Jewish Hollywood, written by Chris Burgess and with musical arrangements by Andy Collyer and direction and choreography by Chris Whittaker, will open at Upstairs at The Gatehouse.
Charting a century of Jewish Cinema in one show – from shtetl to stardom – and featuring classic songs, including Putting on the Ritz, Don’t Rain on my Parade, Tradition, Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?, My Yiddishe Momme, Theme from ‘Exodus’, Hava Nagila, California Here We Come, If You Knew Susie, Wild About Harry, Cheek To Cheek, Second Hand Rose, Toot, Toot, Tootsie!, Mammy, The American Dream, God Bless America and many more…
The Jews of Hollywood invented the ‘American Dream’, coming from shtetls and ending up in Beverly Hills mansions. This show tells stories of ambition and sacrifice.
What was the price paid for assimilation? How did the Jews of Hollywood confront anti-Semitism? How did the Holocaust change their depiction of Jews on screen? How badly hit were they by the notorious blacklisting of the 1950s? And what caused the rebirth of Jewish cinema in the 1960s, giving rise to stars like Barbra Streisand, Woody Allen and Bette Midler?
Casting and further creative team to be announced.
Jewish Hollywood is at Upstairs at The Gatehouse 28th April to 24th May 2020.
