The Museum of Jewish Heritage to Present TO PAINT THE EARTH Concert in May

The Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust will present a one-night-only concert version of Richard Rodgers Award-winning musical TO PAINT THE EARTH. The concert, which will honor the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, will take place on May 4th, 2023 at 7 PM ET in the Museum's Edmond J. Safra Hall. The musical, about the events leading up to the historic decision to fight back, features book and lyrics by Daniel F. Levin and music by Jonathan Portera, and will be directed by Tony Award nominee Marcia Milgrom Dodge (Ragtime).

In the tradition of "Les Miserables" and "Fiddler on the Roof," TO PAINT THE EARTH is an epic story about people who took action in the face of terror. These imprisoned people are also portrayed making do, getting by, telling jokes, studying, falling in love, and continuing to be human. The Uprising, which began on the eve of Passover, on April 19th, 1943, was the largest act of civilian resistance during World War II and inspired the world with the courage shown by its young fighters.

The cast will feature Ari Axelrod (Jewish Week's "36 Under 36"), Joanne Borts, Jackie Burns (Wicked), Michael James Byrne, Chris deProphetis (South Pacific), Skye Alyssa Friedman (Kimberly Akimbo), Coby Getzug (Book of Mormon), Lauren Lebowitz (Title of Show), Ben Liebert, Sharone Sayegh, Lana Schwartz, Joshua Charles Skurnik (Jersey Boys), Spiff Wiegand (War Horse) and Stuart Zagnit (Caroline, or Change).

The show will feature music direction by Lawrence Yurman (Grey Gardens, War Paint), casting by Robin Carus Casting, orchestrations by Christian Stahr, lighting design by Mark London, dramaturgy by Yoni Oppenheim (Posterity) and Rachel Sheinkin (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee), and will be associate produced/assistant directed by Noah Eisenberg (Circle Jerk). J.P. Elins will serve as Stage Manager, with physical production facilitated by Tinc. The concert will feature the artwork of Michael Smuss, a painter who at age 97, is one of the last survivors to have fought in the 1943 Uprising. Cover design and artwork is by Sheila Phalon. Producing the concert are Levin, Portera, and Lauren Lebowitz Feldman for We Rise Productions.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage's Edmond J. Safra Hall is located at 36 Battery Place, New York NY 10280. For more information on this one-night only event, visit mjhnyc.org/topainttheearth.

A live-stream of the event will also be made available by the Museum and free to access anywhere in the world via the sign up link: mjhnyc.org/painttheearthlivestream.

Sheldon Harnick, lyricist of "Fiddler on the Roof," wrote about the show:

"To Paint the Earth" is a remarkable achievement. Daniel Levin and Jonathan Portera have managed to convey through the characters they have created and the story they enact, a gripping sense of what life was like in the last days of the Warsaw Ghetto during World War Two. We meet both those in denial, attempting to live a 'normal life' in impossible circumstances, and those who, in the same circumstances, became capable of surprising acts of heroism. This unusual and adventurous musical is a deeply moving experience."

About The Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust

The Museum of Jewish Heritage - A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is New York's contribution to the global responsibility to Never Forget. The Museum is committed to the crucial mission of educating diverse visitors about Jewish life before, during, and after the Holocaust. The third-largest Holocaust museum in the world, the Museum of Jewish Heritage anchors the southernmost tip of Manhattan, completing the cultural and educational landscape it shares with the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

The Museum of Jewish Heritage maintains a collection of almost 40,000 artifacts, photographs, documentary films, and survivor testimonies and contains classrooms, a 375-seat theater (Edmond J. Safra Hall), special exhibition galleries, a resource center for educators, and a memorial art installation, Garden of Stones, designed by internationally acclaimed sculptor Andy Goldsworthy.

Each year, the Museum presents over 80 public programs, connecting our community in person and virtually through lectures, book talks, concerts, and more. For more info visit: mjhnyc.org/events. Museum receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts.

For more information, visit: mjhnyc.org