Karen Racanelli News

Cue a?oeOde to Joya??! Actor, playwright and pianist Hershey Felder's live streaming performance of Hershey Felder: Beethoven from his residence in Florence, Italy on Sunday, July 12 (5 pm PDT/7 pm CDT/8 pm EDT), will donate proceeds from the event to 19 North American theatres, arts organizations, publications and ticket outlets. During the shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, this streaming event will provide one of the few sources of revenue for many of these organizations. 

Dallas Summer Musicals announced today that it is one of a select group of U.S. arts organizations participating in the live stream event, Hershey Felder: Beethoven, Live from Florence.

Following the success of Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin: Live from Florence, a live streaming event in May from Felder's residence in Florence, Italy, which raised significant funds for 13 US theatres and arts organizations, actor, playwright and pianist Hershey Felder has created a new arts broadcasting company, Hershey Felder Presents a?" Live from Florence.

Following the success of Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin: Live from Florence, a live streaming event in May from Felder's residence in Florence, Italy, which raised significant funds for 13 US theatres and arts organizations, Hershey Felder has created a new arts broadcasting company, Hershey Felder Presents - Live from Florence.

Berkshire Theatre Group (BTG) presents George Gershwin Alone, featuring acclaimed actor, playwright and accomplished pianist Hershey Felder (Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin, Maestro: Leonard Bernstein) in a limited run at The Colonial Theatre (111 South St), beginning August 24 and running through August 31. The show is directed by Tony Award-nominee Joel Zwick.

Westport Country Playhouse, in association with Hershey Felder Presents, will stage a musical tribute to Irving Berlin, one of the most successful songwriters of the 20th Century, with "Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin," from July 16 - August 3. 

San Diego Repertory Theatre (San Diego REP) announced today the return of San Diego's beloved artist, Hershey Felder for a strictly limited engagement celebrating one of the world's greatest composers in Hershey Felder as Monsieur Chopin. Originally created in 2006, followed by a sold-out national tour, this intimate theatrical event returns to San Diego in a newly updated production featuring the romantic story and music of the Polish pianist-composer, Fryderyk Chopin. Directed by Joel Zwick, performances of Hershey Felder as Monsieur Chopin run September 13 - 29, 2019, in the Lyceum Space Theatre. Monsieur Chopin begins previews on September 13, with press opening on Saturday, September 14, 2019, at 8:00 p.m.

Debussy (1862-1918) is still known best as well as a seminal force in the music of the early 20th Century having developed a highly original system of harmony and musical structure that expressed in many respects the ideals to which the Impressionist painters and writers of his time aspired. Felder truly takes his audience on a journey through his own early walks down the streets of the composer's life in Paris. Thus, we are treated to the personal observations of both men who describe the City of Light's wondrously romantic settings from The Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, Notre Dame and its Point Zero, to a walk through The Tuileries Garden, down the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triumph, and on to the composer's home near the Bois de Boulogne.

Hartford Stage will present Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin, a celebration of one of America's most beloved and prolific songwriters, written and performed by internationally-acclaimed pianist, actor and playwright Hershey Felder, for a limited one-week engagement - June 21 through 30, 2019.

Following the successes of  Our Great Tchaikovsky and Beethoven, celebrated virtuoso Hershey Felder returns to the Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts with Hershey Felder: A Paris Love Story, directed by Trevor Hay, from Friday, May 24 through Sunday, June 9, 2019, in The Wallis' Bram Goldsmith Theater.

San Diego Repertory Theatre (San Diego REP) has announced the return of San Diego's beloved artist, Hershey Felder with his latest smash hit celebrating the world's greatest composer, Beethoven. Following his triumphs as Piotr Tchaikovsky and Irving Berlin in 2017-2018, the brilliant Hershey Felder will bring Ludwig van Beethoven to life through the eyes of a Viennese doctor who spent his boyhood by the Maestro's side in Beethoven. Directed by Joel Zwick, performances of Hershey Felder, Beethoven run February 21 - March 24, 2019, at the Lyceum Stage Theatre. Tickets start at $25 and are currently on sale to the general public. Beethoven previews on February 21, with press opening today, February 22 at 8:00 p.m.

San Diego Repertory Theatre (San Diego REP) has announced the return of San Diego's beloved artist, Hershey Felder with his latest smash hit celebrating the world's greatest composer, Beethoven. Following his triumphs as Piotr Tchaikovsky and Irving Berlin in 2017-2018, the brilliant Hershey Felder will bring Ludwig van Beethoven to life through the eyes of a Viennese doctor who spent his boyhood by the Maestro's side in Beethoven. Directed by Joel Zwick, performances of Hershey Felder, Beethoven run February 21 - March 24, 2019, at the Lyceum Stage Theatre. Tickets start at $25 and are currently on sale to the general public. Beethoven previews on February 21, with press opening on Friday, February 22 at 8:00 p.m.

San Diego Repertory Theatre (San Diego REP) has announced the return of San Diego's beloved artist, Hershey Felder with his latest smash hit celebrating the world's greatest composer, Beethoven. Following his triumphs as Piotr Tchaikovsky and Irving Berlin in 2017-2018, the brilliant Hershey Felder will bring Ludwig van Beethoven to life through the eyes of a Viennese doctor who spent his boyhood by the Maestro's side in Beethoven. Directed by Joel Zwick, performances of Hershey Felder, Beethoven run February 21 - March 24, 2019, at the Lyceum Stage Theatre. Tickets start at $25 and are currently on sale to the general public. Beethoven previews on February 21, with press opening on Friday, February 22 at 8:00 p.m.

Hartford Stage will present Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin, a celebration of one of America's most beloved and prolific songwriters, written and performed by internationally-acclaimed pianist, actor and playwright Hershey Felder, for a limited one-week engagement - June 21 through 30, 2019. Single tickets go on sale Friday, November 23, with a special one-day 50% discount offer on select tickets.

Hershey Felder brings his wildly acclaimed one-man show, Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin to 59E59 Theaters. The production, featuring music and lyrics by the great American songwriter Irving Berlin, book by Hershey Felder and directed by longtime Felder collaborator Trevor Hay, will play from August 24 through October 28, 2018.

Award-winning actor and piano virtuoso Hershey Felder broke box office records this month at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts during his engagement of HERSHEY FELDER: BEETHOVEN. The show broke the theater's record as the highest grossing ticket sales for a multiple-week event with over 11,000 audience members attending BEETHOVEN during its four-week run. HERSHEY FELDER: BEETHOVEN had previously broken box office records during its World Premiere of this new adaptation at TheatreWorks Silicon Valley in June of 2017.

General on sale begins Wednesday, May 30 at Noon for award-winning actor and piano virtuoso Hershey Felder in his wildly acclaimed one-man show, HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN at 59E59 Theaters (Val Day, Artistic Director; Brian Beirne, Managing Director).

Hershey Felder returns to the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Artswith Beethoven, directed by Joel Zwick, from July 27 to August 12, 2018. This new production is based on the original Aus dem Schwarzspanierhausby Dr. Gerhard von Breuning with text by Felder and features some of Beethoven's greatest compositions from his keyboard works such as the "Emperor Concerto" to the 5thand 9thSymphonies, his keyboard sonatas, and chamber music. The Samantha F. Voxakis, Karen Racanelli and Erik Carstensen production is an extraordinary one-man musical play that brings the composer to life as it dramatizes the true story of a Viennese doctor who spent his boyhood by the Maestro's side as the son of Beethoven's best friend.

General on sale begins Wednesday, May 30 at Noon for award-winning actor and piano virtuoso Hershey Felder in his wildly acclaimed one-man show, HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN at 59E59 Theaters (Val Day, Artistic Director; Brian Beirne, Managing Director). The production, featuring music and lyrics by the great American songwriter Irving Berlin, book by Hershey Felder and directed by longtime Felder collaborator Trevor Hay, will play from August 24 through October 28, 2018, with opening night scheduled for Wednesday, September 5. Felder returns to 59E59 Theaters, where he recently played a sold out engagement of MAESTRO (Leonard Bernstein) and adapted, directed and designed the sold out THE PIANIST OF WILLESDEN LANE.

Hershey Felder PRESENTS the Midwest Premiere of Our Great Tchaikovsky, a new play-with-music featuring the compositions of Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Directed by Trevor Hay with a book and performance by Hershey Felder. Following critically acclaimed and record breaking productions at San Diego Rep, Hartford Stage, Los Angeles' Wallis Annenberg, Theatreworks Silicon Valley and London's West End, Felder's newest work takes on Russia's most celebrated and perhaps most mysterious composer, Tchaikovsky. A time-bending story of culture and politics that explores the mystery around some of the greatest music ever composed, Our Great Tchaikovsky will begin April 11 and close May 13.