To Life, a new musical revue celebrating the Jewish life cycle, is having its world première this month in Toronto at the Jane Mallett Theatre: St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts.
Avery Saltzman
The latest offering from the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company, To Life is the brainchild of co-artistic director Avery Saltzman and the show’s choreographer, Tim French.
The cast features a who’s who of Canadian musical theatre talent that includes Patrick Cook, Gabi Epstein, Charlotte Moore and Shawn Wright. The cast will be accompanied by two pianists, musical director Mark Camilleri and Jeffrey Huard.
“It is two shows in one,” Saltzman says. “The first act celebrates beautiful, iconic Jewish lives from birth to bar mitzvah and from marriage to death. It focuses on the great Jewish vaudevillians Eddie Cantor, Fanny Brice, Al Jolson and Sophie Tucker. We are not imitating these performers – we are just celebrating the essence of their lives.”
The second act focuses on the time when Jewish vaudeville stars and composers left New York’s Lower East Side for Broadway. The cast raises a glass to life in song, from popular Jewish-themed musicals including Fiddler on the Roof, The Rothschilds, Funny Girl, Falsettos, I Can Get It For You Wholesale, The Grand Tour and Cabaret, in addition to songs from lesser-known Jewish-themed musicals.
“Who doesn’t like musicals?” asks Saltzman rhetorically. “Our audiences were asking for it, because they loved our musical fundraising event, One Night Only. So, we thought, how can we come up with a great musical? It is so onerous these days to produce or bring in a full-fledged musical with a large cast and band, especially for a not-for-profit. We decided on the musical-revue format. Believe it or not, there hasn’t been a new revue in this city for such a long time. What better way to celebrate Jewish life, so we called it To Life.”
Saltzman and French have been working on the revue for more than a year, painstakingly choosing just the right music. Saltzman says that musical revue is not fluff, but rather a very difficult medium when trying to find just the right material and adding elements of surprise to keep audiences entertained.
Saltzman, a respected actor and musical theatre veteran, is a co-artistic director of the Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company, along with David Eisner. This is the first time Saltzman has created a brand-new work, and that it’s specifically for the HGJTC makes him proud. Saltzman hopes To Life has a life afterward – touring North America.
“I want people to be moved and to come away with a great evening of song in celebration of the Jewish life cycle,” he says. “It is not your standard four-chair revue. There is a lot of me in To Life, especially in the material I have chosen. It has a lot of heart, sentiment and spirituality. We try to move through life with grace and humour, and that is what I think I bring to the piece. So, it comes full circle from me to our audience.”
The show runs from May 13 to 29. Opening night is May 17. For tickets, call 416-366-7723, or online at www.stlc.com. For group rates, call 416-932-9995, ext. 224. Visit www.hgjewishtheatre.com for more information.
