Shlomo Carlebach (Josh Nelson) and Nina Simone (Dan’yelle Williamson) are the unlikeliest of friends in SOUL DOCTOR (photo by Carol Rosegg)
Actors Temple Theatre
339 West 47th St. between Eighth & Ninth Aves.
Saturday – Thursday through May 3, $79.50 – $99.50
www.souldoctorbroadway.com
www.actorstempletheatre.com
Unfortunately, the third time is not the charm for Soul Doctor, the well-intentioned but overly earnest and hagiographic bio-musical about the King of Kosher Music, rabbi and folksinger Shlomo Carlebach. The show was first performed here at New York Theatre Workshop in the summer of 2012, then moved to Broadway’s Circle in the Square theater the following year, when it was rechristened Soul Doctor: Journey of a Rock Star Rabbi, closing after thirty-two previews and sixty-six regular performances. This latest incarnation, Soul Doctor: The Musical Journey of Shlomo Carlebach, opened December 14 at the Actors Temple on West Forty-Seventh St., an actual working synagogue that has been visited over the years by many a Jewish comedian, from Jerry Lewis and Henny Youngman to Jack Benny and Joe E. Lewis. Although the relatively humorless story is essentially the same — Daniel S. Wise’s book follows Carlebach (Hayden Wall as a boy, Josh Nelson as an adult) from his youth in Vienna to his successful recording career in the United States and unusual friendship with Nina Simone (Dan’yelle Williamson) — it has been trimmed down from the NYTW’s 165 minutes to an intermissionless 95 minutes, but any nuance it had is gone, and the narrative is more straightforward than ever. Some of the most interesting and entertaining moments from the Broadway show, particularly Shlomo’s potential relationship with Ruth (Dianna Barger), are now barely in evidence, in favor of concentrating yet more on the religious aspects of Shlomo’s mission. “Only the words of the Torah will keep us alive!” he calls out to his brother, Eli Chaim (Jacob Heimer). Nelson, a popular modern Jewish performer, is bland as Shlomo, who is treated like a saint. (No mention is made of sexual abuse allegations against Carlebach, which is not surprising, given that his daughter, Neshama Carlebach, is part of the creative team, and producer and conceiver Jeremy Chess points out in the program that “the current work reflects the continued efforts to bring the music and message of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach to the public.”) Since the show takes place on the shul’s bimah, there is not much in the way of set design; instead, Brad Peterson’s projections effectively announce the changing scenes. All of the music is by Carlebach, along with some of the lyrics; additional lyrics are supplied by David Schechter. In my review of the Broadway production, which I enjoyed, I wrote that “you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy the show”; however, this time around Soul Doctor is preaching to the choir.