54 | JANUARY 26 • 2023
ARTS&LIFE
MUSICAL THEATER
C
onsummate performer and Ann
Arbor native Ari Axelrod is
taking his show, A Place for Us:
A Celebration of Jewish Broadway, back
to New York City. On Monday, Jan. 30, at
8:30 p.m. at the Birdland Theater in the
heart of the Theater District, Axelrod will
be honoring famous Jewish composers and
their beloved songs.
“The vast majority of shows on
Broadway were and are written by Jews,”
says Axelrod, who has taken this show all
over the United States, to Canada and via
Zoom to audiences in Israel, South Africa
and other countries. “I wanted to celebrate
these brilliant composers and lyricists as
well as the Jewish culture and vitality that
shines through in their musicals.”
Some of Broadway’s most influential
Jewish musicians that Axelrod highlights
stretch from Irving Berlin, George
Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein to
Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz,
Carole King and Adam Guettel, grandson
of famed composer Richard Rodgers.
Accompanied by Broadway veteran
music director Lawrence Yurman, the
audience can expect to hear Axelrod sing
some of Broadway’s most memorable
tunes, such as “
A Place for Us” from
Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story
and “Some Enchanting Evening” from
Richard Rodger’s South Pacific. Back stories
of the composers, Jewish traditions and
music with roots from the synagogue are
all incorporated in the show.
Although Axelrod’s 90-minute one-man
show has been performed some 30 times,
including in Dexter, Michigan in 2020,
each engagement differs.
“The show feels different each time we
do it,” says Axelrod, 28, who lives in New
York. “
As the world for American Jews has
changed and shifted, the songs may carry
different meanings. I built the show before
the shooting at The Tree of Life Synagogue
in Pittsburgh, and things have changed
for American Jews since then. I feel it’s my
responsibility to reflect the ever-changing
world in this show.”
There is no doubt Axelrod is proud to be
Jewish and, with the rise of antisemitism,
he says acknowledging all the Jewish
contributions to musical theater is more
important than ever. He also says he feels
strongly about fighting antisemitism and
supporting all Jews, regardless of their level
of spirituality or observance.
Ann Arbor native Ari Axelrod takes
his show about Jewish Broadway
back to New York City, also
releases his debut album.
Cabaret Star
Shares His
Jewish Pride
ALICE BURDICK SCHWEIGER
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
Ari
Axelrod
DETAILS
A Place for Us: A Celebration of
Jewish Broadway: Monday, Jan.
30 at 8:30 p.m. at the Birdland
Theater, 315 W. 44th St., New
York City. For tickets, call (212)
581-3080. birdlandjazz.com.
Axelrod will also be performing on
March 1 and 2 at the Levis Jewish
Community in Boca Raton, Florida.
(561) 558-2520.
Ari Axelrod at
Chelsea T&S,
Nov. 22, 2022
MICHAEL HULL