Review: Portland Center Stage's IRVING BERLIN is the Must-See Show of the Month

This month, millions of people across America will gather in squares, theatres, and many other places to sing their favorite seasonal carols. At 99.99% of these gatherings, someone will strike up the tune of "White Christmas." Meanwhile, at sporting events across the country, just after the national anthem, many people will remain standing to participate in a rousing rendition of "God Bless America." Very few of these people will know that these songs -- both quintessentially American -- were written by a Russian Jewish immigrant. That immigrant, who gave us much of the Great American Songbook, was Irving Berlin.

The show currently playing at Portland Center Stage is a musical biography of one of the greatest composers of American music and American musical theatre. It's also a tour of American history through music. For example, "White Christmas" isn't just a great song for the season. It was first broadcast on Christmas Day in 1941, just after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and when many Americans were fighting overseas.

Irving Berlin tells the story of these and many other songs we all know and love through the life of their creator, from his childhood in Russia to his death in 1989, at age 101. It gives us the meaning behind these songs, which is often surprising and makes them all the more meaningful.

In this one-man show, Berlin is played by Hershey Felder, a Montreal-born classically trained pianist and composer who has played all over the country and the world, and who performs sing-along concerts of the Great American Songbook everywhere he goes. He's magnificent.

From the moment Felder steps on the stage as Berlin, you're totally hooped. You'll hang on his every word, swoon a little when he sings, and, of course, sing along when he asks you to. You should also be prepared to cry.

At a time when the patriotism is unpopular and the percentage of American adults who are "extremely proud" to be Americans has hit a new low, Irving Berlin gives us something to be proud of. It also reminds us that you don't have to be born here to be an American. We have always been a nation of immigrants, and we collectively owe a huge debt to the immigrants from all over the world who, like Berlin, have adopted our country as their home. For this reason, Irving Berlin is my must-see show of the month.

If you like music or history or musical history, or reside in the United States today, you should see this show.

Irving Berlin plays at Portland Center Stage through December 30. More info and tickets here.

Photo credit: Eighty Eight Entertainment

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