosen's tough message to Festigal actors
The legendary director of the Festigal opens up about the younger generation blinded by quick fame and recalls the dramatic decision to retire from the pantomime stage.
Hanoch Rosen, a name that has become synonymous with the art of silence in Israel, is once again at an artistic and emotional crossroads. The man who broke into the public consciousness in the 80s and 90s and made the world of pantomime accessible to the general public with pioneering one-man shows such as "Dibur Hadash" ("New Speech") and "Shomer Rosh" ("Bodyguard"), made one of the most difficult decisions for an artist at a certain point: to hang up his pantomime shoes and retire at the peak of his fame, in order to make room for the world of directing and production.
Rosen's transformation did not remain within the boundaries of the classical stage. Since 1997, he has served as the legendary director of the "Festigal" and was the central factor that turned the show from a standard musical production into a grandiose stage show rich in effects, pyrotechnics, acrobatics, and multimedia. Alongside directing these giant shows and beloved musicals like "The Jungle Book" or the 1998 film "Super Boy", he achieved dizzying international success with the visual show "WOW", which generated big money and was presented for many years in Eilat and Las Vegas.
As someone who knows the mechanisms of fame and glamour of the entertainment industry up close, Rosen has a firm and sharp position regarding the young generation of stars arriving for his giant productions. He shares in an interview with ynet:
"There were artists who performed at the Festigal and disappeared after a year or two, so I tell them: guys, don't act like stars. An artist must maintain modesty, and not everyone understands that."
He sees how quick fame can blind, and makes sure to remind the young people on stage that the transience of fame is a real danger, and that the duty of every creator is to remain grounded.
The family and professional issue often raises claims and complexities, especially around the career path of his actress daughter and the talk that her success relies on his status and extensive connections in the industry. Facing these claims, Rosen understands well the price of fame and the shadows that accompany the careers of children of successful creators, but continues to focus on high-quality artistic work that proves itself again and again on the stages.
Now, in an exciting full circle, Rosen returns to the legendary musical "Peter Pan" – a work he originally created in 1988 together with Uri Paster. But this time he is not taking the stage in the role of the eternal child, but is steering the ship from the director's chair in a new version starring Lee Biran and Sasson Gabai. The return to the story of Peter Pan emphasizes more than anything the personal and artistic process he has undergone: just like on stage, so too in real life, he was forced to part with the role of the child who does not want to grow up, and to stand at the forefront as a mature, leading, and sober creator.
