Conflict. What would our lives be like without it? I don’t think any of us can imagine. The latest Daydream Theater Production, The December Rabbishows us a slice of life that we can all relate to – one filled with plenty of conflict. Clashes abound between friends, families, career aspirations, expectations, and religions. But The December Rabbi is the perfect performance for the holiday season, no matter what your beliefs are.

The story of The December Rabbi is laugh-out-loud funny, and filled with plenty of slightly off-center characters, including a very pregnant angel (Jillian Belanger). The dialogue is sharp and witty. The play pokes a bit of good-natured fun at both Judaism and Catholicism. When Ben, the Rabbinical student at the center of the story, tells his Rabbi that he is going to dinner at a non-Jewish family’s house, the Rabbi warns him to be careful. When Ben reveals it is a Catholic family, the Rabbi insists he take his Star of David with him to “stave off the guilt“.

But The December Rabbi, another insightful, original work by Lenny Schwartz, is also thought provoking and poignant. The play jumps back and forth in time and place, similar in feeling to the perennial holiday favorite, It’s A Wonderful Life. However, unlike George Bailey, Ben does not see that people’s lives would be worse without him, he believes their lives are better without him.

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