Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin loosely falls into the category of jukebox musical (Jersey Boys, Beautiful – The Carole King Musical, The Cher Show) that follow the artists’ lives through the songs that they wrote. But this is different, it is a play with music, more like Springsteen on Broadway,  a one-man-show where Springsteen talks about his life and sings his songs. Except of course that Springsteen is still with us, and Berlin passed away in 1989.
Berlin is known for writing music and lyrics in the American vernacular: uncomplicated, direct and straightforward. Walter Cronkite, at Berlin’s 100th birthday tribute, states he “helped write the story of this country, capturing the best of who we are and the dreams that shape our lives.” Berlin wrote an estimated 1,500 songs.  Many became major hits, that include the scores for 20 original Broadway shows and 15 original Hollywood films such as “Alexander’s Ragtime Band”, “Easter Parade”, “Puttin’ on the Ritz”, “Cheek to Cheek” and the aforementioned “White Christmas”, “Happy Holiday”, “Anything You Can Do (I Can Do Better)”, and “There’s No Business Like Show Businessâ€.
Hershey Felder wrote the play and performs as Irving Berlin. Felder is an accomplished singer, musician, and pianist, skills which he uses to the fullest in his portrayal of Berlin. He is also an acclaimed actor, and this performance affirms that. Felder has a great sense of comedic timing, hilarious gestures, and expressions, along with an uncanny ability to portray Berlin’s progression from a young teenager to 100-year-old man without makeup or costume changes. Felder has logged over 5,000 one-man show performances around the world including portrayals of George Gershwin, Chopin, Beethoven, and Bernstein. (He does a damn good Ether Merman impersonation too!)
Not only can Felder act, sing and play the piano brilliantly, he is also a pretty adept set designer. His sophisticated and nostalgic design is filled with a piano, a desk, a wheelchair, Christmas tree, and a small seating arrangement. These become Berlin’s living room and carolers outside the window softly sing to set the time as Christmas Eve. Berlin is frustrated as the carolers don’t know the back story of the songs they are singing, so he invites them, and us, in to hear the story of his life and songs. Projection Designers Christopher Ash and Lawrence Siefert transform the period wallpaper into a photo essay of his life that include clips from the motion pictures he composed. There is some very clever theatre magic as Felder plays live accompaniment to Fred Astaire’s filmed vocals.
If you are a fan of the Great American Songbook or just curious about a man who started his career as a singing waiter, married the wealthiest debutante in the country and became one of the most prolific songwriters ever, this is a show not to miss. If that’s not enough to draw you in, Hershey Felder is just brilliant in his portrayal of Berlin. The Public Theater’s home, the intimate O’Reilly Theatre makes it all the better.
An interesting side note: Harold, the grandfather of one of our writers, Yvonne Hudson, served in the Army during World War I and ran lights for Berlin’s production of This is the Army which was developed at Camp Yaphank, Long Island and toured the world before becoming a “moving picture.†Berlin enlisted in the Army during the Great War out of honor and respect for the country that he so dearly loved.
Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin is in a limited run through December 30th at the Pittsburgh Public Theater. For tickets click here.
And don’t forget to get your tickets to our 5th Birthday Party!
George Hoover got his start in theatre in Miami when his family ran the Coconut Grove Playhouse. His career encompasses a variety of work in both the design and technical side of motion pictures, live theatre, and television. George is a three-time Emmy Award winner, member of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, Broadcasting & Cable Technology Leadership Award winner, Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers Life Fellow, and most importantly a passionate theatre person and generally handy guy.
Categories: Archived Reviews