Tucson: Arizona Theatre Company Sings Along with Hershey Felder as George Gershwin Alone

From: Arizona Theatre Company [mailto:aztheatreco@aztheatreco.pmailus.com]
Sent: Friday, August 24, 2007 6:38 PM
Subject: Arizona Theatre Company Sings Along with Hershey Felder as George Gershwin Alone

For Immediate Release
August 24, 2007
Bevan Brunelle Bluemer, Public Relations Manager: 520.884.8210 Ext. 8205
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ARIZONA THEATRE COMPANY SINGS ALONG WITH HERSHEY FELDER AS GEORGE GERSHWIN ALONE
The international sensation makes its Arizona debut to open ATC’s 41st season
The musical play that was called “stunning, dazzling and pure genius” by the New York Herald, which broke box office records from Boston to Los Angeles, and received standing ovations on Broadway, in London’s West End and across the United States makes its Arizona premiere when Arizona Theatre Company presents HERSHEY FELDER AS GEORGE GERSHWIN ALONE.� The strictly limited run plays in Tucson at the Temple of Music and Art from September 12 through October 2. GEORGE GERSHWIN ALONE then moves to Phoenix at the Herberger Theater Center from October 11 through October 28. The Tucson production underwriter for GEORGE GERSHWIN ALONE is Wells Fargo; in Phoenix, the production underwriters are Wells Fargo, Blue Cross Blue Shield and Boeing. Arizona Theatre Company’s season underwriters are I. Michael and Beth Kasser.

GEORGE GERSHWIN ALONE presents an “imagination” of what an evening with the great composer may have been like, as he reminisces about the highlights of his career and life while treating the audience to a jukebox of his greatest hits including SUMMERTIME, EMBRACEABLE YOU and I GOT RHYTHM, capping the evening with a performance of the complete RHAPSODY IN BLUE. �In creating GEORGE GERSHWIN ALONE, Hershey Felder was given unfettered access to the works and writing of the great composer by the Gershwin heirs.� To create the book for the musical, he did an exhaustive study of Gershwin’s life, poring over original writings and musical scores, as well as talking with a myriad of people who knew the man during his lifetime.� Mr. Felder is the first person to receive permission from the Gershwin estate to portray George Gershwin on the professional stage.

The Chicago Sun-Times called GEORGE GERSHWIN ALONE “unquestionably the most blissful and disarmingly enjoyable production now onstage.” USA Today called the show “glorious,” remarking that “Felder effectively conveys the emotional roots and resonance of Gershwin's music.”� London’s Daily Mail states, “Hershey Felder is a real class act and he plays a tremendous piano, climaxing in a roof lifting Rhapsody in Blue.”

Hershey Felder (George Gershwin/Playwright)�has played George Gershwin on Broadway and in London’s West End, as well as in Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, DC.� Most recently, he broke box office records at The Old Globe in San Diego and the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.� His regional and international appearances include performances at the Ravinia Festival (Illinois); a Command Performance for the Polish Ambassador to the United States at the Polish Embassy, Washington, DC; and the Uijeongbu Theatre Festival, South Korea. His musical compositions include Fairytale, a musical; Les Anges de Paris, Suite for Violin and Piano; Song Settings, poetry by Vachel Lindsay; Aliyah, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra; Saltimbanques for Piano and Orchestra; Etudes Thematiques for Piano.� A Steinway Concert Artist, Mr. Felder will soon premiere the third show of his Composers Trilogy, Beethoven As I Knew Him, at The Old Globe.

Joel Zwick (Director) directed the films My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Fat Albert and Elvis Has Left the Building. Mr. Zwick directed the Broadway production of George Gershwin Alone at the Helen Hayes Theatre, as well as all other productions. Mr. Zwick began his theatrical career at La Mama E.T.C., as director of the La Mama Plexus. He has directed on Broadway, Off-Broadway and Broadway touring companies.� Previous New York productions have included Dance With Me (Tony nomination), Shenandoah (Broadway national tour), Oklahoma (national tour) and Cold Storage (American Place Theater). Mr. Zwick is recognized as Hollywood’s most prolific director of episodic television, having the direction of five hundred and twenty-five episodes to his credit, including “Laverne & Shirley,” “Mork & Mindy,” and “Full House,” among many others.

The design team includes: Scenic designer Yael Pardess, who first collaborated with Hershey Felder on George Gershwin Alone in Los Angeles, followed by productions on Broadway, London, and throughout the U.S. Prior projects with Mr. Felder include Romantique, Sing and Back from Broadway. Her work has been seen on Broadway and many major regional theatres including the Mark Taper Forum, Guthrie Theater, and American Conservatory Theater, among others.� Michael T. Gilliam (Lighting Design) returns to ATC where he designed lighting for The Mystery of Irma Vep, Blue, The Fantasticks, Play On!, A Perfect Ganesh and Old Matador.� He designed lighting for the West End production of George Gershwin Alone, as well as the Broadway productions of Brooklyn, Big River and Stand-Up Tragedy.� Jon Gottlieb (Original Sound Design) serves as resident sound designer for Center Theatre Group at Mark Taper Forum/Ahmanson Theatres and heads the Sound Design program at California Institute of the Arts. Recent Broadway designs include QED, Master Class and Neil Simon’s The Dinner Party.

Tickets range from $31-$54 depending on date and section choice and are available at arizonatheatre.org or by calling the box office at (520) 622-2823. Discounts are available for students, seniors and active military on specific performance days. Half-price student rush tickets are available for balcony seating for all performances one hour prior to curtain at the ATC box office (subject to availability; must show ID). For discounts on groups of eight or more, call (520) 884-8210 x 8204.�

ATC offers an audio-described performance for patrons who have low vision or blindness on September 20 at 2 PM and September 26 at 2 PM. Interested patrons may request a tactile tour one hour prior to curtain. Braille and large-print playbills are available upon request from the house manager. An American Sign Language-interpreted performance is offered on September 27 at 7:30 PM. Patrons who have deafness or hearing impairment will receive a biography of the interpreters, a description of the play and name signs of each character.� An open-captioned performance is offered on September 20 at 2 PM. As the play progresses, those in open-captioned seating will be able to read the play’s dialogue in large green letters on an LED. The service is for patrons with mild to severe hearing loss who may not be ASL-literate. Tickets for all performances are available through the ATC box office at (520) 622-2823 or online at arizonatheatre.org. TTY access for the box office is available via Arizona Relay at (800) 367-8939 (TTY/ASCII).
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High resolution production photographs are available at the following link:
http://aztheatreco.org/pressroom_gallery_GGA_photos.html


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