Tovah Feldshuh to Host National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene's OUR LEADING LADIES Mother's Day Concert

Four-time Tony nominee Tovah Feldshuh and the Emmy and Tony Award-winning David Hyde Pierce will be among those appearing in the Drama Desk Award-winning National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene's Mother's Day gala concert, Our Leading Ladies, at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 LaGuardia Place, on Sunday May 14, at 6:30pm.

Currently an associate producer on Paula Vogel's critically-acclaimed Broadway play Indecent, and the company responsible for last season's Off Broadway hit musical The Golden Bride, the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene (NYTF) celebrates ten women who have made indelible contributions to the arts, business, science and philanthropy.

The evening is hosted by Ms. Feldshuh, the Drama Desk and Helen Hayes Award-winner, four-time Tony nominee and two-time Emmy nominee, who is currently on CW's "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend." Mr. Pierce, currently starring opposite Bette Middler in Broadway's Hello Dolly (for which he is nominated for a Tony for best actor in a musical) will be among the evening's award presenters.

Among the performers will be the musical theatre writing team of Barbara Anselmi (composer) and Brian Hargrove (lyricist/bookwriter), presenting a special number from their musical It Shoulda Been You, which premiered on Broadway in 2015 and was directed by Mr. Pierce. Other highlights include performances by the Broadway actresses Joanne Borts (Once, Fiddler on the Roof); Dani Marcus (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder); Rachel Zatcoff (Phantom of the Opera, The Golden Bride) and Tony Award nominated director and performer Eleanor Reissa (currently appearing in Indecent). The Grammy Award-nominated recording artist Rachael Sage and Annette Ezekiel-Kogan of the popular rock-Klezmer band Golem, are also slated to perform. The concert's all-female orchestra will be helmed by wold-renowned violinist Alicia Svigals. The full list of performers and participants can be found at www.nytf.org.

Among the evening's honorees are prolific theatrical producer Daryl Roth, with whom NYTF is producing Indecent; Moment Magazine editor and publisher Nadine Epstein; healthcare advancement trailblazer Dr. Marion Bergman, leading food allergy research advocate Sharyn Mann, Periodontics and dental pioneer Dr. Rada Sumareva; author and educator Fanya Gottesfeld Heller; chemical engineer Rodica Burg; "Yiddishe Mame" comic books' inspiration philanthropist Ruth Goldschmidt; business and finance shark Inna Khidekel, and visionary hotelier Bunny Grossinger, who is the founder of the Jon Tisch School of Hospitality and Tourism.

The concert's creative team includes NYTF Artistic Director Zalmen Mlotek as music director, direction provided by Drama Desk Award nominee NYTF Associate Artistic Director Motl Didner (The Golden Bride), choreography by Merete Muenter, casting by Jamibeth Margolis, with lighting design by Yael Lubetzky (currently Indecent). The gala is produced by Moishe Rosenfeld and NYTF Executive Producer Christopher Massimine.

Established 1915, the Drama Desk-winning National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene brings a rich cultural heritage to life on stage-one that was nearly destroyed some 80 years ago. With mainstage productions, reading series, concerts, education and outreach programs, all presented with supertitle translations, NYTF's programming is accessible to multicultural audiences. NYTF continues to play in the forefront effort of bridging Jewish life with a secular world by utilizing the arts as a connector to cultural legacy, identity, and global citizenship. Now from its home at the Museum of Jewish heritage, NYTF continues to present relevant and impactful programming to more than 100,000 attendees annually. Under the leadership of Executive Producer Christopher Massimine and Artistic Director Zalmen Mlotek, NYTF has fostered a commitment to cultivating wide and eclectic audiences, with programs incubating in the constructs of the city and building impactful brands ready to travel throughout the country and around the world.

National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene's Mother's Day gala concert, Our Leading Ladies, takes place on Sunday, May 14, at 6:30pm at the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, 566 LaGuardia Place. Tickets start at $300, and are on sale now at (212) 213-2120 ext. 208 or www.nytf.org.

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos

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