HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN Shatters Records at TheatreWorks

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley today announced that its box office records, broken last month with its holiday musical, have now been shattered. The blockbuster hit HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN has left the record set by Jane Austin's EMMA far behind -- and the current production till has two weeks of performances left to go.

According to TheatreWorks Managing Director Phil Santora, "This is quite a Valentine for TheatreWorks. Our audiences are clearly in love with HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN, which has become -- by a wide margin -- the highest grossing show in the company's 46-year history."

The production has grossed more than $735,000, including $434,900 in single ticket sales to date.

Tickets are still available for the remaining performances, which continue through February 14 at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro Street, Mountain View. (The company also added a Great American Songbook Sing-Along on Monday, February 15, but that performance is now sold out.) For tickets ($35 -$100) and information the public may visit www.TheatreWorks.org or call (650) 463-1960.

The inspiring story of "America's Composer" Irving Berlin takes center stage in this tour-de-force performance by virtuoso Hershey Felder, internationally acclaimed for bringing to life such composers as Gershwin, Beethoven, Chopin, and Bernstein. Fleeing the anti-Semitism of Czarist Russia, capturing the rhythms of the Lower East Side, and eventually enchanting the entire world, Berlin epitomized the American dream. HERSHEY FELDER AS IRVING BERLIN is directed by Trevor Hay. Featuring some of Berlin's most popular and enduring songs from "God Bless America," "There's No Business Like Show Business," "Blue Skies," to "White Christmas" and beyond, Felder's signature creation of character and musical performance weaves a narrative around Berlin's 101 year lifespan including his long and heartening relationship with his wife, battles against anti-Semitism and, of course, his storied music. The San Francisco Chronicle called the show "Buoyantly tuneful," and the San Jose Mercury News declared the show would "put a tear in your eye and a song in your heart."

With some 100,000 patrons per year, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley has captured a national reputation for artistic innovation and integrity, often presenting Bay Area theatregoers with their first look at acclaimed musicals, comedies, and dramas, directed by award-winning local and guest directors, and performed by professional actors cast locally and from across the country. A home for artists developing new works, it was at TheatreWorks that Memphis, the 2010 Tony Award-winning musical that played on Broadway for three years before embarking on a 19-month national tour, was first workshopped and received its world premiere. It is currently enjoying an extended run on London's West End, where it recently captured two Olivier Awards.

More information is available at www.Theatreworks.org.

Photo Credit: Eighty Eight Entertainment