Theater News

Ben Crawford to Reprise Starring Role in Soul Doctor: The Shlomo Musical in New Orleans

Ben Crawford
Ben Crawford

Broadway veteran Ben Crawford will once again star as Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach in Soul Doctor: The Shlomo Musical, when it plays a limited engagement at Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre, in New Orleans, November 6-11. The show is aiming to transfer to Broadway in 2011, although no New York dates or theater have been announced. Holly-Anne Ruggiero will direct.

The show, with a book by Daniel S. Wise and lyrics by David Schechter, uses the music of Shlomo Carlebach to tell the composer’s story, from his childhood escape from Hitler’s Germany to his appointment as the first emissary of the Luavitcher Rebbe. As a musician, he rose to prominence in the 1960s folk scene and shared the stage with legends like Bob Dylan, Nina Simone and the Grateful Dead.

The cast also features Rosalind Brown as Nina Simone, Eleanor Reissa as Shlomo’s mother, and Jamie Wax as Reb Pinchas, with the ensemble including Donovan Bendana, Frances Bordlee, Turner Crumbley, L.R. Davidson, Tucker Godbold, Jeffrey Gunshol, Richard Hutton, Chase Kamata, Sal Mannino, Maddie Mateer, Kenneth Thompson, Dwayne Sepcich, and Emily Bennett Walker.

The production also features a musical score and orchestration by Steve Margoshes; musical direction and arrangements by Seth Farber; choreography by Gerry McIntyre; and additional material by Carlebach’s daughter, Neshama Carlebach.

Crawford was most recently seen on Broadway in the title role in Shrek. Other credits include Les Misérables, Oliver!, Oklahoma!, Carousel, White Christmas, Guys and Dolls, and Assassins.