If you are a theater fan in the Bay Area, you have probably already seen a Hershey Felder show. If you haven’t, no need to keep reading, just go buy your tickets for Rachmaninoff and the Tsar.
Like the 11 other shows in Hershey Felder’s composer series, Rachmaninoff and the Tsar combines the transcendence of a concert from a virtuosic performer and the compelling storytelling aspects of other TheatreWorks plays. The result is a truly magical type of show, one that is truly unique and should not be missed.
However, if you are already familiar with Hershey Felder’s performances, you should know that this is the weakest show I’ve seen from him both in terms of narrative structure and in terms of emotional resonance. This is the first show where he’s invited another actor onto the stage, but unfortunately the emotional impact is weakened by the addition, rather than strengthened.
The plot of the show follows the Russian composer Sergei Rachmanioff at the very end of his life, hallucinating a conversation with the last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II, who had died nearly 25 years earlier. Unsurprisingly, Felder does a spectacular job integrating information from primary sources to create a compelling narrative about the composer’s life interspersed with Rachmaninoff’s compositions that help convey the emotional moments. Weaving in the story of Tsar Nicolas II is less successful.
It's tempting to lay the blame at the feet of the actor portraying the Tsar, Jonathan Silvestri, for the emotional distance. But actually, I think the fault actually lies with the script. Ultimately, Rachmaninoff shows so much contempt for the Tsar and his role leading up to the Russian Revolution, that it is hard, as the audience, to feel the depth of sympathy that the script asks for. Particularly when the Tsar recounts the events leading up to his own death in 1918, it was difficult to feel sorry for this man when the story is already so well known and Rachmaninoff is on stage, feeling openly hostile toward his former ruler.
Still, the show is good. It’s just not quite as good as it could be. There are some wonderful moments where the two characters discuss everything from the source of inspiration, their struggles with meaning and depression and share an emotional connection about their daughters.
There is a magic to seeing the hands of such a skilled pianist reflected in the piano’s surface as his hands dance over the keys. Watching Hershey Felder perform is always a delight. I highly recommend that anyone interested in music or theater go and see this show. I have to admit that it wasn’t his best show, but it was still a wonderful night out seeing a brilliant performer honor one of the best classical composers of the 20th century.
Rachmaninoff and the Tsar
Music of Sergei V. Rachmaninoff, book by Hershey Felder
Through: February 9, 2025
Where: Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro Street, Mountain View, CA
Tickets: theatreworks.org, (877) 662-8976
Comentários