The school’s authority
Mrs. Elaine Vanderbilt
She wants the numbers to add up
Elaine Vanderbilt directs MASA. When Joseph and the students propose Jewish The Musical, she wants to know which specialization she can assess. A café audience enjoying the songs is not enough for her; she asks for a proposal she can defend to the board.
With Bunny and two board members present, Elaine agrees to a preview in two weeks and a forty-five-minute final before term ends. Individual work, repertoire and a complete production must all be assessed.
During the school performance, she whispers an antisemitic slur about Joseph to a friend. The friend objects; Joseph and Bunny do not hear it. Afterwards, Elaine hands Joseph the assessments and acknowledges that the students met the requirement. She later comes to OyPizza after the Times Square final, where Mikhail moves his chair to let her pass.
