Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company to Stage THE SOUL OF GERSHWIN

'The Soul of Gershwin, The Musical Journey of an American Klezmer' featuring 23 songs from renowned composer George Gershwin, played by a klezmer band and showcasing a number of vocalists will play at Toronto's Winter Garden Theatre from May 1 to 9, 2010.

The production is presented by The Harold Green Jewish Theatre Company in special collaboration with Show One and by special arrangement with the National Jewish Theatre.

For tickets and more information, visit www.hgjewishtheatre.com.

During his illustrious career, Gershwin wrote more than a dozen Broadway shows with his older brother Ira Gershwin. George Gershwin's music, which spanned popular and classical genres, includes the hits "Rhapsody in Blue" and "An American in Paris." His first published song was "When You Want 'Em You Can't Get 'Em, When You've Got 'Em, You Don't Want 'Em." It was published in 1916 when Gershwin was only 17 years old and earned him a sum total of $5.

The musical great would go on to write the 1917 novelty rag "Rialto Ripples," a commercial success, and in 1919 he scored his first big national hit with his song "Swanee." In 1916, Gershwin started working for Aeolian Company and Standard Music Rolls in New York, recording and arranging. He produced dozens, if not hundreds, of rolls under his own and assumed names. In 1924, George and Ira Gershwin collaborated on a musical comedy Lady Be Good, which included such future standards as "Fascinating Rhythm" and "Oh, Lady Be Good!." This was followed by Oh, Kay! (1926), Funny Face (1927), Strike up the Band (1927 and 1930), Show Girl (1929), Girl Crazy (1930), which introduced the standard "I Got Rhythm"; and Of Thee I Sing (1931), the first musical comedy to win a Pulitzer Prize. Porgy and Bess (1935) has been deemed his most ambitious project. Additional Broadway compositions include: Let 'Em Eat Cake (1933), and Pardon my English (1933), amongst many others.

Gershwin died of a cystic malignant brain tumor.

 

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