Tom Lehrer Tribute
Vilna Shul
Wednesday, February 18 at 7 pm
Vilna Shul
Wednesday, February 18 at 7 pm
A tribute to the late, great American singer songwriter Tom Lehrer, creator of “Hanukkah in Santa Monica!” His brand of comedic song has delighted audiences for generations, and now you can hear a sampling of his work and life through the voices of composer Zalmen Mlotek and comedian Bobby Underwood. Guaranteed to be a beautiful and funny evening!
A wonderful opportunity to hear those satirical tunes that we grew up with. Remember the Vatican Rag, So Long Mom, and the Folksong Army? Bobby Underwood and Zalmen Mlotek will bring it all back in a performance at the Vilna Shul on Wednesday evening, February 18 at 7 pm.
As a special treat for our BOLLI audience, Bobby will meet with us after the performance. We have arranged discount tickets priced at $25, reduced from $36. Parking is easy, as the Vilna provides discounted parking at a nearby garage. Our group will have an early dinner together prior to the performance. Please contact Marsha Semuels mhsemuels@gmail.com to make your reservation, purchase tickets and indicate whether you will join us for dinner. Zelle and Venmo strongly preferred.
Read below to hear about our performer and composer. Listen to one of Lehrer's big hits below.
Bobby Underwood is an actor, comedian, and lifelong Tom Lehrer fan. He first met and bonded with Zalmen Mlotek over their mutual adoration of Lehrer while working on the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene’s production of Amerike - The Golden Land. They subsequently worked together in the Folksbiene’s productions of The Sorceress and the long running, Drama Desk Award-winning production of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish directed by Joel Grey.
Zalmen Mlotek, Artistic Director of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, is widely regarded as a leading authority in Yiddish folk, theater and art song. He has been a devoted fan of Tom Lehrer since his childhood, when family gatherings would culminate and a joyous sing-along of Lehrer's hilarious, satirical and deeply relatable repertoire. Mlotek's life has been intertwined with the revival of Yiddish culture in the post Holocaust generations. He co-created and produced the first Yiddish musical on Broadway, Those Were the Days, which received two Tony nominations. As Artistic Director of the National Yiddish Theater he has overseen 20 years of musical theater productions which have received multiple Drama Desk nominations and several awards. He was the initiator of the widely acclaimed Yiddish production of Fiddler On the Roof directed by Joel Grey.