“The Cantors Couch” IS A HIT! Jack is a warm & gracious performer. His emotions were felt by all as he spoke and sang about his life.
Watching the show and hearing the audience’s reaction, I could feel every eye was on ‘Jackie’ eagerly waiting to see what would come next! This show is unique! Jack’s personal story is as unique as the story of the Cantorate. One was able to feel the difficult times he had as he struggled to achieve happiness and true meaning in his life. What a gift he has! He is a great storyteller. One can feel as if they are right there in the room with him and his therapist eavesdropping on his therapy session. He expresses his life experiences with a sense of reality yet with incredible humor. But despite his difficulties, he rose above it all and became a beloved leader and Cantor in the Jewish community.
As for me, I was truly taken back in time to my childhood. Even though Jack’s stories about family life are not similar to mine, we do share similar backgrounds educationally and in Cantorial training. Throughout the show I kept thinking how much I appreciated that my father gave me the opportunity to study & train with Cantorial greats and world renowned musicians of the Cantorial Golden era.
Mark Bieler, author, was incredibly inventive and original in how he relayed Jack’s story in a manner that is so colorful, humorous and musical, all at the same time. The show is very well written and has the ability to keep the audience’s attention throughout.
The music, by Jonathan Comisar, truly enhanced the show. Comisar added 2 great songs & much ‘incidental’ music which captivated the audience and helped the story to build. The music expressed the sentiment of the dialogue and truly brought out the feelings that Jack was portraying.
One could feel how Jack truly loves being on stage and sharing his life with us. The audience felt incredible warmth and enthusiasm …just as Jack enjoyed presenting to us his 2 hour one-man-show, filled with laughter, lots of nostalgia, beautiful music and love.
The standing ovation spoke for itself. It was truly deserved. What a great night!!
Cantorially always,
Cantor Sol Zim
