Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin

“Extraordinary performance that is among the best of one-person shows I have seen over the years...Felder casts a spell as he becomes the great, prolific composer...The production is beautifully directed by Trevor Hay...Felder is a whiz at the piano, and also keeps proving to be a fine actor as he builds a character and connects with his audience...The weaving of the material works so well dramatically that the result is consistently enchanting.” Full Review

"Felder's New York accent is a bit off, and he doesn't shy from grandstanding when singing or piano playing. But these are minor drawbacks; it's impossible to think of anyone else who could not only write and design but perform such a show with similar musical virtuosity, assurance, and aplomb. Berlin's songs, many of them written for Broadway shows (Annie Get Your Gun, for example) and Hollywood, were the lifeblood of America's pop music during the first half of the 20th century." Full Review

“Felder assumes the character of Berlin in this absorbing...musical one man show...Felder interpolates every nuance, and mannerism in song and style of the great Berlin, drawing his audience into the fold...Each hit song presented another opportunity for the brilliant Felder to sing, play and portray, relating more emotional storyline...A show for anyone who loves the Great American Songbook, cleverly and smartly constructed by the talented Felder." Full Review

“Felder entertainingly performs a docudrama of Berlin’s life through song and story. An intimate, one-man show...Felder crafts a compelling character in his portrayal of Irving Berlin...Behind every song is a story, and the ones here assembled are irresistible...Felder’s presentation is a pure delight...Informative and irresistible, the show does not rely on nostalgia for its success, and Felder gives a compelling and convincing performance.” Full Review

“Felder deserves to be a one man show because no one can compete with his talent...He enraptures you...Felder uses his body and voice to transform into what feels like the millions of people that crossed Irving’s path to make him become one of the greatest songwriters that ever lived...While you will walk away from 'Hershey Felder As Irving Berlin' convinced this is the most talented man you have ever seen, the greatest accomplishment of Felder is showing Berlin was a good person." Full Review

“Felder not only creates the character of Berlin but also those of his musical assistants, his...wives...and a number of others...Felder is so adept at this stagecraft that the audience feels as though these other people are actually onstage. Through his riveting acting and superb musicianship, Felder's portrayal of Berlin makes this American musical icon come alive again...Hay delightfully serves Felder's book as Director of this magnificently conceived production.” Full Review

"It's a canny strategy, presenting a double vision of the man in his heyday, while nevertheless warning us where his story is headed: Berlin led a life that, for all its triumphs, was marked by bizarre and often random ill fortune...Felder has the big picture and it is a lively, crowded canvas, filled with laughter and real feeling...Of the performances by Felder that I've seen, this is surely the strongest; he seems to have bonded more fully with Berlin than his other subjects." Full Review

“There are signs that, in this one-man show about arguably the greatest of American songwriters, we’re in for an evening of schmaltz...But, as it turns out, schmaltz is delicious, when ladled out by Felder, an accomplished pianist, a competent singer, and even a delightful mimic...A polished, old-fashioned entertainment by a man who has made a career out of creating solo shows about great musical figures.” Full Review

"Using a format that has worked for him before in his George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein evenings, Hershey Felder has returned to 59E59 Theaters in a charming biographical musical as legendary songwriter Irving Berlin. As Felder narrates his story becoming Berlin, he also sings and plays over 30 of his most famous songs, as well as some not so familiar today, including 'Blue Skies,' 'White Christmas' and the iconic, 'God Bless America.'" Full Review

"An accomplished pianist and respectable singer, Felder incorporates Berlin’s songs seamlessly into his script so they feel organic to the show. Encouraging the audience to sing along with the most popular songs, he underlines how deeply Berlin’s music is embedded in our culture...Berlin’s direct and sincere faith in the ideals of the country he embraced as his own poured out in many of his songs, and it is affecting and inspiring to hear them now." Full Review

“This lovely one-man show, written and performed by Felder and directed by Trevor Hay, is set on Christmas Eve, 1988, as the centenarian invites carollers into his Beekman Place house, tells the story of his life, and reveals the sources of his songs. Felder is a good monologuist, but, more important, he’s an exquisite singer and a virtuosic pianist, and his love for Berlin’s music fills the theatre.” Full Review

“An occasionally hokey but ultimately loving biographical tribute...While the show has about as much depth as a Wikipedia entry, Felder takes great care in his presentation, his affection for his subject shining in every single moment...The show has no right to work this well, but because of Felder's warm and sensitive portrayal, it does...There are a few points when Felder is a little too much of a showman...Felder proves Berlin is more than just a legend. Thanks to his music, he's immortal." Full Review

"Felder portrays Berlin with a restless intensity, suggesting Berlin’s determination to succeed, fervent patriotism, love for his family and anger at becoming a casualty of the rock and roll revolution. Even though the show is constructed in a by-the-number fashion, and the writing can be heavy-handed and overloaded with exposition, it is truly engrossing and heartfelt. Oddly enough, it also represents the modern jukebox musical at its most simple, persuasive and dramatically effective levels." Full Review

“Felder saunters out...and speaks directly to us...A dramatic opening set-up that is charming and sweetly engaging...Directed simply and efficiently...Berlin’s story is warmly told, simply and with a slight braggart’s charm as Felder begins this compelling tale with a slice of Jewish history...It’s not so much an in-depth look at the man...but what Felder gives us is more a star-struck biography of his music...Felder is a talented piano player and a compelling although not powerful singer." Full Review

“Felder is at his best when he moves away from his baby grand piano and his virtuoso arrangements of the Berlin repertoire, and stands quietly to sing an unaccompanied medley. It is then that you can best appreciate the blend of music and lyrics...Unfortunately, we don't get to know nearly as much about Berlin the man...Beyond the songs and the stories of their creation...snippets of biography and the anecdotes, we are largely left to our own devices to discern what drove him.” Full Review

"Although Felder is scarcely an actor, he’s okay as a genial storyteller, and even better as a rather flashy pianist...The production is modest yet capable. Trevor Hay, the director, neatly paces the easygoing flow of the show...Not a high-concept entertainment that aims to garner new admirers of the songwriter’s works or to provide fresh insights...It is instead a sincere and agreeably performed musical celebration of a great American artist and the enduring songs that he wrote." Full Review

"I’m not sure if Felder purposely tries to imitate Berlin’s voice but his singing is definitely a weakness in the show...The audience learns a great deal about Berlin’s contributions...Felder is a skilled pianist and plays the songs with a flourish, even accompanying the singers on the screen...'Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin' will resonate best with people of a certain age-those who grew up with Berlin’s music and feel sentimental about his songs." Full Review

“It’s a terrific tale and, as always, Felder has done copious research. Placing songs in context is deftly achieved....Unfortunately, Felder’s Yiddish accent ebbs and flows...He pushes his singing voice too far, hams up stylized performance rather than presenting a flesh and blood man...The show is also too long...Felder has evoked other important artists much more successfully. Direction by Trevor Hay, responsible for several other Felder productions, loses its compass here." Full Review

“Unabashedly sentimental, one-man show...With book and scenic design by Felder – who duly credits historian Maiya – the performance is directed as a 1-hour-45 min. biographical songbook by Hay...My problem with Felder’s cynical portrayal of Irving Berlin is that it doesn’t resemble the elderly gentleman I met a few times and whose daughters I knew. Adding insult to injury, his caricatured imitation of Ethel Merman...goes beyond insulting.” Full Review

"Felder plays no version of Berlin the world might recognize or wish to...Felder’s acting is as broad as a silent-movie villain’s, except that he’s talking. And talking. Or, too often, singing...Felder delivers them all in a weird, unpleasant vocal style that manages the difficult trick of making the songs seem both unvaried and unmelodic...So much is wrong with ‘Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin’ that I eventually started to wonder whether it was actively passive-aggressive.” Full Review