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| Soul Doctor Playbill signed by Eric Anderson who portrays Shlomo Carlebach (signature on bottom right) and Amber Iman who plays Nina Simone (signature on top left) So after spending a year and a half in the hospital I wasn't totally convinced I wanted to watch anything that had 'Doctor' in the title, but some of my most magical memories have come from nights on Broadway with family and friends. It's the one thing that most lifelong New Yorkers can agree is one the best perks of living in this insane city. The city that never sleeps is always 'Go, Go, Go!' but when you go to the Theatre, the City slows down and when the lights go down you just somehow surrender and allow yourself to be transported. While I am not Jewish, a little known Ascending Butterfly fact is that I worked for a Jewish Theological Seminary here in New York City for a Rabbi who taught me so much about the Jewish Faith, that when I learned that this was in fact based on the true story of the life and the music of Shlomo Carlebach I was very much intrigued. About Soul Doctor: Soul Doctor tells the fascinating story of the father of popular Jewish Music, Shlomo Carlebach, and his unlikely friendship with Nina Simone. A modern-day troubadour, Shlomo ignited the spirit of millions around the world with his soul-stirring melodies, transformative storytelling and boundless love. After his escape from Nazi Germany, the young Rabbi befriended the legendary jazz singer Nina Simone who introduced him to soul and gospel music. With the "High Priestess of Soul" as his inspiration, Shlomo created a joyous new sound with melodies that fused his roots with American Popular Music. His meteoric rise as a "Rock Star Rabbi" as he struggled to harmonize his traditional beliefs with the "free love" generation of the 1960's features his timeless hits in a rocking score woven together by the orchestrator of The Who's Tommy and Elton John's Aida. |
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| Soul Doctor Cast in Alphabetical Order Theatre Signage for our early August Performance at Circle in the Square Theatre |
Cast:
Visit Soul Doctor's website for the Full Cast and Crew list HERE.
Eric Anderson stars as Shlomo, he was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for his portrayal of Shlomo in the NYTW production of Soul Doctor. His Broadway credits include: Kinky Boots (which you guys know is my personal pick of my favorite Broadway Show for 2013), and South Pacific.
Amber Iman plays Nina Simone in her SPECTACULAR Broadway Debut! (she was fantastic) Off Broadway, she has appeared in Rent, and A Civil War.
Get Social:
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| I was lucky enough to get both Eric Anderson and Amber Iman (pictured above) to sign my playbill after the performance, and she posed for a picture too and was genuine, warm and open to all the fans who approached her! Team Butterfly was being silly and goofing around saying 'Just one more baby it's the flash, yeah, it's the flash', and our cheesy Eddie Murphy impression made her crack up! I will never forget this shot, so her autograph of my playbill will make that moment and that show so much more meaningful for me! |
I enjoyed Soul Doctor, it was well-cast, and while the subject matter isn't always light-hearted, you are drawn into the performance and the journey as the character's develop. Eric delivers a strong performance as Schlomo Carlebach, and Amber Iman also delivers a strong and dynamic debut performance in her role as Nina Simone. They both had big shoes to fill that's for sure, and they both delivered, they had an ease and comfort with each other and there was so much electricity in their scenes together as well.
As a fab frugalista in a super expensive city, I'm the first to tell you that Broadway is NOT cheap, so the biggest compliment that I can give a show is that if I weren't press, would I have paid to see it and still been happy? YES. I would definitely have left just as happy if I had paid full price. I found myself truly swept up in the emotions and roller coaster ride of Shlomo's story. Good entertainment has a tendency to play on universal themes to be relevant to everyone, Shlomo's struggle to not only find his inner voice, but to buck everything he knew, as well as his parents wishes of what they felt was best for him, to find his inner voice and share that with the world is in essence every man and woman's story!
When a show can make you laugh and cry it has defintely transported you, and Soul Doctor is one appointment you WON'T want to put off!
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| Team Butterfly, Left: Mama Butterfly and Right: ME! Ascending Butterfly holding up my signed playbill outside Circle in the Square Theatre! Sign reads: Destined to Become a hit on Broadway for Years to Come! May it be so! |
Yes Indeed Lovelies, The Doctor is IN!
Will you be going to see Soul Doctor Butterflies? If so, don't forget to come back and sound off here about it! We would love to know what you think! What is your favorite Broadway Show this year Butterflies?
FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a Sponsored Post! No monetary compensation has been received to post pictures or our review of Soul Doctor. Ascending Butterfly editors received complimentary tickets to a performance of Soul Doctor to facilitate our Theatre Review. As life long New Yorkers, our editorial team greatly enjoy Broadway Theatre and enjoy sharing our experiences with our readers. Special Thanks to Culture Mom Media LLC.
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FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a Sponsored Post! No monetary compensation has been received to post pictures or our review of Soul Doctor. Ascending Butterfly editors received complimentary tickets to a performance of Soul Doctor to facilitate our Theatre Review. As life long New Yorkers, our editorial team greatly enjoy Broadway Theatre and enjoy sharing our experiences with our readers. Special Thanks to Culture Mom Media LLC.
