Flashback Friday: Caroline, or Change Taught Us the Meaning of Hanukkah

The first night of Hanukkah is only four days away. And if you want a concise description of the neglected winter holiday, don't break out your Torah. Turn to Tony Kushner.

The song "The Chanukah Party" is slipped into Act II of Kushner and Jeanine Tesori's Tony-nominated musical Caroline, or Change. Set in 1963 Louisiana, the show deals with a host of racial and cultural issues, which, if you saw it either on or off-Broadway between 2003 and 2004, you understand its gut-wrenching reputation. However, even the musicals with the biggest wallop have moments of levity — and this one comes with a lot of delightful words that rhyme with "bubaleh."

Take a look at an all-grown up Harrison Chad (who played the original 8-year-old Noah Gellman on Broadway) enjoy a theatrical flashback of his own, performing the song at Feinstein's/54 Below.