The Soul of Gershwin
Theatre legend Arnold Mittelman is ready to launch!
Arnold Mittelman, one of Miami’s most charismatic figures, is back! After a brief hiatus from the theatre world, Mittelman is launching the National Jewish Theater and American Theater Festival with the show, The Soul of Gershwin, The Musical Journey of an American Klezmer at the Parker Playhouse March 4 to 9. And he’s launching this new venture with a little help from his friends.
Joining Mittelman during the onset of his theatrical rebirth are the legendary star of stage and screen, Jack Klugman, and South Florida business and philanthropic leader, Harvey Chaplin, who will be honored on Saturday, March 8 at a special VIP reception and performance.
Klugman will be speaking before each performance and makes no secret as to why he is coming to Miami from his Los Angeles home for the entire week of the run. “I believe in Arnold Mittelman,” he says emphatically. “I’ve worked with Arnold on numerous projects and he’s a really good guy who I completely believe in.”
Klugman also has a nostalgic affinity toward Jewish theatre that goes back to his childhood. “When I was a kid, my mother would go to Jewish theatre and come home afterwards completely elated. That’s the effect that theatre can have and why it is important that this venture of Arnold’s succeeds.”
It is not by chance that Mittelman chose the music of George Gershwin to lead his new venture. Arguably there has never been a more influential American composer than Gershwin who took home the first Pulitzer Prize bestowed on a musical for Of Thee I Sing, and his first hit “Swanee,” sung by Al Jolson, remains a musical touchtone. In between creating symphonic and operatic innovations with “Rhapsody in Blue,” “An American in Paris,” and “Porgy and Bess,” he also put his indelible stamp on the Great American Songbook with such timeless standards as “S’Wonderful,” “Embraceable You,” “I’ve Got Rhythm,” “Summertime” and “Someone to Watch Over Me.”
Gershwin’s catalog has been discovered by every generation with his songs being recorded through the years by major singing stars including Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, Janis Joplin, Michael Feinstein, Elvis Costello, Sting, Patti Austin, Duncan Sheik and Natalie Merchant.
“Gershwin transcends generations,” says Mittelman, “which is why I chose his music to lead the debut of the National Jewish Theater and the American Theater Festival. Young people need to come out and support live theater. Today’s world does not lend itself to an appreciation of watching a performance live, and it must. There is nothing better than well-produced, live theatre and I know that The Soul of Gershwinis perfect for both those who already love the theatre, as well as those who have had yet to fully discover it.”
Tickets are $30 to $65 with discounts available to groups of 10 or more. Tickets may be purchased by calling (954) 462-0222 or select your seat online at www.parkerplayhouse.com. Tickets are also available for purchase at the Parker Playhouse Tuesday through Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m. Performances are Tuesday, March 4 through Sunday, March 9 with show times at 8 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday with 2 p.m. matinees on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
As mentioned, the Saturday, March 8 performance will honor Harvey Chaplin for his contributions to the National Jewish Theater, as well as his continued generosity to the South Florida community. Others founding donors for the National Jewish Theater and American Theater Festival include: Paul Newman, Jean Allen Sheehan, Alan Potamkin, Nancy and Herschel V. “Hank” Green, Isabel and Marvin Leibowitz, Parker Playhouse Foundation, Leonard Miller, Gloria Scharlin and family, R. Kirk Landon, Fran and Rob Ruwitch, Akerman Senterfitt/Judge Michael Chavies, Sue Miller, Marilyn Kalusin Berens, Ana Azcuy and Ted Gelman, Carolynn and Michael Friedman, Patricia Wollowick, Joanne and James Mitchell, Grant Thornton/Emily and Mitchell Less, Mary Ann and Ray Larsen, Charlene and Ron Esserman, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Maurice Wiener, Lang Baumgarten, Susann and Arnold Mittelman, Isaac Sredni, Ray Cooney.
