| A Jew Grows In Brooklyn – A Review |
| Written by Liz Belilovskaya | |||
| Thursday, 28 June 2012 02:31 | |||
 A Jew Grows In Brooklyn is one of the most entertaining, laugh-out-loud funny, and genuinely heart-warming performances I have seen in a long while. Written and performed by Jake Ehrenreich, the one-man show is a sweet and humbling tale of a Jewish kid from Brooklyn going against his heritage only to embrace and reconnect with it later on a much deeper and meaningful level. This is not a depressing or serious recollection of his parents' journey, although he touches upon this aspect throughout the show. Rather, his story is about finding and embracing his own identity. Infused with hilarious and at times sentimental recollections, classic anecdotes and amazing musical interludes, the show is a rollercoaster of varying but mainly positive emotions. Growing up in Brownsville during the 1960's, Jake wanted to be as American as possible. He embraced baseball, rock and roll and the general popular culture of his time. Yet coming from a family headed by two Polish- Jewish Holocaust survivors, he found it to be somewhat difficult to be an all American kid. His two, distinctly different backgrounds were at times at odds with one another, making finding a comfortable balance between them problematic for the teenager. In one instance he recalls how he and his father attended a baseball game. Jake was thrilled to share a genuinely American bonding experience with his dad but after some time, his father commented that he completely did not understand a game where 3 men did all the work as 8 men stood around and watched. To Jake, this was a clear example of cultural difference. Realizing thoroughly that his parents would never be completely American, Jake found Americana nirvana in rock music. At the tender age at 12 Jake started to perform in various bands. Worshipping and chasing the alternative lifestyle of popular American rock gods, he believed that it was one of the most American pursuits he could have, that is, until he realized that many of these rock gods were in fact Jewish. As if, Gene Simmons was actually born Gene Simmons, and, on a side note, "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" was written by a Jew. Jake performs his own rock medleys in the show. Playing the drums (and a few other instruments) like the seasoned pro that he is, his performances add another awesome and contemporary layer to this classic Jewish American tale. He was even considered to replace one of the departed members of KISS. He is a truly talented musician and storyteller; therefore it is a pleasure to watch him perform. There are no serious props in the show. The simplicity of Jakes approach is highly successful. He features a few pictures and home movie segments of his family throughout the show, he also incorporates a few simple costume changes and does a couple of dance routines, but all in all, these elements are kept pretty low key as the audience focuses on the story. Despite the initial cultural dissonance Jake experiences, he comes full circle as he matures, starts a family of his own and embraces his heritage. A large chunk of this is attributed to his father. For a long time, his father did not talk about what happened during the Holocaust, so Jake asked him. As hard as it was for his father to speak about it, he finally managed to retell his story and since then, retold it many times to anyone who would listen. Not only did this help Jake understand his own background, it also straightened his connection to it. A Jew Grows In Brooklyn is an incredibly amusing and interesting story that would appeal to anyone who loves music, history or humor and it is one of the better shows for anyone to see – Jewish or not. For information please visit www.jakeehenreich.com or www.broadwaybox.com For more Times Square articles like A Jew Grows In Brooklyn – A Review, please visit the Stage Features Section of TimesSquare.com
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