It takes a considerable amount of strength to do a one-man (or woman) show. It's just the performer and the audience out there, and that ideally means that the performer is vastly outnumbered. This has been the case for most performances of "George Gershwin Alone," the one-man show starring Hershey Felder at the Royal George Theatre Center, in which Felder portrays the title character for more than an hour and a half. The show opened at the Royal George in the fall of 2004 and (while taking a brief hiatus in early 2005) shows signs of enjoying a lengthy run throughout the remainder of the year.
Not much is provided to distract us; we are in a spare drawing room. A piano, chairs and writing desk are furnished, as well as some curtain hangings and a poster or two of Gershwin's shows. The lighting shifts with the moods of the piece, but remains mostly in cool blues (appropriately, given the title of one of the composer's most famous works, "Rhapsody in Blue"). Occasionally, a projected image will appear to supplement the person or show under discussion. But most of our attention must, out of necessity, focus on the actor playing George Gershwin.
When in the course of the show Felder quips, "A composer never has much of a voice." He is certainly doing himself a disservice; while not operatic in scope, his voice is more than able to handle the demands of Gershwin's music, and carries clearly and strongly throughout the space. This becomes truly impressive when compounded with his concert-pianist level playing skills at the ivories. A large mirror has been hung so that the audience can more closely observe him at work (or perhaps to reassure the audience that no clever illusion is being employed.)
Autobiographical shows always beg the question: How accurately is the historical figure being recreated by the actor? In the case of George Gershwin, who died in 1937, few if any of the show's audience members would be able to answer that question with any confidence. Still, Felder creates for us a very real, very passionate composer at work. We are told of his Jewish immigrant background, his humorously overcritical mother, and his relationship with his brother Ira. We also see some of the character's pathos; Felder dwells on love lost without becoming indulgent about it.
At the end of the show, Felder spends a surprising amount of time taking Gershwin song requests from the audience, encouraging everyone to join in and even picking out soloists from the crowd. How's that for an encore?
Royal George Theatre Center with Eighty Eight Keys Entertainment; 1641 N. Halsted; (312) 988-9000; $37.50-$45. Open run; 8 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday.
