Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin
Closed 2h 0m
Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin
85

Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin NYC Reviews and Tickets

85%
(72 Ratings)
Positive
94%
Mixed
6%
Negative
0%
Members say
Entertaining, Delightful, Absorbing, Clever, Great singing

About the Show

Hershey Felder ('Maestro') returns to 59E59 for another solo show exploring the life of a legendary composer.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (72)

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68 Reviews | 31 Followers
86
Delightful, Enchanting, Entertaining, Funny, Great singing

See it if You love nostalgia; you know (or what to learn about Irving Berlins life.) 1 hour & 45 minutes down memory lane.

Don't see it if You do not enjoy "biographical" shows, unless the lead (i.e. the subject of the bio) is a celebrity. Read more

389 Reviews | 140 Followers
86
Clever, Entertaining, Great writing, Refreshing, Absorbing

See it if you have an interest in Berlin's work. Even though I was familiar with his songs, the scope of his outcome is just amazing.

Don't see it if you're put off by sentiment, as Felder does get emotional retelling some of the sadder aspects of Berlin's life.

88 Reviews | 37 Followers
85
Clever, Delightful, Entertaining, Quirky, Absorbing

See it if you would enjoy a highly entertaining performance by a masterful musician, actor and singer portraying the amazing life of Irving Berlin.

Don't see it if you are not a fan of small stage, one man biographies. Mr. Felder can be wildly flamboyant but his talent definitely carries the day.

245 Reviews | 37 Followers
85
Absorbing, Clever, Great acting, Great singing, Must see

See it if You want to learn about the life of Irving Berlin and hear songs. Great acting. Loved the format of it. Must see

Don't see it if You do not like biographical pieces.

297 Reviews | 78 Followers
85
Must see / very entertaining, Moving story-telling & amazing piano-playing, Biographical / nostalgic / humorous, Beautiful thoughtful enchanting tribute

See it if you're ok w/1-man bio shows & don't mind being coaxed into singing, while hearing/learning interesting background on Berlin's life & music.

Don't see it if you're not into 1-man shows, over-the-top Liberace piano-flourishes, & high-drama vocals mixed w/overdone sotto voce. Too bad. It all works. Read more

148 Reviews | 80 Followers
85
Delightful, Entertaining, Absorbing, Biographical, Masterful

See it if A fitting tribute to an outstanding song writer, interests you. If you'll enjoy learning about his life & loves, intertwined with lyrics, go

Don't see it if You despise one person, dated, biographical, nostalgic shows with heart, & prefer big scale productions geared to appeal to younger crowd.

151 Reviews | 49 Followers
85
Clever, Delightful, Entertaining, Ambitious

See it if you want a nice insight to this great man of musical theater.

Don't see it if If your not a fan of Berlin

812 Reviews | 133 Followers
85
Entertaining, Delightful, Clever, Great writing

See it if you are a fan of Irving Berlin or you would like to know more about one of America's greatest composers. One man show very informational.

Don't see it if you are not a fan of Irving Berlin or do not like any one person shows. Read more

Critic Reviews (30)

Stage Left
September 5th, 2018

“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.”
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Diandra Reviews it All
September 5th, 2018

“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."
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SusanGranger.com
September 13th, 2018

“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.”
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The Times of Israel
September 13th, 2018

"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."
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Los Angeles Times
November 26th, 2014
For a previous production

"Adroitly directed...Felder-as-Berlin recounts the story of his life, tragedies and triumphs alike, which in turns cues up the songs...The results are richly entertaining and ultimately touching, though not without some issues. Repetitions in tone and text could stand a few trims...The empathy, showmanship and craft on tap may just be the best match of historical figure and performing artist yet in this franchise."
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BroadwayWorld
November 21st, 2014
For a previous production

"Enriching, humorous, and replete with most of the brilliant Berlin tunes...There is much to be learned about Irving Berlin through Felder's eyes...Felder's odyssey of Irving Berlin's life and career is chock full of precious facts and memories...Once again Felder, under Trevor Hay's loving direction, envelops himself in his characterization and has a ball, breaking the fourth wall and playing it full-out to the audience."
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Theater Pizzazz
June 7th, 2016
For a previous production

"It doesn’t take long to figure out Felder is going to make this bio-play fun. His writing is smart, yes, but more, his delivery is animated, expressive, and perfectly nuanced. As he slips easily into and out of other characters it becomes apparent that a good deal of the enjoyment comes from Felder’s pitch-perfect timing. There are jokes and witticisms...Thank you, Irving Berlin, and thank you, Hershey Felder, for sharing him with us so caringly."
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B
July 11th, 2015
For a previous production

"An affectionate portrait of Berlin...In crafting this crowd-pleasing solo show about Berlin’s life and career, Felder and director Trevor Hay are not bashful about pulling — make that yanking — the heartstrings. But even the sentimental moments are palatable, since they’re consistent with the man under consideration...The prevailing mood...is one of communal warmth, reflecting the populist gifts of composer and performer alike."
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