An Exploration of Jewish Involvement in American Theater in Word and Song, featuring Stuart Hecht, John Murelle, and William Merrill (Sunday, April 2)

All are Invited to this Musical Program and Book Signing at FJC

Featuring Stuart Hecht of Boston College, author of Transposing Broadway: Jews, Assimilation and the American Musical, Baritone John Murelle, and PianistWilliam Merrill

Copies of Transposing Broadway  will be available for purchase and signing, thanks to Eight Cousins Bookstore

Sunday, April 2 at 4:00 P.M., followed by a reception and book signing

Open to the public

Cost: $10 for FJC members / $15 for all others

Tickets available in advance or at the door. To reserve a ticket in advance, send a check to Falmouth Jewish Congregation, 7 Hatchville Road, E. Falmouth, MA 02536.

Consider spending a night out with friends, starting with the performance at FJC and  followed by dinner.

Including songs composed or written by: George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers, Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein, Lorenz Hart, and others

Falmouth Jewish Congregation opens its doors to the public for this special afternoon of entertainment and learning. Join theater scholar Stuart Hecht, baritone John Murelle, and pianist William Merrill for a lively afternoon performance that is informative and entertaining, thought-provoking, and often beautiful. Through a lively back-and-forth of narrative and song, they will explore the colorful and extensive involvement of Jews in the world of American song and theater, especially Broadway. We’ll hear about the many ways Jews contributed to American song, including instances where seemingly "American" standards were actually written by Jews and songs from musicals and from Tin Pan Alley. There will be examples of how Jewish elements can be found within so-called "American songs.” And if we are seeing how Jews contributed to Americana and how America contributed to what Jews wrote about, we will also look at some songs that reflect issues of assimilation, either directly or indirectly, some serious, some funny.

Stuart Hecht, author and scholar, is Associate Professor of Theater at Boston College and the long-standing Editor-in-Chief of New England Theatre Journal.  He served as an advisory board member for, and also appeared as an interviewee in, the Peabody Award-winning PBS documentary, “Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy,” which grew directly out of his research and writing.

Cape-based baritone John Murelle is a versatile singer with a wide range of musical interests, including art song, opera and oratorio, Broadway and popular songs. He holds Vocal Performance degrees from the University of Michigan and the Boston Conservatory, and a Diploma from the Boston University Opera Institute. John Murelle’s keen interest in song literature has earned him accolades as a concert singer. He has been a soloist with the Cape Cod Chorale, Falmouth Chorale, Woods Hole Cantata Consort, Chatham Chorale, and Pilgrim Pops.

William Merrill has established himself as one of Boston’s most sought-after and distinguished collaborative pianists and vocal coaches. Opera News has described his playing as “wonderfully subtle,” and The Boston Globe has praised his accompaniments as “supportive, elegant, and apparently effortless.