HFP LIVE presents the world premiere of RACHMANINOFF AND THE TSAR, a new musical play. Starring pianist/actor/playwright/producer Hershey Felder as Sergei Rachmaninoff and Jonathan Silvestri as Tsar Nicholas II, the production develops a dialog between the two historically significant men as the story of their intertwined lives emerges – both patriotic Russians who loved family and country, men who often were not appreciated in their own country. With book by Hershey Felder and direction by Trevor Hay, this is a not-to-be-missed musical journey.
Hershey Felder as Rachmaninoff and Jonathan Silvestri as Tsar Nicholas II – Photo courtesy of HFP LIVE
Rachmaninoff’s early years were spent in his motherland, a Russia which remained a profound influence on his music and the environment he created to surround himself throughout his long life. Even after leaving Russia during the 1917 revolution to make his home far from Russia – and the Soviet Union, as the country was later called – Russia always remained deep in Rachmaninoff’s heart and soul.
Hershey Felder – Photo courtesy of HFP LIVE
Felder uses his research chops, immensely creative imagination, stunning skills as a pianist, and talents as an actor to bring Rachmaninoff to life. The tale is triggered by a 68-year-old famed composer Sergei as he lay dying in his home in Beverly Hills. Suddenly, his memory wanders back to his earlier life, a life he began in his beloved Russia as a musical wunderkind born to an aristocratic family eventually reduced to a shoe-string existence – but his music will save him and bring him the love and adulation of an entire generation. His life begins to swirl about him as he chats about the Russia of times past with Tsar Nicholas II, a doomed ruler whose fall from the highest pedestal was monumental and ushered in a revolution and a Communist regime lasting over half a century. And let’s not forget the Tsar’s daughter, the Grand Duchess Anastasia.
RACHMANINOFF AND THE TSAR traces the high (and some low) points of Sergei’s life – personal, artistic, and economic – as he grows and develops as a musician and a man. The production is an elegy to a musician some have termed Tchaikovsky’s heir and the last great representative of Romanticism in Russian classical music. Featured are some of Rachmaninoff’s most beautiful pieces, including the Second Piano Concerto, the Paganini Variations, Preludes, and Symphonic Selections – all played with heart-pounding emotion by piano virtuoso Hershey Felder, an artist who has outdone himself yet again with RACHMANINOFF AND THE TSAR. An audience member was overheard remarking that she thought that she had already seen all that Felder had to offer – but was stunned and excited all over again by his latest talented foray into musical history.
The production crew also does an excellent job of making the tale come alive. Felder has taken control of the evocative scenic design, with fascinating projections by Stefano Decarli, costumes by Marysol Gabriel, hair by Tom Watson, lighting by Eric S. Barry, and sound and production by Erik Carstensen. All have worked harmoniously together to frame the tale.
RACHMANINOFF AND THE TSAR runs through April 25, 2024, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage is located at 1310 Eleventh Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Tickets start at $41. For information and reservations, call 213-544-0477 or go online.
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I saw “Rachmaninoff and the Tsar” on Saturday 31 Aug in San Diego, third row center, and it certainly did not disappoint this hard-core Felder (and Rachmaninoff) fan. It largely paralleled the Rachmaninoff biopic he had created during COVID, but the live theatrical experience, coupled with Felder’s trademark “encore” discussion with the audience, was extremely moving and uplifting.
I already knew the music and most of the life story, but I delighted in hearing it told in Felder’s incomparable format. A welcome side effect was reminding all of us in the audience just how special the United States is, and not to take it for granted.