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GAY SAN DIEGO August 12–25, 2011


THEATER CUAUHTÉMOC KISH THEATER REVIEW


Through Aug. 28 Old Globe Theatre Tues & Wed 7 p.m. Thurs & Fri 8 p.m. Sat 2 & 8 p.m. Sun 2 & 7 p.m. 619-234-5623 theoldglobe.org


Hershey Felder takes on the classic Bernstein at the Old Globe P


ianist and playwright Hershey Felder obviously enjoys walk- ing beneath the dark shadows of immortal composers. This is Felder’s (and Director Joel Zwick’s) fourth collaboration at the Old Globe, having previously presented “George Gershwin Alone” (2006), “Monsieur Cho- pin,” (2006) and “Beethoven, As I Knew Him” (2008).


Hershey Felder in “Hershey Felder in Maestro: The Art of Leonard Bern- stein.” Photography by Michael Lamont.


Felder’s latest musical stage biography, “Hershey Felder in


Maestro: The Art of Leonard Bernstein,” reintroduces audienc- es to one of America’s greatest musicians. Lacking any ability to stand still, or to say ‘no’ to musi- cal collaborations, Bernstein was a conductor, composer, pianist, author, teacher, and librettist. Fielder gives a hefty two-thirds of the show to the first 25 years of Bernstein’s life, while the remain- ing one-third is allocated to the remaining 47 years.


The difference between


this current production and the other three pieces from the “Composer’s Sonata” series is that Felder invests less time as a musician (and his oeuvre of musical accomplishments) and more time as an actor by explor- ing the individual. In several scenes he portrays Bernstein’s father, who remains disappointed in Bernstein’s career choice. That is, until his father realizes just how lucrative working the baton in front of a fine orchestra can be. Felder takes on Bernstein’s many mentors as well, such as Dimitri Metropoulos, Aaron Copland, and Serge Koussevitzky.


Felder enjoys lecturing and enlightening the public on music and composition, much like Ber- nstein did in the 1953 televised CBS series “Young People’s Concert.” And Felder is the per- fect choice for such a show, since he’s an accomplished pianist and composer, and to a lesser degree, a singer.


The show spends much time pondering the fact that although Bernstein was prodigiously talented, he remained troubled by the fact that he never wrote the quintessential composition. Worldwide acclaim apparently pulled him and his baton away from his own compositions, although he had success on Broadway as co-creator of such pieces as “On the Town” (1944), “Wonderful Town” (1952), and “Candide” (1956). Bernstein’s most popular legacy as a composer will always be the score he created for “West Side Story” (1957). Felder introduces and then reintroduces music from the song “Maria” at various times throughout the show, seeming to underscore the importance “West Side Story” had on musical theatre. Andrew Wilder’s video and


projections, and Francois-Pierre Couture’s set assist this one-man show, as does Erik Carstensen’s sound design. Although Bernstein was


rumored at the time to be gay, he married Chilean actress Felicia Cohn Montealegre and had three children. He may have married in 1951 to further his career, and his wife may have known about his many extra- marital liaisons with young men. At the height of his early fame in 1971, Bernstein left his wife in order to live with his lover, Tom Cochran. While he returned to Felicia after this affair sputtered and after he discovered his ex- wife was diagnosed with cancer, he continued to live a gay life. Felder, like Bernstein, is


prodigiously talented and a good fit to take on the role of Leonard Bernstein. His energy and emo- tion convey this complex artist not only in his glory but also in his agony.t


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