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

