Rating (out of four stars): ★★★
Arizona Theatre Company’s “Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin” premiered over the weekend at Phoenix’s enchanting Herberger Theater Center as a bourgeois view of the struggles of early immigration to America, told through the perspective of world-renowned pianist Irving Berlin.
Famous for songs such as “White Christmas,” “God Bless America,” and “Alexander’s Ragtime Band,” Irving Berlin was a Russian immigrant who worked his way through a capitalist society in order to realize his dreams of both caring for his family and bringing hope to other families.
This memoir-like rendition of Irving Berlin’s life feels like a metafictional fight for the deceased composer. As the single actor, Hershey Felder, turns to speak directly to the audience for the first time, the age-old question, “Who creates the meaning of a piece of art?” is answered wholeheartedly: the author.
Throughout the musical, Felder speaks to the audience as a plea for us to understand the troubled mind of Irving Berlin and why we should remember his songs as more than simple, happy pieces.
In accordance with the wishes of set designers Richard Norwood and Andrew Wilder, the set appears much like your grandmother’s house probably does, with gilded floral furniture and a desk filled with dated trinkets. Contrary to the antique design, however, there is the added aesthetic interest of pictures, movie clips and graphic designs projected onto the background.
The musical begins to feel more like a history lesson at the end of the first act, through the use of poignant quotes from the people Irving Berlin interacted with during his rise to fame. Much like a history lesson, these quotes enable the audience to empathize with a situation so alien to their own.
The talent of Hershey Felder is unquestionable. While his voice acting can be a bit abrasive and hard to follow, the difficulty in balancing comedic timing, musical talent and the retelling of this tragic backstory is undeniable. The only time the audience might have actively realized he was playing the piano at all was when he wasn’t. His playing was seamless, almost as if an imaginary accompanist hid beneath the stage.
The solo actor goes from being as outrageous as a silent-film star to wildly solemn in a matter of seconds — something much older actors still cannot accomplish.
The musical, perhaps unknowingly, holds prevalent themes in today’s society, addressing negative race relations and immigration crises. One of Mr. Berlin’s more-oft-forgotten-than-not songs, “Supper Time,” is sung from the perspective of a lynching victim’s wife. However, for more serious pieces such as this one, with so much to say about our world today, the playwright brushes over it. These themes are hidden ones.
Overall, the musical did exactly what it wanted to do. It informed its goers about the pianist’s life while honoring the man he was, and the man he became, and the music he crafted so beautifully.
I will never be able to hear “White Christmas” again without a tinge of sadness for Irving Berlin.
“Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin” will be at the Herberger Theater Center through October 25. More information about show times can be found here.
Contact the author at rachel.banks@asu.edu. Contact the columnist at mbilker@asu.edu
