Soul Doctor

[CukorLover]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 12:59am

I hope the show isn't as awful as these images portray.
Press Coverage of Soul Doctor

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 1:21am

I had never heard any of this guys music before, so my friend and I went on amazon and listened to some clips from his "Greatest Hits".

OH. MY. GOD.

How they intend to have anyone in that theater awake after 10 minutes of listening to that is beyond me.

[Dessie]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 6:52am

He represented a quasi-mystical cultish form of Judaism that thrived in the 70s but is somewhat dated now. Sort of an alternative to the Zen-Buddhism that was also growing in popularity at that time. It's remaining adherents would fill half of the theater.

[anmiller07]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 7:52am

.....and that's all that needs to be said.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 8:25am

Oy.


Ya' know, I was a Jew in the 70s, never heard of the guy. I'm going to ask my mom -- who is the Jew among Jews if she knows who he is. But it's too early to call Mississippi right now. (Yes, there are Jews in Mississippi, I believe I am related to 1/3 of them, my parents.)

[egghumor]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 9:54am

Oh, dramamama, that's one of your all-time funniest posts!

[stevenycguy]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 10:31am

I guess they don't have much of a budget - they probably bought a bench at a thrift store and painted it blue. That's their set. Wonder if they'll drastically cut the 3 hour mess down to a more manageable length. An overlong show is the mark of a true amateur.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 10:59am

Thanks, Egg.


Ok.....I just got off the phone with my mom, the Southern Jew. She DOES know who Shlomo is! NOt only is she sure she has an album (or two) of his, she even saw him PERFORM at a local synagogue.

She doesn't really remember a lot about him, she wasn't an ardent fan/follower, but she does remember there being controversy surrounding his outlook.

I'll let you know if she comes up with anything more specific.

[capnkidd]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 11:55am

There's actually quite a few more Jews in Mississippi, and throughout the south than you'd think. Soul Doctor (or Shlomo the Musical, as it was originally known), premiered in New Orleans, I believe. Jews have been in the south for a very long time. Remember Parade? Leo Frank was originally from Brooklyn, but Lucille was a Jew born in Georgia. Southern Jews just don't tend to look or sound as "Jewish", if that makes any sense, so they don't really stand out.

I'm surprised that you're surprised your mother knows who Rabbi Carlebach was. He is quite well-known in any Jewish community I've ever been involved with, whether because of his unorthodox career or the controversy that surrounded him.

I'm sorry to hear this is still running near three hours. The man's story is an interesting one, but I'm afraid the audience for it is a limited one, and it's even more limited at that length.


Slomo wiki Updated On: 6/30/13 at 11:55 AM

[egghumor]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 12:07pm

Like Jordan, I just finished listening to ten tracks from "The Best of Rabbi Schlomo Carlebach," and all them sounded either like a prayer or a funeral dirge -- nothing the least bit theatrical or suitable (as far as I could tell) as a character song. I think it might be easier for the actors to scale Mount Everest than having to turn this show into something with general appeal.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 7:06pm

Yes, I know all about the Jews of the South. I was kidding, obviously. Heck, my grandfather was quoted in Time Magazine back in the 70s in an article about anti semitism and racism.


Why shouldn't I be surprised? I'm no spring chicken, and I've never heard of him.

Posted: 6/30/13 at 7:35pm

Updated On: 7/28/13 at 07:35 PM

[Brave Sir Robin2]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 7:55pm

This could get me in to the theatre.

Updated On: 6/30/13 at 07:55 PM

[Overkill]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 8:29pm

I'm also from Mississippi, very close to New Orleans, and I missed it when it premiered in 2011(?).. I had friends who saw it and said they had a great time, but I don't remember much else. I recall researching it a bit and being very interested. Going back and watching this HUGE shout out/show reel Larry King did for the show, I'd still like to see it. Especially at Circle in the Square, where I think this sort of show would thrive. That being said, one of the biggest draws for me was Ben Crawford, so I'm a bit disappointed that he won't be reprising the role. :/ And who knows what they've changed since NOLA? But I'm going in with a very open mind. :)

WATCH THIS - Soul Doctor

[Kad]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 8:41pm

I see they had about 50 bucks to spend on scenery.

[ARTc]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 9:01pm

I want to see india.arie on Broadway!!! I wish I knew about the workshop in 2009. If she was playing Nina Simone, I'd definitely be going.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 10:07pm

Sounds as enjoyable as multiple root canals without any pain killers.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 10:13pm

You could have your root canal at The Circle In The Square since this will be putting you to sleep anyways.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 10:34pm

I've heard that none of the producers are actually members of
the Broadway League so this is technically not a union production. Is this
possible?

[jwsel]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 11:31pm

In fairness to the show, I think people here may underestimate the appeal of this show to Jewish audiences, particularly audiences over 50.

If any of you have ever been to a very traditional Orthodox shul, it mainly involves a lot of people reading from prayer books at their own speed, mumbling the words almost to themselves, and with very little audience participation. What Shlomo Carlebach did is take the Jewish liturgy and give it melodies that permitted congregations to participate in the services. He took pieces of the prayer books and turned them into songs. They were still prayers, but when a couple hundred people sing them together, it created a very different experience than traditional Jewish prayer.

I went to the "Best of" link on Amazon and listened to the songs. Several turned out to be melodies that I grew up singing in synagogue and at Jewish schools and camp. And when sung by a large audience or a bunch of kids, they sound rather different than they do when sung solo in the recordings. Some of the melodies are very energetic (often with clapping) and others are quite beautiful. I knew nothing about Shlomo Carlebach until tonight, but after listening to the songs, I can understand how Jewish audience members might say "Wow, this guy actually had a significant influence on modern Judaism" and might even think that he influenced their own experiences growing up.

I'm not saying Soul Doctor is going to be some big success, but I can see it finding a niche audience.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 11:34pm

So......let's pay $130 to hear the same music we're gonna hear for free on Saturday morning at Temple?

[ACL2006]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 11:43pm

I think it's beyond crazy that these producers are charging $135 for every seat in this theater. Even at half off, people likely won't pay that price. I see this closing after opening night.

[jwsel]

Posted: 6/30/13 at 11:47pm

So......let's pay $130 to hear the same music we're gonna hear for free on Saturday morning at Temple?

------

That's a really stupid comment. You can hear the songs from Jersey Boys or Motown on iTunes, but that doesn't stop people from buying tickets for those shows. Soul Doctor is a Broadway show, not a concert. If its book is good, the songs will have context and how the show presents the songs will make a tremendous difference in how they sound compared to the recordings on Amazon.

Updated On: 6/30/13 at 11:47 PM

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 7/1/13 at 12:12am

Is it really stupid or REALLY stupid? Or maybe even REALLY REALLY stupid?

[BwayBaby18]

Posted: 7/1/13 at 12:44am

I loved Amber Iman in A Civil War Christmas and she is the only reason I would slightly consider seeing this.