LAUGH BEST AT “THE LAST LAUGH” ON JUNE 8!

We all know that the one who laughs last laughs best. On Sunday, June 8, 2014, at 2:00 p.m., Mishkan Torah will give everyone a chance to laugh last and best by presenting the ultimate theatrical smorgasbord, “The Last Laugh: A Retrospective of Herschler/Rosen Productions at Mishkan Torah.” 
The afternoon of music and comedy will resurrect and present for the last time the most memorable moments in four decades of stage productions presented by the writing, directing, and performing team of David and Evey Herschler and Jeffrey Rosen. This triumvirate, which has been favorably compared to Mel Brooks’ immortal Producers Bialystock & Bloom, or at least the Three Stooges, will do its last bit of theatrical mayhem at Mishkan Torah before David and Evey Herschler move away from the area this coming summer. On Saturday, May 3, 2014 Mishkan Torah presented its thirteenth annual Keter Shem Tov Award to David and Evey Herschler for their five decades of service to the Synagogue, starting in the late 1970s.

The program is guaranteed to evoke memories of laugh-filled events at Mishkan Torah dating from the early eighties to less than a year ago. Highlights are expected to include a trio of hits from David and Evey’s 1985 hit “The Last Resort,” in which Jeffrey made his Mishkan Torah debut. The numbers will include “Star Quality,” “Times We Used to Share” and a variation of the Grand Finale and will feature performances by Yael Fischman, Saul Oresky, Yoni Charry and the entire company.

 There will be three numbers as well from the 1987 Purim Spiel “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Purim,” also known as “Purim Spiel Tonight!” which was revived in 2012. These include the Opening Number, “We Jews Don’t Bow!” and the doo-wop quartet Dave Herschler, Yoni Charry, Bret Goldstein, and Dick Wobus reprising “In the Still of the Night” from the 2012 version of the show. Another group of doo-woppers, the infamous Saul and the Philistines, will also take the stage again to 
perform “Be True to Your Shul” from Rabbi Saul Grife’s 1986 Installation, featuring the lead singer Saul Oresky, backed by David Herschler, Yoni Charry, and Dick Wobus. Not to be outdone, Mishkan Torah’s Motown Trio “The Torahettes” featuring Evey Herschler, Sara Rosen, and Phyllis Oresky, will rock the crowd to “My Guy” from the Rosen Roast show.  In two other musical numbers, Jeffrey Rosen will present his personal credo by singing “My Favorite Sins,” which he did at both the Saul Grife Installation and his Tenth Anniversary Show. Jeffrey and Sara Rosen will perform “Master of the House” from “Les Miserables” for the first time since they did so at the 1988 review “Shlapshtiks.”

The company will pay an affectionate tribute to the man who has actually maintained artistic standards at Mishkan Torah, and has been the subject of celebrations on his tenth, sixteenth, and twenty-fifth anniversaries at Mishkan Torah, Cantor Phil Greenfield. Evey Herschler, Yoni Charry, Arlene Gottlieb, Sara and Jeffrey Rosen, and Saul Oresky will join in “If I Were Not the Cantor,” while the whole company will parody Billy Joel and sing “Cantor Man.” To add a note of class to the general entropy, there will also be legitimate, hopefully classier entertainment (specific numbers to be announced) from Cantor Phil, Ben Greenfield, and Nadine Wobus, who have all been mainstays of various shows.

What would a Herschler/Rosen retrospective be without comedy sketches? There will be sit-down comedy when Rosanne Rosanna Danzansky Goldberg (played by Evey Herschler in “Purim Saturday Night”) appears. The Grand Gefilte from the Spevack Roast in the guise of Steve Mirsky will be making funny puns as he fishes for cheap laughs. Finally, there will be two complete comedy skits. From “Shlapshtiks,” you can greet the encore of that kiddie show sensation, “Rabbi Rogers’ Neighborhood Shul,” with Bret Goldstein, Yoni Charry, and Jeffrey Rosen. From last year’s Oresky Keter Shem Tov, “Phyllis Meets the Pope” returns with Yael Fischman and Phil Greenfield. 

You will want to be there to bear witness to the end of an era of low humor, musical mirth, high hilarity, and always great fun from the team of David and Evey Herschler and Jeffrey Rosen. Tickets are only $20 for adults and $10 for children. You may order tickets from the Synagogue website by following the prompts. Remember; ONLY AT MISHKAN TORAH would an event like this be possible! See you there!