NYC 5.28.11-People In The Picture

Originally, we wanted to see People in the Picture--or I wanted to see People in the Picture at least--because of the very gorgeous Louis Hobson, who I fell in love with in Next To Normal. I wasn't expecting to like the show much, but I went in open minded.

The People in the Picture is a show that switches back and forth between NYC in 1977 and Warsaw, Poland, in 1935-1946. It centers around a Jewish woman named Raisel(Bubbie to her granddaughter) who used to be in a performing circuit with a troupe of people before WWII hit. When WWII arrived, she had had a baby, and like most of the Jewish people in Warsaw, were sent to a ghetto. She managed to save her baby's life by sending her to live with the woman who had been nanny to the baby before they were sent away. Many of her friends were killed during this time, but she survived, and went back to find her baby and take her back. This was a hard thing to do, as her baby was now 6 and had known no other parents except the ones who had been raising her. Raisel gets her baby(Red) and moves to NYC.

In 1977, Red's daughter, Jenny, is interviewing Raisel to find out about her family history. Raisel tells her all about "The People In The Picture," and the stories they had. Jenny is fascinated by her family history, and listens intently. Red thinks her mother has Alzheimers, and worries that she "sees" the people who are no longer living. Raisel ends up dying at the end, but Red finally sees the spirits of the people now too, and realizes her mother wasn't crazy after all.

This was a great show! I have done a lot of studying on the Holocaust and WWII, and this in musical form was right up my alley. The music was phenomenal, as well as the acting. It was a tear jerker, too.

Cast:
Doovie Feldman: Hal Robinson
Moishe Rosenwald: Alexander Gemignani
Chayesel Fisher: Joyce Van Patten
Yossie Pinsker: Chip Zien
Avram Krinsky: Lewis J Stadlen
Chaim Bradovsky: Christopher Innvar
Jenny: Rachel Resheff
Bubbie/Raisel: Donna Murphy
Peasant: Jeffrey Schecter
Red: Nicole Parker
Hoodlums: Jeremy Davis, Jeffrey Schecter
Hollywood Girls: Emilee Dupree, Shannon Lewis, Jessica Lea Patty, Megan Reinking
Rabbi Velvel: Hal Robinson
Dobrisch: Megan Reinking
Dr Goldblum: Louis Hobson
Young Red: Andie Mechanic
Shmuel: Jeffrey Schecter
Jerzy: Paul Anthony Stewart
Rachel: Maya Goldman