13th Street Rep To Hold EDDIE CANTOR DAY November 21

Tuesday, November 21st, will be "Eddie Cantor Day" at the historic 13th Street Repertory Theater (50 W. 13th St., NYC), where Chip Deffaa's show "Irving Berlin: In Person" is now playing. For 50 years, entertainer Eddie Cantor and songwriter Irving Berlin were friends. Berlin provided Cantor with some of his biggest hits, from "Mandy" to "You'd Be Surprised." Cantor was singing Berlin songs (such as "Araby") in vaudeville even before he rose to stardom in the Ziegfeld Follies (for which Berlin was a major songwriter). And Cantor continued to sing Berlin songs in films, on radio, and on TV. In "Irving Berlin: In Person," Jon Peterson (portraying Berlin) speaks of Berlin and sings/dances "Mandy."

Anyone bring a recording of Eddie Cantor or of Irving Berlin to theater on "Eddie Cantor Day" will be able to attend the show at half price; anyone who can sing in the lobby a chorus of one of Eddie Cantor's signature songs will be admitted to the theater for free. (Carol Bradshaw, who was a winner the last time the theater held at "Eddie Cantor Day," in November of 2014, is expected to try her luck once again.)

Cantor's grandson, singer-songwriter Brian Gari, will be an honored guest at "Eddie Cantor Day," and will join ASCAP Award-winning playwright Deffaa and star Jon Peterson on stage for an audience talk-back after the 7:30 pm performance of "Irving Berlin: In Person." Deffaa notes: "Brian is an accomplished artist in his own right, and we sort of think of this, informally, as 'Eddie Cantor/Brian Gari Day.'"

Gari composed the score for the Broadway musical "Late Nite Comic," and has written some 900 songs, which have been recorded by artists as varied as Steve Ross, Karen Ziemba, Andrea Marcovicci, Kaye Ballard, Margaret Whiting, Leah Kunkel, Jana Robbins, Arthur Siegel, Don Ciccone, and The Tokens. He has written such books as "Close Encounters of the Celebrity Kind" and "We Bombed in New London."

In addition, Gari, has been a keeper of the Eddie Cantor flame, reissuing recordings and DVD's of Cantor. Gari--who was also a guest of honor the last time the theater held an "Eddie Cantor Day"--is no stranger to the 13th Street Repertory Theater. He first entered the theater as a young performer, auditioning for a production of "Hair" at the theater.

Deffaa, who has written plays about George M. Cohan, Fanny Brice, and other legendary showfolk, is an expert on the roots of American show business. Deffaa notes: "Irving Berlin and Eddie Cantor had a good deal in common. They both grew up on New York Lower East Side. Their families emmigrated to America from Russia with nothing. Growing up, they sang wherever they could--from the streets of New York to dives--to make a few bucks. They both rose from poverty to become top figures of their generation. Berlin became the single most successful songwriter in American history. Cantor scored major success on Broadway--'Kid Boots,' 'Whoopee,' 'The Ziegfeld Folli8es'--then went on to have a top-rated radio program. He did well in films, too,. and early television. We'll be happy to take questions from audience members concerning both Eddie Cantor and Irving Berlin, in our little talkback after Tuesday's performance of 'Irving Berlin: In Person.'"

According to Edith O'Hara, the 100-year-old founder/original artistic director of 13th Street Rep, question-and-answer sessions with special guests have long been a popular feature at the theater. Perhaps the most memorable such session occurred when master playwright Tennessee Williams took the stage, after a production of one of his dramas at the theater, to informally answer questions. And, O'Hara notes, in recent years Deffaa has periodically hosted special presentations following performances at the theater of his shows, including "Theater Boys," "Irving Berlin's America," "One Night with Fanny Brice," "The Irving Berlin Ragtime Revue," and "Mad About the Boy."

For more info or to buy tix for "Irving Berlin: In Person," please visit:
www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3117914

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