‘Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin’ Is Nothing but Lovely

Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin. – Photo by Eighty Eight Entertainment

By Nathaniel Cayanan

For the next few weeks, The Pasadena Playhouse will be treating theatre-goers to the delightful one man show, “Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin.” The show features (as you probably guessed from its title) the ever-talented musician and actor Hershey Felder portraying legendary American songwriter Irving Berlin and performing some of Berlin’s most famous works such as “White Christmas” and “God Bless America.”

For the duration of the show, Felder brings us through Berlin’s storied life as an immigrant escaping anti-Semitism in Russia, starting anew the United States, falling madly in love with his wife, surviving the Great Depression and World War II, and ultimately becoming the historical figure he has come to be known as today.

With a cozy living room setting, equipped with a Christmas tree for nostalgia, a grand piano for the occasional song, and high-end furniture reminiscent of “simpler times,” Felder and the show’s director, Trevor Hay, pull off this surprisingly enchanting one-man-show by masterfully integrating a variety of theatrical tools and effective multimedia.

The backdrop, for example, transforms from wallpaper to projected photographs of the important people in Berlin’s life and video clips of the films he’s written music for. This, along with the well-planned lighting, immerses us in a world evolving from era to era, while never having to take us away from that living room.

Felder himself is quite lovely from the moment he takes the stage, going beyond just speaking with a light Yiddish accent and using antiquated phrases of Berlin’s time. Rather, Felder completely embodies Berlin as he resurrects him on the stage, so well that we might forget that we’re watching an actor. And despite being alone on the stage, Felder somehow manages to “convince” us of the presence of other important characters in Berlin’s life, without having to switch characters.

In fact, Felder’s overall performance is so well-crafted that there were moments on opening night when the audience began to cry. This was striking, as he did not have to reenact specific scenes in Berlin’s life (the details of which I will spare), nor did he have to even use cheesy background music in these highly-emotional points in his show. In fact, Felder just tells us about these poignant moments in Berlin’s life, pacing the show just right to elicit a specific response from anyone listening. This shows just how incredibly skilled Felder is as an actor and storyteller – he knows when to make us laugh, when to cry, and how to win over a packed house, full of grateful theatre-goers.

In short, “Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin” is a mesmerizing feat for an incredibly talented artist, and a moving tribute to man who has written songs that have become the part of the zeitgeist of not only his generation, but also of generations to come. In even shorter short, it’s a phenomenal show. Watch it.

“Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin” will play to Aug. 7 at The Pasadena Playhouse (39 S. El Molino Ave.). Ticket prices range from $22 to $102 and can be purchased online at www.pasadenaplayhouse.org or by calling (626) 356-7529.

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