The Long Anticipated Return …
After many months of radio-silence, I’ve resurfaced in the blogosphere …
… and I’ve got lots and lots to report!
First of all, many apologies to my followers… I’ve been remiss… mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!! I’ve missed you to pieces…
Next up, I hope everyone will be come see me in The Adventures of Hershele Ostropolyer at The Baruch Performing Arts Center. The Folksbiene Yiddish Theatre has revived last year’s off Broadway smash hit which stars Mike Burstyn in the title role – and I am thrilled to have joined this wonderful cast! Visit Dani Marcus’ blog about our adventures backstage! (beware Hershele, the Vampire Slayer…) Show schedule is on my calendar page with links to websites to buy tickets!
In other news: Kids & Yiddish 2011 was a huge success way back in February! We visited schools and community centers around the New York area, and hope to have more opportunities to perform in NYC and beyond! Follow this link to find out how you can bring Kids & Yiddish to your community!
The Witches of Lublin has been having a wonderful life on NPR stations across the US and Canada! Many thanks to creators Elizabeth Schwartz, Ellen Kushner and Yale Strom for their incredible tale of magical musicians, and to director Sue Zizza’s vision and efforts to get this beautiful piece On the Air.
Stay tuned… lots of travel, concerts and festivals coming up this Summer… I’ll be looking for you!
Anyway, I promise not to be a stranger… Joanne’ll never go away again!!
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Fare thee well, Fiddler…
Arrivederci Anatevka!
My dear Fellow Fiddler Voyagers…
How do I sum up what has taken 18 months, 40 different cities and 463 performances to experience? We’ve been explorers together, shared hundreds of Sabbaths, and had so many surprising and excellent adventures…
I can’t thank you enough… I never thought I’d tour again, but it was worth it to have had the chance to work with each of you. You came into my life at a fascinating time, and we all dove into this journey head-first ~ And when we meet again in NY or Vegas or wherever our paths lead us, we’ll know that we all shared something unique and remarkable.
Now that our wild ride has faced its final curtain, I hope that we will have the opportunity to tell more stories together… perhaps we’ll meet in Glocca Morra? Or Ancient Greece… or Oz…? No matter where and when, I’m grateful for this time, and I will miss each and every one of you ~ and this life ~and our little village of Anatevka.
Mazel Tov! Good luck in all your future endeavors and may we meet only on Happy Occasions!!
L’chaim!!
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“It’s a Major Award!!”
With the "Leg Lamp" in Cleveland!
Can you name that movie? It was filmed here in Cleveland, Ohio!!
Wow… Fiddler on the Roof is coming in for a landing — One more week here in Cleveland at the Palace Theatre, then we’re all on to greener pastures… We’ve covered the country back and forth several times, and now we’re here in the mid-west for our last hurrah!! Huzzah!!!
Our Nachum, the Begger – Rick Passagno – asked a favor of the company. He’s teaching a Theatre Class for college students, and he asked us to contribute our 2 cents about our experiences on tour. This produced a little something I’m excited to share.
Click here to read Life-Lessons from the Road! What started out as a quick reply email turned into a valuable exercise for me… and I hope others might enjoy it as well…
Just a little food for thought! Buon Appetito!!
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Lost in Austin
with Mark Rubin and Sasha Luminsky at World Famous Threadgill's Diner!
It’s official: Austin is my new favorite city in Texas!!! There, I said it. I’ve enjoyed the blue bonnets in many a Texas town before ~ Houston, Dallas, Galvaston, San Antonio ~ but Austin has come as a wonderful surprise. I’ve heard tales of the music scene before, but it’s really better when experienced first hand.
Got shanghai’d on Monday by the Austin’s own, unforgettable Mark Rubin ~ dinner at Threadgill’s, two-steppin’ over at the Continental Club, then onto a giant-sized jam session in a mansion near the “J”… I’m still recovering!
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Arizona Nights…
Sunset over Tucson
Tucson is quite simply… magnificent!!
The majestic mountains… the perfect weather. Visiting with good friends during the day and performing Fiddler at night… It’s weeks like this that make touring worthwhile. A thousand thanks to the Dumas Clan for making my visit feel like I was home sweet home! Didn’t get much of a tan, but did enjoy much of Tucson’s nightlife!!
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A Private Concert at the Fairmont
Theodore Bikel and Tamara Brooks perform for the Fiddler company
Theodore Bikel and Tamara Brooks treated the Cast and Crew of Fiddler to a private concert in the Wedgwood Salon of Edmonton’s historic Fairmont Hotel Macdonald . What an amazing gift! Yes, we’ve all been lucky enough to experience Mr. Bikel as ‘Tevye’, but many hadn’t seen the other musical facets of our Star.
With Tamara at the piano, Theo told stories and sang the songs that have made him an international legend. He started with a favorite Yiddish tune, (A Pintele) and then proceeded to sing folk songs in Russian, English, Hebrew, French, Spanish and Ladino… not bad for an informal gathering after a three hour performance of Fiddler!
Theo, Kaitlin ... and me!
As things were winding down, Mr. Bikel told a story about his experience as the original Captain Von Trapp in “The Sound of Music.” About 48 hours before the show opened on Broadway, Rogers and Hammerstein penned a song for Theo’s character and talents – it would be the last song Oscar Hammerstein ever wrote… his final lyric being, “…forever…” — Then we heard the familiar strumming on his guitar and a most heartfelt version of “Edelweiss.” As the chorus repeated, Tamara gestured for everyone to join in … and the room was filled with the voices of angels…
Finally, he put down the guitar and stood up. With no introduction, Ms. Brooks began a familiar melody on the piano, and Mr. Bikel began to sing … at first in Hebrew, then moved to English, and they finished the performance with Jacques Brel’s “If We Only Have Love.”
It was an unforgettable evening. Thank you Tamara and Theo…
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The Road to Edmonton…
The Road to Edmonton...
OK, anyone else rather take a bus than fly these days…?
Travel Day was a breeze and we got to Edmonton with absolutely no drama… What a relief! No security checkpoints, no overweight luggage… just load up and go! Why don’t we do this more often? The world would be a better place…
Fiddler opens tomorrow night at the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium. Word is, this theatre looks exactly the same as the one in Calgary. I’ll believe it when I see it…
I’m looking forward to working with our three new cast members, Rusty, Mark and Emily. But mostly, I can’t wait to continue the hang Tamara Brooks backstage between entrances.
Joanne and Tamara backstage
I’m actually quite accustomed to seeing myself in a babushka these days, but when I bumped into the Presenter at a restaurant tonight, she had absolutely no idea who I was… and she looked a little nervous when I knew her dog’s name! It was pretty funny… But really, aren’t I just gorgeous in my sheitel??
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Joanne WHO?
I'm a New York based broadway actor and singer (most recently appearing in ONCE) who also performs in concerts and music festivals across the U.S., Canada and Europe. When I'm not on tour, I write and direct a really hip and innovative off-b'way kids show ~ I'm on the council of Actors' Equity and frequently sing the national anthem at professional sporting events. I love Barbershop harmony, playing my little red accordion and my husband's cooking... That's me!!