JANUARY 26 • 2023 | 55
STRONG JEWISH IDENTITY
Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Axelrod
grew up with a strong Jewish identity.
He attended Ann Arbor Hebrew Day
School and went to Israel on a Birthright
trip when in college and later staffed a
Birthright trip.
His family belongs to Beth Israel
Congregation in Ann Arbor, where he
became a bar mitzvah, and has close ties
to the Jewish community.
Ari’s mother, Robin Axelrod, directed
University of Michigan’s Jewish
professional leadership program, was
director of education at the Zekelman
Holocaust Center in Farmington
Hills and was appointed to the State
of Michigan’s Governor’s Council of
Genocide and Holocaust Education. She
serves on boards of numerous Jewish
organizations, including the Detroit
Jewish News Foundation.
Brad Axelrod, Ari’s dad, has worked as
a neuropsychologist at the Department
of Veterans Affairs in Detroit and has a
private practice in Ann Arbor. He served
on the Ann Arbor Jewish Film Festival
Committee and on the boards of Beth
Israel Congregation and the Hebrew
Day School. Presently, he is the liaison
from Ann Arbor to the Detroit Steering
Committee for the Jewish Federation’s
Partnership Together Committee.
Robert Axelrod, Ari’s brother, is a
screenwriter in L.A. He has been honored
with numerous awards, including the
inaugural Jewish Writers Initiative.
“Within five minutes of meeting
Ari, you know the things in his life he
holds most dearly are his family, Jewish
identity and his dog Leo (who sometimes
appears with him on stage),” Robin says.
“He is multi-hyphenate — that rare
combination of actor, singer, director,
teacher, deep listener, storyteller and
mensch. He makes us proud every single
day.”
Axelrod attended Skyline High
School in Ann Arbor. Growing up, he
performed in local musical productions,
including at Pioneer High School where
he was Raoul in Phantom of the Opera,
Tony in West Side Story and Mr. Mayor
in Seussical. After studying musical
theater in college in St. Louis, he began
landing parts in plays and building a
career.
Perhaps his biggest challenge wasn’t
breaking into show business, rather
dealing with a serious medical condition.
During his junior year in college,
he was diagnosed with a rare and
potentially fatal disease called Arnold-
Chiari Malformation. (It’s a condition
in which brain tissue extends into the
spinal canal.) Fortunately, he underwent
successful neurosurgery at U-M Hospital
and was given a clean bill of health. He
says because of that experience, he is
“choosing to live every second of his new
lease on life to the fullest.”
FINDING CABARET
A few weeks after his surgery, his career
took a significant turn. He applied to
the St. Louis Cabaret Conference, where
he was introduced to the transformative
art of cabaret and concert performance.
Soon after, new doors opened for
him. He was able to work with two-time
Tony Award winner Christine Ebersole
and Tony Award winner Faith Prince,
who would later go on to direct Axelrod’s
first solo show titled Taking the Wheel,
in which he debuted at 54 Below in New
York.
He created a name for himself as a
“cabaret star,” says Stephen Mosher,
editor-in-chief of the online Broadway
World Cabaret. Axelrod received the
2022 Bistro Award for Theatrical Artistry
in Song. He was also named to the 2019
New York Jewish Week’s prestigious
36 Under 36 Award, which honors 36
noteworthy Jewish leaders, all 36 years
old or younger, who make the world
— and its many Jewish communities —
better. And last November, he released
his debut album, Ari Axelrod Live at
Birdland (see sidebar).
At age 22, Axelrod moved to New York
to pursue his career. He performed Off
Broadway in Jerry Herman’s Milk and
Honey at the York Theatre Company,
where he was asked to sing like a cantor
and dance the hora. He also founded a
master class series called “Bridging the
Gap,” which focused on bridging the gap
between musical theater and cabaret.
The idea to do “A Celebration of
Jewish Broadway” was introduced by
Marty Shichtman, director of the Center
for Jewish Studies at Eastern Michigan
University.
“He suggested I speak about being an
actor and a Jew,” Axelrod recalls. “He
said to build the show about the Jewish
influence in musical theater, and ‘come to
Eastern Michigan and do it for us.’ I did
it in October 2018 at EMU and brought
the show to Birdland in January 2019. I
have done it three times at Birdland and
each time it has sold out. The last time
Tovah Feldshuh joined me as a featured
performer.”
Axelrod says doing his show is very
rewarding. “Oftentimes, the audience
will sing along with me, and after a
performance, people will come up and
tell me what the show and music meant
to them. For some, the songs and stories
transport them back in time — having
seen those musicals in the past — or even
reminding them of their Shabbat dinner
table. It’s a very empowering feeling.”
Last November, Ari Axelrod
released his debut album: Ari
Axelrod Live at Birdland. It can
be heard and downloaded on
many streaming platforms, such
as Spotify, Amazon Music, You
Tube Music and iHeart. It can
also be purchased. Some songs
on the album are Over the
Rainbow, Being Alive, My Funny
Valentine and If I Were a Rich
Man. For more information, go to
ariaxelrod.com.
ROBBIE ROZELLE