A
ccompanying Mandy
Patinkin on tour has
been a dream come true
for pianist/musical director/
conductor Adam Ben-David.
“I met Mandy at a musical
workshop in New York City and
I approached him about play-
ing for him,
” says Ben-David,
associate musical director for
Book of Mormon on Broadway
for nine years. “It was 2015 and
coincided with the retirement of
his longtime piano player Paul
Ford. We met with Paul and
spent a few days in Mandy’
s stu-
dio. They played Mandy’
s music
for me, and I slowly began to
learn his repertoire. We went on
to do some exploratory concerts
together.
”
When Patinkin asked Ben-
David to tour with him, he
jumped at the chance. “Mandy
is one of the best ever and very
inspiring,
” says Ben-David, who
has been touring with Patinkin
for four years. “I grew up listen-
ing to Mandy sing and watching
him act. Sometimes I have to
pinch myself when I’
m on stage
with him — it’
s definitely a little
heady.
”
Working on Broadway has
kept Ben-David in New York,
but he has been able to take
breaks and perform with other
singers, including Kelli O’
Hara,
Patti LuPone, James Taylor and
Jarrod Spector.
It’
s not surprising that Ben-
David became a musician — he
comes by it naturally. His moth-
er, Batyah, and his dad, Kerry
Ben-David, were singers who
met at Julliard. “My mom was
a soloist at the Metropolitan
Opera and my dad, also an
opera singer, became a cantor,
”
he says. “My sister Sheera is a
singer and cantor in Chicago.
”
Ben-David, who grew up in
Westchester, N.Y., began singing
at age 5. After graduating high
school, he went on to earn a
degree at Julliard.
“While at Julliard, I was
working at Scarsdale High
School’
s summer theater pro-
gram conducting a production
of Once Upon a Mattress,
” he
recalls. “Mary Rodgers wrote
the music for that show, and I
wrote to her inviting her to see
the production. She came and
even stayed and talked to the
kids. Next morning, she called
and asked me, ‘
What would
you like to do when you grad-
uate Julliard?’
I said conduct
Broadway. She said I will make
that happen! I got my first job
as the associate conductor for
the revival of Once Upon a
Mattress starring Sara Jessica
Parker in 1996.
”
Ben-David’
s career took
off and his impressive list of
Broadway credits include Jersey
Boys, Spring Awakening, Wicked,
High Fidelity, The Light in the
Piazza, Bombay Dreams and
Aida.
He grew up in a Jewish home
and attended Westchester Day
School, a yeshivah. “My mom
was raised Orthodox and my
dad was Irish Catholic and an
altar boy,
” he says. “But my dad
found his way into the Jewish
fold. When I was around 10, he
converted and went to Hebrew
Union College to become a can-
tor. He changed his last name
from McDevitt to Ben-David. I
was born Adam McDevitt and
became Adam Ben-David.
”
His dad, who died in 2015,
was a cantor for 35 years. “He
had filled in one day for the
cantor who was sick, learned the
service phonetically and had a
white light experience while on
the pulpit. It became very clear
to him this was his path. My
dad really loved Judaism and
identified as a Jew.
“I love composing, Broadway
and touring,
” Ben-David says.
“Mandy is the real deal — that
star on stage. And that’s not
always easy to find.”
continued from page 27
COURTESY ADAM BEN-DAVID
Finding His Star
Adam Ben-David’
s musical talent, Jewish
roots go on tour with Mandy Patinkin.
ALICE BURDICK SCHWEIGER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
28 | JANUARY 30 • 2020
starred on Broadway in Sunday
in the Park with George; other
stage credits include The Wild
Party, Falsettos, Winter’
s Tale
and Hamlet. On the big screen,
he starred in Yentl, Life Itself,
The Princess Bride and True
Colors, among others. In tele-
vision, he won an Emmy for
his performance in the CBS
series Chicago Hope.
As a recording artist, he has
released solo albums, includ-
ing Mamaloshen, a collection
of songs he sings in Yiddish.
He has been touring since
1989.
Married 40 years to actress
Kathryn Grody, they have two
sons: Isaac, a community orga-
nizer in Colorado, and Gideon,
a performer and composer.
When he is not working,
Patinkin is very involved
in social causes, including
the International Rescue
Committee, where he has trav-
eled abroad to help refugees.
“When people need help
anywhere in the world, like
our Jewish ancestors, we must
learn to welcome them,” he
says. “Being involved in help-
ing refugees is one of the best
privileges of my life.”
Another privilege, he says,
is touring and singing in live
concerts. “When I am on the
road, audiences are kind, gen-
erous and appreciative you
came to their home,” he says.
“It’
s a wonderful feeling —
that’
s why I have been doing
this for 30-plus years.”
Arts&Life
music
Adam Ben-David