The Story Behind The Odd Potato

Herman Bluestone was only six years old when his father died. His mother, an immigrant from Austria, wanted her three sons to celebrate Hanukkah, but, being poor, she did not have enough money to buy a menorah for the Festival of Lights. A clever woman, she took something cheap and at hand and created for her children a very special menorah from an "odd potato."

Based on that bit of family history, Eileen Bluestone Sherman conceived the idea of The Odd Potato when asked to write a Hanukkah story for a cable television show. The germ of the story grew into a child's picture storybook, and since then, has been adapted to suit the requirements of a multitude of media. It has enjoyed success as a storybook, a radio story, an award-winning television show, and, most recently, as a widely performed musical.

The original storybook was published in 1984. It remained in print for 12 years and copies of the book can be found in libraries, museums, synagogues, and schools throughout the United States and in locations around the globe.

The Odd Potato enjoyed immense success as a book; however, set to music by Sherman's sister Gail, a musician and educator who lives in Los Angeles, it has become a holiday favorite produced and performed by community and professional theaters around the country. In addition to providing a wonderful theater experience, the production has served as a unique fundraising event in cities across the country.

Often nicknamed "The Hanukkah Nutcracker" or "The Jewish Christmas Carol", The Odd Potato has enjoyed several productions in Kansas City, sponsored by the National Council of Jewish Women. Audiences included more than 10,000 students, mostly non-Jewish, in inner city, rural, and suburban settings.

In 2003, Broadway Sings The Odd Potato starring "Batman's" Frank Gorshin, "The Facts of Life's" Charlotte Rae, Tony Award Winner Debbie Gravitte, and Grammy Award winner BJ Crosby made its New York City All-Star Concert Debut, serving in part as a special fundraiser for Free Arts for Abused Children of New York.

Audiences repeatedly have urged Sherman to record The Odd Potato. In 2005, an all new CD starring Broadway's Best will debut. Entitled, Tony Award Winners Sing Out for Variety's Kids, this unique fund raiser will allow Variety, an admired and important international charitable organization rooted in the world of show business, to raise money year after year for children with special needs.