arts&life

theater

PHOTO BY BILLY KIDD

The
ABCs Of
Alexandra
Silber

JULIE SMITH YOLLES SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

The glamorous and

beguiling singer, actor

and author returns

to her hometown for

a whirlwind of

performances and

appearances.

A

natevka.
Broadway.
Cabaret 313.
Since July, Alexandra Silber’s
gone from stage to page
when the Grammy- and Tony-
nominated soprano and actress
added author to her bio and
embarked on an 80-stop book
tour for her first novel, After
Anatevka, which was fiction-
ally inspired by the iconic and
well-loved musical Fiddler on
the Roof.
March 18 is Silber’s last
appearance at the Jewish
Federation of Central
Massachusetts before head-
ing home to Michigan for a
jam-packed week that includes
performing two Cabaret 313
concerts at the Detroit Opera

House’s Black Box Theatre on
March 24, teaching a master
class at Wayne State University
on March 25 and having a book
signing at one of her favorite
bookstores, Literati in Ann
Arbor, on March 26.
“My concert was created
specifically for this audience
because it’s a history of com-
ing home and my love for
Michigan, all told through
song,” says Silber, who grew up
in Birmingham. “There will be
a lot of classics, including West
Side Story and The King and
I, songs from the Golden Age
of Broadway and an original
song written from my book and
based on Fiddler on the Roof.”
“Silber has an incredible
history on stages across the

world, and coming home to
share her experiences is quite
a treat,” says Allan Nachman,
who travels the world to hand-
pick the performers he invites
to Cabaret 313, where he is
president and executive direc-
tor. “Her exceptional voice and
superb acting will only accen-
tuate the stories she tells.”
Silber attended Groves
High School, where she was
involved in the theater depart-
ment. After high school, Silber
ultimately graduated from
Interlochen Center for the
Arts and continued her train-
ing at the Royal Conservatoire
of Scotland in Glasgow with a
degree in acting.
One of Silber’s first-ever roles
was that of Golde, the Fiddler

on the Roof family matriarch, on
the stage at Groves. It was the
beginning of a Fiddler journey
that would seep into her life in
a way she never expected.
In 2007, Silber played Tevye’s
daughter Hodel for two and
a half years in London’s West
End. “For me,” Silber told NPR’s
All Things Considered, “this
character took over my blood
and my bone marrow in a way
that I had never known.”
Then, in 2016, Silber played
another of Tevye’s five daugh-
ters, Tzeitel, in the Tony-
nominated revival and 50th
anniversary production on
Broadway.
Besides legendary Fiddler
lyricist Sheldon Harnick — who
wrote the forward to Silber’s

details

Cabaret 313 presents two performances of “Coming Home: Alexandra Silber in Concert” Saturday, March 24,
at the Black Box Theatre at the Detroit Opera House. $25-$125. (313) 405-5061; cabaret313.org. Silber will read and sign copies of her book,
After Anatevka: A Novel Inspired by Fiddler on the Roof, Monday, March 26, at Literati Bookstore, Ann Arbor. (734) 585-5567; literatibookstore.com.

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March 15 • 2018

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