Hershey Felder to Star in MAESTRO: LEONARD BERNSTEIN at Cleveland Play House

Cleveland Play House proudly presents a live summer production of Hershey Felder in Maestro: Leonard Bernstein, in the Allen Theatre at PlayhouseSquare. Mr. Felder has previously awed Cleveland audiences with his creations of Beethoven As I Knew Him, Monsieur Chopin, George Gershwin Alone, and The Great American Songbook. Maestro: Leonard Bernstein, a play with music, will run in the Allen Theatre at PlayhouseSquare starting Wednesday July 17 through Sunday, August 4, 2013. Tickets are available by calling 216-241-6000 or online at www.clevelandplayhouse.com.

"Hershey Felder has been one of the most popular performers on our stage," says Cleveland Play House Managing Director Kevin Moore. "It's a pleasure to welcome him back as one of America's greatest musical talents."

With a story spanning the entire 20th century, Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story, Candide) is one of America's greatest musical artists. During his long career, Bernstein broke through every artistic ceiling to become the world's musical ambassador. Conductor, composer, pianist, teacher, librettist, television star...for Leonard Bernstein, boundaries simply did not exist. Mr. Felder combines first-person narrative with the music of Mr. Bernstein and the artists who inspired him in Maestro: Leonard Bernstein.

Playwright and performer Hershey Felder has appeared on Broadway and London's West End in George Gershwin Alone. His "Composer Sonata" - George Gershwin Alone, Monsieur Chopin, Beethoven, As I Knew Him and Maestro: Leonard Bernstein - has been presented at dozens of theatres across the U.S. and around the world. He also performed Monsieur Chopin for the Polish Ambassador to the United States. His compositions include Aliyah, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, Fairytale, Les Anges de Paris, Suite for Violin and Piano, Song Settings, Saltimbanques for Piano and Orchestra, Etudes Thematiques for Piano and An American Story for actor and orchestra. George Gershwin Alone received worldwide live broadcasts in July 2005 and May 2011. Felder's current projects include the new musicals An American Story and Hershey Felder as Franz Liszt in The Piano Show. Felder has been a Scholar in Residence at Harvard University's Department of Music.

Director Joel Zwick directed My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the highest-grossing romantic comedy film of all time, produced by Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson and Gary Goetzman. He has directed on Broadway, Off Broadway and Broadway touring companies. Mr. Zwick is recognized as one of Hollywood's most prolific director of episodic television, having the direction of 525 episodes to his credit. These include having directed 21 pilots which have gone on to become regular series. He directed the Broadway production of George Gershwin Alone. Previous New York productions have included Dance With Me (Tony nomination), Shenandoah (Broadway national tour), Oklahoma (national tour) and Cold Storage (American Place Theater). He directed Esther (Promenade Theater, NY), Merry-Go-Round (Chicago, Las Vegas), Last Chance Saloon and Woycek (West End, London). Mr. Zwick has taught drama at the Yale School of Drama, Brooklyn College, Queens College, Wheaton College, and USC. A graduate (B.A., M.A.) of Brooklyn College, he is currently directing "Shake It Up" for the Disney Channel.

Founded in 1915, Cleveland Play House is America's first professional regional theatre. Throughout its rich history, Cleveland Play House has remained dedicated to its mission to inspire, stimulate and entertain diverse audiences in Northeast Ohio by producing plays and theatre education programs of the highest professional standards. It has produced more than 100 world and/or American premieres, and over long history more than 12 million people have attended over 1,300 CPH productions. Today, under the leadership of Artistic Director Michael Bloom and Managing Director Kevin Moore, Cleveland Play House looks toward its centennial while performing in three state-of-the art venues at PlayhouseSquare in downtown Cleveland.

Cleveland Play House is funded through the generosity of Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, and The Ohio Arts Council helps to fund Cleveland Play House with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

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