13th Street Repertory Theater's IRVING BERLIN RAGTIME REVUE to Open 11/9

When ASCAP Award-winning writer/director Chip Deffaa's "The Irving Berlin Ragtime Revue" opens November 9th at the 13th Street Repertory Theater (50 W. 13th Street, NYC), it will include some Berlin rarities and rediscoveries unheard in a century, including some never-recorded Berlin numbers.

According to Edith O'Hara, the 97-year-old founder/artistic director of the 13th Street Rep, the new full-length show-one of the biggest productions mounted at the theater in years--will feature no less than 42 Berlin songs, performed by a cast of 14.

Deffaa notes: "We'll include a goodly number of famous Berlin songs that many audience members will know, like 'Say it with Music,' 'You'd be Surprised," 'The International Rag,' and 'Alexander's Ragtime Band.' We include some standards that people will recall from their renditions in movies by Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Ethel Merman, Marilyn Monroe....But we'll also revive some of the earliest and rarest of the Berlin ragtime specialties that first put him on the map-catchy, infectious ditties so old they will be new to virtually everyone who comes to see the show. Delightful early hits, well worth hearing again, like 'The Syncopated Walk,' ''The Ragtime Soldier Man,' 'That Draggy Rag,' and 'Everything in America is Ragtime.' And two of the most skillful younger choreographers I know-Tyler DuBoys and Alex Acevedo, assisted by Rayna Hirt--are helping set these numbers to period moves."

Missy Dreier, one of the singing actors for whom Deffaa wrote "The Irving Berlin Ragtime Revue," notes: "This show is really special because it highlights many Berlin songs that may not be well-known but are as beautiful and poignant as some of his more famous songs. I am very excited to get to expose audiences to these gems that Chip has uncovered."

"The Irving Berlin Ragtime Revue"--which will run in repertory at the theater with Deffaa's long-running "One Night with Fanny Brice" and Israel Horovitz's "Line"-is the fourth production of Deffaa's to open at the theater this year. (And Deffaa's next production, "Mad About the Boy," is set to open in February of 2015.) The theater's mission, according to Edith O'Hara has always been to nurture up-and-coming American playwrights, such as Deffaa (who's become the theater's defacto playwright-in-residence), and to nurture up-and-coming performers. O'Hara is proud that the theater helped give early exposure to such performers as Christopher Meloni, Chazz Palmintieri, Barry Manilow, and Bette Middler. And O'Hara trusts that some of the young performers Deffaa is bringing into her repertory company may follow in those celebrated performers' footsteps.

"The Irving Berlin Ragtime Revue" will feature Michael Czyz, Maite Uzal, Michael Kasper, Rayna Hirt, Jonah Barricklo, Emily Bordonaro, Ken Adams, Missy Dreier, K.W. Andersson; Andrew Lanctot, Ann Marie Calabro, Brandon Pollinger, Timmy Thompson, Marisa Budnick, Rachel Hundert.

Carolyn Montgomer-Forant, who's won every major award a cabaret singer can win in New York--including the MAC Award, the Bistro Award, and the Nightlife Award--will be a special guest star at select performances. She has a long association with Deffaa. She was featured prominently, for example, in Deffaa's "Johnny Mercer Jamboree" at the Chashama Theater on 42nd Street, a dozen years ago, and may be heard on the original cast album.

Music director Richard Danley, co-choreographers Alex Acevedo and Tyler DuBoys, stage-manager Kate Solomon-Tilley, assistant director Peter Charney, and production assistant Gina Colisimo, who've served on Deffaa's "Irving Berlin's America" and "Theater Boys," have returned for this production, according to producer Sandra Nordgren. (Assisting in varying ways with production are 13th Street Rep mainstays Nick Linnehan, Joe Battista, June Rachelson Ospa. And Peter Charney will design lighting. "I'm grateful we have such a strong team," says Deffaa.)

Nordgren, who also produced Deffaa's "One Night with Fanny Brice," "Theater Boys," and "Irving Berlin's America," encourages patrons to order tickets online in advance, rather than wait to buy them at the door, since Deffaa's past productions at the intimate theater have tended to sell out. And there is an ongoing interest in Berlin.

Veteran stage/screen actor Michael Townsend Wright, who has portrayed Berlin for Deffaa on stage and on disc in the past, and is serving as a consultant on this production, notes: "When the great composer Jerome Kern was asked, 'What is Irving Berlin's place in American music?,' Kern responded: 'Berlin has no place in American music; he IS American music.' Berlin wrote more hits and made more money than any of the other songwriters. Fred Astaire said Berlin's music was the best to dance to."

"We have a hand-picked cast," Deffaa says. "Several of our company members were in the original reading of 'The Irving Berlin Ragtime Revue' last year-in fact I wrote the show with them in mind: Emily Bordonaro, Michael Kasper, Missy Dreier, Peter Charney.... Others have been in other shows of mine or on recordings of mine, before, such as K. W. Andersson, Andrew Lanctot, Sam Donnenberg, Marisa Budnick.... I found others-such as the high-spirited Jonah Barricklo, an amazing young tap-dancer--through auditions or through recommendations of respected industry pro's such as Thommie Retter and Jody Prusan. For a month we've been rehearsing on the stage of the theater--and even on the roof of the theater. I'm sure we're the only production in NYC that's done some rehearsals on the roof of their theater, in the open air."

The 14-person cast ranges in age from 12 to 42. The youngest cast members say they've learned a lot, working on the show. Jonah Barricklo, 12, acknowledges: "I didn't really know the name 'Irving Berlin.' But now that we're doing this show, it's so interesting, I want to know more. I've been reading up on Irving Berlin in different places." His understudy, Timmy Thompson, 13, concurs: "This production is truly a learning experience fo me. It's such a throwback from some of today's contemporary shows. It brings back a style of music and performance that-for some people of my generation, anyway-has been lost. It's so awesome to see this music being appreciated again."

Castmate Michael Kasper adds: "This is really exciting. I did the original reading for this show and now we're doing the actual show--my first New York production. It's great!"

Matt ZanFagna, who's assisted on the Berlin project (abd previously assisted with "Fanny Brice"), commented: "This show is important because we're helping preserve a dying piece of America. Berlin was so popular because he embraced and used the music of all different cultures flooding the US over a hundred years ago. He took these influences, and through-as he called it 'simple melody'-created something novel and beautiful. It feels good to help bring back that positivity."

The 13th Street Repertory Theater had such a successful run with Deffaa's previous show about Berlin, "Irving Berlin's America," co-starring Giuseppe Bausilio and Michael Townsend Wright, that Edith O'Hara gave Deffaa the green-light to present other shows about Berlin.

This is the second of five shows, examining Berlin's legacy from different perspectives, that Deffaa intends to stage at the 13th Street Rep over the next two years. "Berlin was the most successful individual songwriter in history," Deffaa says. "His legacy is so great, it will take a series of shows to properly salute him."

Berlin was famously reclusive, and zealous about preserving his privacy. In his lifetime, Berlin blocked every attempt to dramatize his life story. He said he did not want any stage, TV, or film depictions of his life; after he was dead, he said, people could do what they wanted. But as long as he was alive, he did not want anyone dramatizing his life in any medium.. Deffaa is the first playwright to put Berlin's life story on stage.

Deffaa's first show about Berlin, "Irving Berlin's America," has enjoyed various productions, with such actors as Matthew Nardozzi, Giuseppe Bausilio, Jack Saleeby. . And the cast album of that show includes some real rarities. Deffaa reflects: "Jack Saleeby, in signing on to do the project, became the first person ever to record one early Berlin rarity, 'Blow Your Horn.' That's a wonderful honor, to get to make the first recording of a Berlin song. Eventually I'd like to make a cast album for this show, too."

The 13th Street Rep's hit production of "Irving Berlin's America" quickly earned the show a publishing contract from Steele Springs Stage Rights. Is Deffaa hoping history will repeat itself with "The Irving Berlin Ragtime Revue"? "It'd be great to have Steele Springs Stage Rights publish this show as well. 'Irving Berlin's America' is a two-character show focusing on the final period of Berlin's long life--a character study of Berlin as an old man. 'The Irving Berlin Ragtime Revue,' by contrast, is a celebration of Berlin's earliest years, written for a cast of 10-14 players. Some theater companies might prefer one show, some might prefer another."

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