| The Columbus Dispatch Family of dance Cultures meld in 'Christmas in Croatia' production By Nancy Gilson Dispatch Arts Reporter Dec. 12, 1998 For the Margulies family of Bexley, Christmas in Croatia has become a tradition. Abby Margulies, 16, has danced in the Zivili production since it began seven years ago. Several years later, her sister, Molly, now 10, and brothers Ross, 13, and Jared, 12, joined. This year, their parents also have become part of the cast. While there are numerous siblings and parents involved in the production, the Margulies family is the only one with all members participating. "Yes, we're the only Von Trapp family," Mary Margulies said. "We were always there anyway. We thought that this year, it would be neat for the kids to see us doing something instead of just driving them around all the time." The Margulies children perform in many of the production's lively, folk-style dances while their parents portray village grandparents. "Mary and I are dragged into the middle where we have this 30-second dance that seems like an hour," Greg Margulies said. "We can do anything we want. The first time, we did a tango." Mary also braids the hair of many of the women and girls in the cast and created the colorful border on Christmas in Croatia fliers. While their schedule is tight -- the Margulies children worked on homework during rehearsals and the parents' holiday preparations have suffered -- the family has found togetherness in the production. "We certainly know where everybody is at night," Mary said. And they have discovered challenge. While Abby studied ballet for several years, neither parent nor the other children had much dance experience, except at weddings. "Why did I think I could do this?" Mary said. "I used to tell the kids, `Why don't you smile more? Why don't you act more?' . . . It's much harder than I thought." The family also enjoys participating in a cultural tradition that is not their own. They are Jewish; Christmas in Croatia is very much a Christian celebration, involving the music and high-spirited dance of a Croatian village. "We did discover that we have Silovitz (a plum brandy) in common. We have it at Passover," Greg said. "We'll probably be spending the first night of Hanukkah at the cast party at Plank's," Mary said. Son Jared, 12, suggested bringing along a menorah to share their family tradition with the cast. "It's nice for the kids to be part of a cultural tradition that's not their own," Mary said. The family concept has become central to the production, conceived and directed by Pamela Lacko Kelley and Melissa Pintar Obenauf. Obenauf's teen-age sons and her father, Frank Pintar, perform, as well as Kelley's son and granddaughter. "For my family, this is our Christmas. It is our ancestry and our tradition," Obenauf said. Other families involved include Larry Simon (Greg Margulies' brother-in-law), and Simon's daughter, Allison Savage, who enticed Abby Margulies to the production in the first place. But the concept, Obenauf said, goes beyond "bloodlines." "Everyone is assigned to a `stage family' and it's interesting to see how the children and adults relate to each other," she said. "They refer to each other as their stage parents and stage kids and they exchange gifts." Obenauf expects additional bonding on the road when the 60-member cast (27 of them children) travels by bus to Cleveland on Dec. 20 for yet another performance. |