arts&life

PHOTO BY MARYELLEN TRUMP

PHOTO BY MARYELLEN TRUMP

theater

The Fabric Of

America

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Eric Gutman,

with Under the

Streetlamp, performs

favorite holiday tunes

and more from the

American Radio

Songbook.

details

Under the Streetlamp performs at
7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 20, at
Orchestra Hall. $24-$105.
(313) 576-5111; dso.org.

36

December 14 • 2017

S

inger-actor Eric Gutman
and trumpet-player Josh
Rzepka have a tasty com-
petition going as they tour
the country with Under the
Streetlamp — their quartet of
vocalists fronting a seven-mem-
ber band.
The two, the only Jewish
members of the group, taste-test
challah.
When the entertainers
stopped in Boston, where
Rzepka’s relatives live, Gutman
tried what the instrumental-
ist considered the best. While
Gutman conceded it was very
good, he is certain Rzepka will
find one even better in Metro
Detroit.
Their show, starting at 7:30
p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 20, at
Orchestra Hall, presents hit
songs from the American Radio
Songbook — sounds linked to
Motown, doo-wop rock ’n’ roll
and some standard hits. Titled
Hip to the Holidays, the perfor-
mance also spotlights seasonal
numbers in deference to the
time of year.
Gutman, who lives in
Huntington Woods and has
appeared with the Broadway

jn

run and first national tour of
Jersey Boys, has been on the
road with Under the Streetlamp
since March, joining a schedule
of 75 performances a year. The
grandson of the late Cantor
David Gutman of the former
Congregation Beit Kodesh in
Livonia, he appreciates the draw
of music and respects the uplift-
ing messages of Christmas songs.
“I feel very blessed to be doing
what I love,” says Gutman, who
likes to watch people in the audi-
ence sing along and move to the
music of the Beach Boys, Everly
Brothers and Four Seasons,
among many other legendary
groups represented in the show.
“I also like the feelings of fam-
ily, tradition, coming together
and general spirit of the seasonal
segment. A big part of me would
like to add a Chanukah song, and
I’m looking for one that fits in
with what we do.”
Gutman, a member of Temple
Israel who studied musical the-
ater performance at Western
Michigan University, will be
in town to celebrate part of
Chanukah with his wife and
two daughters before resuming
his tour schedule. No matter

where he appears, “Try a Little
Tenderness” is his favorite solo in
this show because it has special
meaning for both himself and
his wife.
“I’ve known this group for
years,” says Gutman, who also
has toured with Forbidden
Broadway and Forbidden
Hollywood and still presents his
one-man show From Broadway
to Obscurity. “Michael Ingersoll
was the originator, and he
reached out to me directly when
he decided to move on to other
work.”
Gutman, who has appeared
locally in productions staged
by the Jewish Ensemble and
Meadow Brook theatres, sings
harmonies with Brandon
Wardell, Christopher Kale Jones
and Shonn Wiley — all with
strong musical theater experi-
ence.
Rzepka, based in Chicago,
was introduced to trumpet
while attending the Lippman
School in Akron, where his
mother has taught Hebrew and
Judaic studies for 35 years. As
he advanced his instrumental
knowledge at Oberlin College
and Conservatory, he established

ABOVE: Trumpet-player Josh Rzepka.
TOP LEFT: Under the Streetlamp:
Brandon Wardell, Chris Jones, Shonn
Wiley and Eric Gutman. TOP RIGHT:
Eric Gutman.

a Detroit connection, learning
from the late Marcus Belgrave, a
local audience favorite.
Working with Under the
Steetlamp for more than two
years, Rzepka built a career with
freelance appearances at jazz
clubs and private parties, includ-
ing bat and bar mitzvahs.
“I love this show because it’s
like a party every night,” says
Rzepka, who holds a master’s
degree in classical trumpet from
Boston University. “I know so
much of this music as the sonic
fabric of America.
“As a musician, I’ve been play-
ing Christmas songs in my work.
As a classically trained musician,
I’ve learned liturgical music. I’ve
studied all of this as pure music.”
Rzepka, whose albums reach
from Baroque to jazz, joined
Under the Streetlamp through
the recommendation of a friend.
“We’re playing music everyone
knows,” Rzepka says. “Everyone
just has a great time.” •

