Eighty-Eight Entertainment News

Following the wildly enthusiastic reception for Hershey Felder as Leonard Bernstein in Maestro, Berkeley Repertory Theatre invites audiences back this July for Hershey Felder's Monsieur Chopin, a celebrated musical biography of legendary composer Fryderyk Chopin. You've seen Felder as George Gershwin on the hot streets of 1920s New York.

Due to popular demand, the World Premiere of Chris Lemmon in JACK LEMMON RETURNS, will be extended from June 25 through July 20 at The Royal George Theatre, 1641 North Halsted Street. After a brief hiatus starting June 8, the production that has been called 'A very classy solo tribute!' (Chicago Tribune); 'An honest, loving 'living memoir'!' (Chicago Sun-Times); and "An affectionate and all-together absorbing tribute!" (TimeOut Chicago) will return to Chicago for this strictly limited engagement.

This June award-winning actor and musician Hershey Felder returns to Berkeley Rep with his popular and critically acclaimed one-man show, Hershey Felder as Leonard Bernstein in Maestro. Last summer, Felder brought Bay Area audiences to their feet and even got them singing with George Gershwin Alone. Now the master entertainer and virtuoso pianist is back for a limited engagement about America's greatest musical legend. Conductor, composer, pianist, author, teacher, librettist, television star, and composer of West Side Story, Candide, On the Town, and Wonderful Town, Bernstein pushed all boundaries to become the world's first serious musical media superstar. Felder combines first-person narrative with the compositions of Bernstein and others to draw us deeply into the maestro's fascinating life, a life filled with tragedy and triumph and...music. This special presentation plays only 22 performances on the intimate Thrust Stage. The show opens tonight, June 6, and plays through June 22.

59E59 Theaters will launch the new 5A Season with the New York premiere of THE PIANIST OF WILLESDEN LANE, adapted and directed by Hershey Felder, based on the book The Children of Willesden Lane: Beyond the Kindertransport: A Memoir of Music, Love, and Survival (Grand Central Publishing, 2003) by Mona Golabek and Lee Cohen. Produced by Geffen Playhouse in association with Eighty-Eight Entertainment and Berkeley Repertory Theatre, THE PIANIST OF WILLESDEN LANE begins performances on Friday, July 11 for a limited engagement through Sunday, August 24. Opening Night is Tuesday, July 22 at 7 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Thursday at 7 PM; Friday at 8 PM; Saturday at 2 PM & 8 PM; Sunday at 3 PM & 7 PM. Single tickets, which go one sale to 59E59 Members on May 19 and to the general public on May 27, are $70 ($49 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or visit www.59e59.org.

This June award-winning actor and musician Hershey Felder returns to Berkeley Rep with his popular and critically acclaimed one-man show, Hershey Felder as Leonard Bernstein in Maestro. Last summer, Felder brought Bay Area audiences to their feet and even got them singing with George Gershwin Alone. Now the master entertainer and virtuoso pianist is back for a limited engagement about America's greatest musical legend. Conductor, composer, pianist, author, teacher, librettist, television star, and composer of West Side Story, Candide, On the Town, and Wonderful Town, Bernstein pushed all boundaries to become the world's first serious musical media superstar. Felder combines first-person narrative with the compositions of Bernstein and others to draw us deeply into the maestro's fascinating life, a life filled with tragedy and triumph and…music. This special presentation plays only 22 performances on the intimate Thrust Stage. It previews on June 5, opens June 6, and plays through June 22.

Continuing in a tradition of storytelling and music, Hershey Felder (George Gershwin Alone, Maestro Bernstein and last season's smash hit Mona Golabek in The Pianist of Willesden Lane) will present the World Premiere of Chris Lemmon in Jack Lemmon Returns, a new play with music. The production opens on Monday, May 12 at 7 p.m. at The Royal George Theatre, 1641 North Halsted Street. The production is written and directed by Hershey Felder and based on the true story of the legendary Jack Lemmon (Mister Roberts, Some Like it Hot, Days of Wine and Roses, The Odd Couple) and his relationship with his son, actor and musician Chris Lemmon (Duet, That's Life, Lena's Holiday, etc.). Scroll down for some photos from the production!

Continuing in a tradition of storytelling and music, Hershey Felder (George Gershwin Alone, Maestro Bernstein and last season's smash hit Mona Golabek in The Pianist of Willesden Lane) will present the World Premiere of Chris Lemmon in JACK LEMMON RETURNS, a new play with music. The production will preview tonight, May 2 and open on Monday, May 12 at 7 p.m. at The Royal George Theatre, 1641 North Halsted Street. The production is written and directed by Hershey Felder and based on the true story of the legendary Jack Lemmon (Mister Roberts, Some Like it Hot, Days of Wine and Roses, The Odd Couple) and his relationship with his son, actor and musician Chris Lemmon (Duet, That's Life, Lena's Holiday, etc.).

Continuing in a tradition of storytelling and music, Hershey Felder (George Gershwin Alone, Maestro Bernstein and last season's smash hit Mona Golabek in The Pianist of Willesden Lane) will present the World Premiere of Chris Lemmon in JACK LEMMON RETURNS, a new play with music. The production will preview May 2 and open on Monday, May 12 at 7 p.m. at The Royal George Theatre, 1641 North Halsted Street. The production is written and directed by Hershey Felder and based on the true story of the legendary Jack Lemmon (Mister Roberts, Some Like it Hot, Days of Wine and Roses, The Odd Couple) and his relationship with his son, actor and musician Chris Lemmon (Duet, That's Life, Lena's Holiday, etc.).

After a sold-out run in the Theatre's Thrust Stage last fall, Berkeley Repertory Theatre proudly announces that The Pianist of Willesden Lane, starring internationally acclaimed pianist Mona Golabek, will make its off-Broadway debut at 59E59 Theaters July 7 - August 24, 2014. Golabek's unforgettable, musically infused performance was one of the biggest hits in the Theatre's history, selling out virtually all 52 performances of its originally scheduled engagement and all 29 performances of its extension. Its record-breaking run landed The Pianist of Willesden Lane as one of 10 shows in the last 25 years of the Theatre's history to draw more than 30,000 patrons. The Pianist of Willesden Laneis the 29th show the Theatre has helped send to New York in the last 27 years.

Continuing in a tradition of storytelling and music, Hershey Felder (George Gershwin Alone, Maestro Bernstein and last season's smash hit Mona Golabek in The Pianist of Willesden Lane) will present the World Premiere of Chris Lemmon in JACK LEMMON RETURNS, a new play with music. The production will preview May 2 and open on Monday, May 12 at 7 p.m. at The Royal George Theatre, 1641 North Halsted Street. The production is written and directed by Hershey Felder and based on the true story of the legendary Jack Lemmon (Mister Roberts, Some Like it Hot, Days of Wine and Roses, The Odd Couple) and his relationship with his son, actor and musician Chris Lemmon (Duet, That's Life, Lena's Holiday, etc.).

59E59 Theaters, now celebrating 10 years of presenting ground-breaking theater in New York, is thrilled to announce the creation of the 5A Season, a new Theater A season of five tremendous new plays for New York theater lovers. The 5A Season also includes a new membership option expanding on 59E59's popular membership program.

Hershey Felder in Abe Lincoln's Piano will have its world premiere in the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse as a limited fifteen-performance engagement starting tonight, January 3, 2014.

Berkeley Repertory Theatre has announced The Pianist of Willesden Lane, a one-woman play starring internationally acclaimed pianist and storyteller Mona Golabek. Based on the book The Children of Willesden Lane by Golabek and Lee Cohen, the play is set in Vienna in 1938 and in London during the Blitzkrieg and tells the true story of Golabek's mother, Lisa Jura, a young Jewish musician whose dreams are interrupted by the Nazi regime. In this poignant show, Golabek performs some of the world's most beautiful music live as she relates the real-life legacy of her mother's quest to survive.

The Laguna Playhouse Executive and Artistic Directors, Karen Wood and Ann E. Wareham will present their second special bonus offering of their 2013 season, the world premiere production of a new musical play, ROCKSTAR, featuring the music of Franz Liszt and others, written and performed by Hershey Felder and directed by Trevor Hay.

Hershey Felder in Abe Lincoln's Piano will have its world premiere in the Gil Cates Theater at the Geffen Playhouse as a limited fifteen-performance engagement starting January 3, 2014.

The Laguna Playhouse Executive and Artistic Directors, Karen Wood and Ann E. Wareham will present their second special bonus offering of their 2013 season, the world premiere production of a new musical play, ROCKSTAR, featuring the music of Franz Liszt and others, written and performed by Hershey Felder and directed by Trevor Hay.

Eighty-Eight Entertainment announces that the Chicago Premiere of THE PIANIST OF WILLESDEN LANE, starring internationally-acclaimed storyteller and pianist, Mona Golabek, is extending through July 7 due to popular demand at The Royal George Theatre, 1641 North Halsted Street . The production is adapted and directed by Hershey Felder and based on the book The Children of Willesden Lane by Golabek and Lee Cohen. The Chicago premiere has received rave reviews and follows successful productions in Los Angeles and Boston.

Eighty-Eight Entertainment announces that the Chicago Premiere of THE PIANIST OF WILLESDEN LANE, starring internationally-acclaimed storyteller and pianist, Mona Golabek, is extending through August 4 due to popular demand at The Royal George Theatre, 1641 North Halsted Street. The production is adapted and directed by Hershey Felder and based on the book The Children of Willesden Lane by Golabek and Lee Cohen. The Chicago premiere has received rave reviews and follows successful productions in Los Angeles and Boston.