Soul Doctor
Tickets from $135 Buy Tickets
Cititour.com Review
It’s not the spiritual side of Soul Doctor that requires the attention of a specialist. But the thinly stretched story it tells about Shlomo Carlebach, a rabbi who became a ’60s music sensation, should have been put in the care of a book doctor before venturing to Broadway. In its present incarnation it has some zestfully uplifting numbers (Carlebach’s own music) surrounded by largely humdrum scenes from his life.
At times, book writer and director Daniel S. Wise’s rendering of the life of this “Rock Star Rabbi” (as he was known) suffers from tone deafness. There are punchlines that would be a better fit for the shtick-fest Old Jews Telling Jokes than this story of a young man’s struggle against tradition and expectation to find his footing in the world.
The son of an Orthodox rabbi, Carlebach fled Europe with his family in the ’30, as the Nazis rose to power, and landed in New York, where he and his brother were expected to follow in Dad’s footsteps. But, as the show demonstrates, his musical yearnings couldn't be satisfied by the limits his religion would allow, and it isn’t until he bonds with activist and jazz singer Nina Simone that he finds his voice—and goes on to become something of a hippie guru for lost young Jews. And it takes until then, 40 minutes into this two-and-a-half-hour show, for Soul Doctor to find its voice, as these two outsiders come together and fulfill their potential against all odds.
Eric Anderson and Amber Iman breathe compelling life into the soft-spoken Shlomo and the vibrant Nina, showing with subtlety their evolutions as musicians and people. If only Wise hadn’t created the character of a fired cantor (Ron Orbach, underused) hell-bent on revenge to be Shlomo’s antagonist. Or if David Schechter’s lyrics were as inspired as Carlebach’s music.
Shlomo certainly isn’t your traditional musical-theater protagonist, and his soaring folk music doesn’t sound like anything else on Broadway. But Soul Doctor does have a Broadway price tag—$135 a ticket—and for that, audiences deserve a product with more polish.
By Diane Snyder
Visit the Site
http://www.SoulDoctorBroadway.com
Cast
Eric Anderson, Jacqueline Antaramian, Dianna Barger, Richard Cerato, Tara Chambers, Maria Conti, Alexandra Frohlinger, Afra Hines, Amber Iman, Abdur-Rahim Jackson, Jamie Jackson, Ethan Khusidman, Dillon Kondor, Zarah Mahler, Vasthy Mompoint, Ron Orbach, Ian Paget, Heather Parcells, Michael Paternostro, JC Schuster, Eric Stockton, Ryan Strand, Teddy Walsh
Open/Close Dates
Opening 8/15/2013
Closing 10/13/2013
Preview Open/ Preview Close Dates
Preview Opening 7/17/2013
Closing Open-ended
Box Office
212-239-6200
Theatre Info
Circle in the Square
235 West 50th Street
New York, NY 10019
Map
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