Playwright: Hershey Felder. At: Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted St. Tickets: 312-988-9000; www.theroyalgeorgetheatre.com; $55. Runs through: Dec. 30
With Maestro, gifted pianist, actor and writer Hershey Felder adds Leonard Bernstein ( 1918-1990 ) to his gallery of one-man shows about great composers, previously having played George Gershwin, Beethoven and Chopin. That would be two 19th-century European Catholics and two 20th-century American Jews. We'll see if he tips the balance with his next piece, whenever that may be.
As in earlier shows, Felder dazzles with his pianistic talent, personal magnetism and intense performing focus, guided by his longtime director Joel Zwick. Also, fortunately, he sings far better than Bernstein ever did. No one would want to listen to Lenny growl his way through "Maria" from West Side Story, but Felder is surprisingly good. His deep research into Bernstein's life and art also is impressive, even if his wig channels Phil Donahue ( hair swept across ) more than Bernstein ( hair swept back ) .
However, condensing a 72-year life into 100 minutes requires leaving a great deal on the cutting-room floor. Most of the unpleasant aspects of Bernstein's personality ( egotistical, demanding and sometimes greedy in contractual matters ) are left out, as are demonstrations of Bernstein at his charming and ebullient social best. Missing, too, is anything more than a passing reference to Bernstein's deep commitment to progressive social causes and the state of Israel. However, for readers of this publication, the most glaring omission is full acknowledgment of Bernstein's bisexuality from adolescence onward, ending with his acceptance of his homosexuality when he left his wife of 25 years in 1976. Early in his career he was mentored by a coterie of influential gay men of music, among them composers Aaron Copland and Marc Blitzstein as well as conductor Dmitri Mitropoulos, so this aspect of his biography is crucial.
On the other hand, this show is Maestro: The Art of Leonard Bernstein and not Lenny: The Life of Leonard Bernstein, and that distinction must be understood. Felder definitely chooses to emphasize the inspirations and craft of Bernstein the conductor and composer ( and the conflict between the two ) , rather than his personal dilemmas, which pretty much boil down to Bernstein's overwhelming desire to be loved by everyone, as he once commented himself. To his great credit, Felder is as adept and passionate in explaining the abstract and technical qualities of music as was Bernstein himself ( in his many celebrated TV talks and recorded lectures ) , all of which makes the esoterica of music intelligently accessible.
As Felder observes in the program, Bernstein died just 21 years ago, which means many people still have strong memories of him and his work, and many are alive who knew him personally ( myself among them ) . Maestro cannot possibly satisfy everyone's memories and impressions of Bernstein, but it amply proves that Bernstein remains vigorously contemporary.
