TheatreWorks Adds Another Week of HERSHEY FELDER, BEETHOVEN

Due to overwhelming demand, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley will extend its run of Hershey Felder, Beethoven through July 9, adding a week of performances.

This regional premiere of a newly revised work by acclaimed performer and playwright Hershey Felder will complete TheatreWorks' 2016/2017 season. Following his triumph as Irving Berlin at TheatreWorks, 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 Hershey Felder, Beethoven.

Directed by Joel Zwick, Hershey Felder, Beethoven, which originally was scheduled to close July 2, will now play through June 7 - July 9, 2017 (press opening: June 10) at the Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View. For tickets ($45-$105) and information the public may visit TheatreWorks.org or call (650) 463-1960.

Hershey Felder returns to TheatreWorks as Beethoven and Dr. Gerhard von Breuning, the young boy who cared for him in the last years of his life. American Theatre continued "In a category all his own, 'musical biographies' does not come close to suggesting what he does." Felder commands the profound musical understanding to bring this legend to life, offering an enthralling performance that can satisfy musical experts, as well as captivate audience members with little background in classical music. Featuring some of the composer's greatest works, from "Moonlight Sonata" to the "Ninth Symphony" and the "Emperor Concerto," Hershey Felder, Beethoven is an intense, illuminating, unforgettable journey through time that immerses audiences in the astounding life of the Maestro.

An experienced actor, pianist, writer, director, composer, conductor, and producer, Hershey Felder is the conjurer of the spirits of George Gershwin, Frederic Chopin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Liszt, Leonard Bernstein, and Irving Berlin. Felder's solo shows have been seen across America - at the Geffen Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Hartford Stage, San Diego Repertory Theatre, La Jolla Playhouse, Old Globe Theatre, American Repertory Theater, and Cleveland Playhouse, as well as long runs at Chicago's Royal George Theatre and engagements at New York's Town Hall, 59E59, and the Streicker Center. Throughout the past 20 years, he has given more than 4,500 performances. His appearance at TheatreWorks last season in Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin set box office records for the company, and was hailed as an "absolutely must-see performance."

Theatre, film, and television director Joel Zwick has directed stage work for many of Felder's artistic projects, including George Gershwin Alone; Monsieur Chopin; and Maestro: The Art of Leonard Bernstein. In addition to being one of the most prolific directors of episodic television with more than 500 show credits under his belt, Zwick has also directed Broadway productions including George Gershwin Alone, Dance With Me, (which received three Tony nominations), the national tours of Oklahoma! and Shenandoah, as well as West End and regional productions. He has directed several films including "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."

With some 100,000 patrons per year, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley has captured a national reputation for artistic innovation and integrity, often presenting Bay Area theatre goers 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 was first work shopped and received its world premiere. Memphis went on to win the 2010 Tony Award for Best Musical, and played on Broadway for three years before embarking on a 19-month national tour, followed by an extended run on London's West End, where it captured two Olivier Awards.

Photo Credit: Craig Schwartz