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Shira Li Bartov | JTA.org
W hen the Amazon series
“Transparent” premiered in
2014, America had never met a family
like the Pfeffermans on TV.

The hit dramedy, following a Jewish
family of three adult siblings whose
parent comes out as a transgen-
der woman in her 60s, was the first
scripted series to center on a transi-
tioning character. The show won eight
Emmys out of 28 nominations, along
with awards from GLAAD and the
NAACP. It was credited with paving a
path for more leading trans characters
in shows such as FX’s “Pose,” CW’s
“Supergirl” and HBO’s “Euphoria.”
“Transparent” was also called by
many “the most Jewish show on TV.”
Its Jewish characters range from
mostly secular Los Angelenos to a
rabbi to Weimar-era German counter-
culture pioneers (seen in flashbacks).

In the fourth season, the main charac-
ters visit Israel, where they attempt to
understand both their faith and the
occupation. But the show was criticized for
casting straight cisgender actor
Jeffrey Tambor as the transitioning
matriarch Maura Pfefferman. And
in 2017, after “Transparent” was
renewed for a fifth season, Tambor
was accused of sexual harassment
by two former on-set colleagues. He
was fired, and his starring character
was killed off in the finale. (Tambor
has repeatedly denied the allegations
against him.)
That finale took the form of a
100-minute musical film, which ended
the series with a divisive show tune
called “Joyocaust,” urging Jews to
transform their DNA-rooted suffering
into joy: “Take the concentration out
of the camps, concentrating on some
song and dance.”
28 JUNE 1, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
From left: Jimmy Ray Bennett, Adina Verson and Samora la Perdida at
rehearsal for “A Transparent Musical”
Now the entire series is getting the
musical treatment, arriving on a real
stage in Los Angeles. “A Transparent
Musical” — adapted by “Transparent”
creator Joey Soloway with music and
lyrics by Faith Soloway, who also wrote
for the TV series — debuted on May 23
and runs through June 25 at the Mark
Taper Forum. One of the goals: to put
the spotlight squarely on LGBTQ actors.

“It’s like 75% trans and nonbinary
people on stage,” Faith Soloway said.

The siblings were originally inspired
by their family: A parent came out
as trans at 75 years old. After they
started making the show, Joey and
Faith Soloway gradually also came
out as trans. Both siblings use the
pronouns “they/them.”
They saw the musical medium as a
way to freshen up the TV show’s explo-
rations of Jewish and queer history,
and how they interact. Their produc-
tion will include songs like “Jewish and
Queer” — a jubilant “Jewish drinking
song,” Joey Soloway said — along with
defiant anthems like “Deviant,” which
celebrates uniting against hatred.

Before they understood their interest
in gender, the siblings always imagined
making a musical together.

“At the ages of 5, 6, 7 years old, you
can picture us sitting on the carpet in
our living room in the early ‘70s, listen-
ing to the cast albums of ‘Jesus Christ
Superstar’ and ‘Hair’ and ‘Fiddler on
the Roof,’ dreaming that one day this
was where we were going,” Joey
Soloway said.

Joey Soloway said they did not realize
that Tambor’s casting was “problem-
atic” when the TV series debuted.

They approached casting and hiring
creatives for “A Transparent Musical”
with a laser focus on representation,
choosing trans actress Daya Curley for
Maura’s role. They also centered the
character of Davina — Maura’s trans
friend, portrayed by Black actress
and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” runner-up
Peppermint — to intensify the musical’s
focus on intersectionality.

Adina Verson, who identifies as
nonbinary and is featured in the show
“Only Murders in the Building,” will
play Ali Pfefferman, the family’s young-
est sibling.

“I’ve never seen a show with so
many trans actors,” Verson said. “It’s
an incredible room full of unique,
incredible performers who honestly
haven’t often been given the stage
that they deserve.”
As someone who is married to a
man and has a child, Verson said they
“never felt queer enough”; meanwhile,
growing up as a Reform Jew, they
“never quite felt Jewish enough.” (In
the series, Ali is played by non-Jewish
actress Gaby Hoffmann.)
“It was so exciting to be able to bring
that questioning to Ali’s journey, and
through Ali, I feel like I’ve really found
my footing,” Verson said.

At the same time as trans representa-
tion in popular culture has grown since
Amazon premiered “Transparent,”
trans identities have come under a
coordinated political attack. This
year, 20 states have passed 71 bills
restricting health care, public accom-
modations and school activities for
trans people, according to the Trans
Legislation Tracker.

Last week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
signed a slate of bills targeting drag
shows, restricting the discussion of
“preferred pronouns” in schools
and enforcing the use of specific
bathrooms at public facilities — from
schools to prisons — based on “biolog-
ical sex.” The laws also banned minors
from accessing transgender medical
treatments, such as puberty block-
ers or hormone therapy, and placed
new restrictions on adults seeking
treatment. Joey Soloway said they were “in
mourning” and “paralysis” over the
legislation. They see “A Transparent
Musical” as a form of protest, convey-
ing “the relationship between how
Jews are othered and trans people are
othered” with a power that feels differ-
ent on a theater stage.

“We’re amping up our ammunition
beyond a one-on-one TV experience
that you watch alone in your room,
streaming on your iPad,” Joey Soloway
said. “This is something you experi-
ence collectively, that lands in the
body and allows you to go out into the
world singing and dancing.” ■
Reza Allah-Bakhshi/Capture Imaging via JTA.org
On-stage ‘Transparent’ Musical
Looks to Transcend the Amazon Show’s
Rocky Ending