David Mirvish will present Jake Ehrenreich in his unique stage production, A JEW GROWS IN BROOKLYN. Described as a "rock n' roll true story, Holocaust family, Borscht belt comedy musical," A JEW GROWS IN BROOKLYN will play the Panasonic Theatre from April 28 to May 16, 2010.
After becoming a smash hit and breaking box office records at the historic Lamb's Theatre (in the heart of the Broadway theatre district) and running in New York for well over a year, A JEW GROWS IN BROOKLYN has been touring to major cities across the United States, receiving critical and popular acclaim everywhere it plays.A JEW GROWS IN BROOKLYN tells Jake's true story growing up in Brooklyn and his search for identity. As a boy, he wanted nothing more than to fit in. But the reality of being the first American-born child of Holocaust survivors with thick European accents made him do everything he could to conform to his vision of what it meant to be a "real" American. Still, no matter what he did and despite his expertise on the ball field, his extraordinary musical talent and his popularity, he always felt uncomfortable with his identity and with his family's haunting past.
In poignant, touching and hilarious stories and songs - including a hard hitting classic rock medley from his youth, a multi instrumental version of Sing, Sing, Sing, a beautiful Christmas medley and a selection of Yiddish folk songs - along with the use of visual multi-media, Jake recreates his boyhood, adolescence and adulthood and his unforgettable journey of discovery and acceptance. From the front stoops of Brooklyn to the comedy and musical stages of the Catskills and Broadway, from the Rock n' Roll road to the bedsides of ailing parents and siblings, Jake's story is personal and universal at the same time. It is the story of all our journeys, no matter where we are from.
A Jew Grows in Brooklyn will play the Panasonic Theatre at 651 Yonge Street, Toronto from April 28 to May 16, 2010. Performances will run on Wednesdays at 2 PM & 7:30 PM, Thurdays at 7:30 PM, Fridays at 8 PM, Saturdays at 2 PM & 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM. Tickets range from $25 to $60 and can be purchased by phone at 416-872-1212 or 1-800-461-3333, or online at www.mirvish.com.
Jake Ehrenreich is a writer, actor and musician. He has appeared on Broadway in Dancin', Barnum, and They're Playing Our Song, and toured internationally as Ringo in Beatlemania. A documentary about Jake is in production and scheduled for late in 2010. He now resides in Orange County, NY.
The extraordinary success of the stage play has led to a full-length book version of A JEW GROWS IN BROOKLYN. Published by Health Communications Inc., the company made famous by the best-selling record-setting Chicken Soup for the Soul series of books, Jake has adapted his stage show into an inspirational compilation of engaging, endearing and humorous essays. The book will be in bookstores across North America in early April 2010, just in time for the Passover Holiday and to coincide with Holocaust Remembrance Day. A JEW GROWS IN BROOKLYN, the book, will be distributed in Canada by Thomas Allen & Son Ltd.
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