Hershey Felder Solos Gershwin and Bernstein
Arts Emerson April 28 to June 10
By: Emerson - Apr 27, 2012
ArtsEmerson: The World On Stage presents Hershey Felder’s George Gershwin Alone. Hot on the heels of the Boston premiere of his Maestro: Leonard Bernstein, Felder will reprise his one-man George Gershwin show. Performances will take place May 30 – June 10, 2012 at the Paramount Center (559 Washington Street, in Boston’s Theatre District).
Tickets, from $25 – $89, go on sale to members on April 27 and to the public on April 28. They can be purchased at www.artsemerson.org or by phone at (617) 824-8400.
Steinway concert artist, composer and actor Hershey Felder spent five years researching George Gershwin’s life and works. He spoke with family members, biographers and Gershwin intimates and secured the rights from the late composer’s estate to develop a solo performance. Felder used Gershwin’s personal correspondences, original manuscripts, and personal belongings to construct a one-man show in which he brings George Gershwin to life. Audiences will experience with the actor Gershwin’s childhood, parents and siblings, as well as his musical triumphs and defeats. Not only is Felder’s appearance strikingly similar to Gershwin’s, but Felder drew on old radio archives to recreate Gershwin’s voice. He also used songs, letters and conversations to recreate the life and times of the great American composer. Felder and director Joel Zwick collaborate on this show, which has played to critical and popular acclaim at theatres throughout the country.
Hershey Felder has performed George Gershwin Alone on Broadway, London’s West End, at The Old Globe, Ford’s Theatre, American Repertory Theater, Hartford Stage, the Geffen Playhouse (2007 Los Angeles OVATION Awards: Best Musical and Best Actor), as well as at theatres in Philadelphia, Florida, and a year-long run at Chicago's Royal George Theatre. His regional and international appearances include Monsieur Chopin at The Old Globe, the Royal George, American Repertory Theater, the Ravinia Festival, the Geffen Playhouse and Hartford Stage, as well as a Command Performance for the Polish Ambassador to the United States, Polish Embassy, Washington, D.C. and the Uijeongbu Theatre Festival, South Korea. Felder’s compositions include Fairytale, a musical; Les Anges de Paris, Suite for Violin and Piano; Song Settings, poetry by Vachel Lindsay; Aliyah, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra; Etudes Thematiques for piano. Recordings include Love Songs of the Yiddish Theatre, Back from Broadway, as well as George Gershwin Alone and Monsieur Chopin for the WFMT Radio Network Recordings label. Current projects include a Negaunee Foundation Chicago composition commission, and a new musical, Histoire D'Amour a Paris/A Paris Love Story. Felder is on the Board of Directors of the Chicago College of Performing Arts. He has also been a Scholar in Residence at Harvard University’s Department of Music. Felder is married to Kim Campbell, former Prime Minister of Canada.
Joel Zwick directed My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time, produced by Tom Hanks. Recent films include Fat Albert (with Bill Cosby) and Elvis Has Left the Building, starring John Corbett and Kim Basinger. Zwick began his theatrical career at La MaMa E.T.C., as director of the La MaMa Plexus. He has directed on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Broadway touring companies. Currently, Zwick is recognized as Hollywood’s most prolific director of episodic television, having the direction of 525episodes to his credit. Previous New York productions have included Dance With Me (Tony nomination), Shenandoah (Broadway national tour), Oklahoma! (national tour) and Cold Storage (American Place Theater). He directed Esther (Promenade Theater, NY), Merry-Go-Round (Chicago and Las Vegas), Last Chance Saloon and Woycek (West End, London). Zwick has taught drama at Yale University, Brooklyn College, Queens College, Wheaton College and the University of Southern California. He is a graduate (BA, MA) of Brooklyn College.
George Gershwin is America’s composer. He was born in Brooklyn in 1898 to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents. He died suddenly in Hollywood in 1937, of an undiagnosed brain tumor. In his short life, he composed musical and theatrical works that include A Rhapsody in Blue (1924), The Concerto in F (1925), An American in Paris (1928), Porgy and Bess (1935) and over one thousand songs for the theatre and motion pictures as part of his more than 40 musical comedy scores. Many of George’s song hits have lyrics by his brother Ira and include "The Man I Love," "Someone To Watch Over Me," "Embraceable You," "Fascinating Rhythm," "I Got Rhythm," "S’Wonderful," "They Can’t Take That Away From Me"… and the list goes on.
May 30—June 10, 2012
Hershey Felder as George Gershwin Alone
Music & Lyrics by George Gershwin & Ira Gershwin
Book by Hershey Felder
Directed by Joel Zwick
Paramount Center Mainstage
Running Time: 2 hours with no intermission
Performances:
Wednesday, May 30, 7 p.m.
Thursday, May 31, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, June 1, 8 p.m.
Saturday, June 2, 2 and 8 p.m.
Sunday, June 3, 1 and 5 p.m.
Tuesday, June 5, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 6, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 7, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, June 8, 8 p.m.
Saturday, June 9, 2 and 8 p.m.
Sunday, June 10, 1 and 5 p.m.
April 28—May 20, 2012
Hershey Felder in Maestro: Leonard Bernstein
Music and Lyrics by Leonard Bernstein and others
Book by Hershey Felder
Directed by Joel Zwick
Paramount Center Mainstage
Running Time: 1 hour 45 minutes with no intermission
Performances:
Saturday, April 28, 2 p.m.
Saturday, April 28, 8 p.m. – Sold Out
Sunday, April 29, 1 and 5 p.m.
Tuesday, May 1, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 2, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 3, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 4, 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 5, 2 and 8 p.m.
Sunday, May 6, 1 and 5 p.m.
Tuesday, May 8, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 9, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 10, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 11, 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 12, 2 and 8 p.m.
Sunday, May 13, 1 and 5 p.m.
Tuesday, May 15, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, May 16, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, May 17, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, May 18, 8 p.m.
Saturday, May 19, 2 and 8 p.m.
Sunday, May 20, 1 and 5 p.m.