Music Equals Love Motife
The main theme of the musical is music, and one of the motifs that appears over and over again is the connection between music and love. Each of the characters provides a own particular example of this idea. Dina begins to feel romantic when Tewfiq sings because the music makes her feel like she did as a young woman, before she became jaded by a failed marriage. It reminds her of the possibility of love happening to her again.
Avrum is the most connected to love when he hears music. It has always been a part of his life because he and his wife met at a concert. They were first brought together by music and when he hears it he thinks of his wife. It connects him with her and keeps their love alive even after her death. Even Telephone Hogging Man is an example of the way in which love and music are intertwined. He has been bereft, waiting by the town's one telephone for his girlfriend to call. She never does; yet when the town is revitalized by music, with the unexpected arrival of the band, she miraculously calls him, making him happy and reaffirming his belief in love.
One Telephone Symbol
The fact that there is only one telephone in the entire town is a symbol of how small it actually is, and also how isolated. There is no way to contact the outside world and in this way the town is in its own little world, trapped in an earlier time, and operating as if the rest of the country does not exist.
Tewfiq's Stutter
Tewfiq stutters when he talks, but not when he sings. This is a symbol of the trauma he suffered with the suicides of both his wife and his son. Psychologically he does not feel able to talk about what happened, and his stutter is the physical manifestation of this.
Importance of Family Motif
One of the recurring motifs in the musical is the importance of family. Clearly Tewfiq's family were very important to him, and remain so even after their suicides. This is why he feels almost guilty talking about them, as if it is some kind of betrayal. Family and its importance is also demonstrated by Itzik and his family, which is extended. We meet each of the family members and we also see that it is more important to him to keep his family together than it is to stand up to his wife when she starts an argument with him.
International Language of Music Motif
Music is a lot of things in this musical, and one of the motifs that revolves around it is that of music being an international language. We already see that actual language has many barriers; after all, if it didn't then Haled would not have inadvertently been sold tickets to the wrong place at the outset. Music, though, is a language understood by all. It does not have barriers, or dialects. It speaks to everyone. Dina mentions that she used to listen to Egyptian songs on the radio, from Israel. This shows that music brings different cultures together. Although the characters speak different languages and struggle sometimes to make themselves verbally understood, when they play music, or sing, everyone is hearing the same thing, and understanding it.
