September 4-10, 2003

artpicks

George Gershwin Alone

by Steve Cohen

theater

Hershey Felder is almost a reincarnation of George Gershwin. He's a pianist with black, wavy hair, is the son of Yiddish-speaking immigrants from Europe and is approximately 38, the age at which the composer died of a brain tumor in 1938. Five years ago Felder conceived of a show where he would not only play and sing Gershwin's music, but also recreate his persona. The Gershwin heirs had never allowed anyone to do that, but they finally gave Felder their imprimatur, and his production of George Gershwin Alone opened on Broadway in 2001. He brings it to Philadelphia to start the Prince Music Theater's season on Sept. 10.

Although he wasn't religious, Gershwin's Jewish background was influential in his work. "It Ain't Necessarily So" from Porgy and Bess, for example, uses the traditional tune of the blessing for reading the Torah. Researching the life of the composer, Felder discovered many gems that he will perform, in addition to favorites such as "Rhapsody in Blue."

Early in his career, Felder appeared in The King and I, Fiddler on the Roof and Macbeth in his native Canada. "There are lots of singer/dancers and singing actors," he says, "but not many pianist/actor/writers." Felder didn't perform in Schlemiel the First, the musical that premiered at the Prince in 1994, but he played the part of a rabbi in the nonmusical version that was supervised by its author, Isaac Bashevis Singer, at the Montreal Yiddish Theater in 1983. "Singer stayed at our home while we were working on the play. It was one of the most exciting experiences of my life," says Felder.

George Gershwin Alone, Sept. 10-28, $30-$48, Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St., 215-569-9700.

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