My Name Is Asher Lev, produced in 2013 at the Unicorn Theatre and directed by Cynthia Levin. It featured Doogin Brown in the title role, as he explores his conflicts with his parents, his faith, and his drive to become a serious painter. Cynthia wanted the music to reflect the strong sense of Jewish heritage throughout. I created my arrangements from traditionals such as Hatikvah and Shalom Aleichem. Those blend fairly seamlessly with folk-based compositions to further support the moods of the play. Near the middle of the video a piano jazz trio departs from the rest of the musical conventions heard throughout. This scene was a contemporary art gallery, so I went with a very ‘Bill Evans/Scott Lafaro’ sound, very much the sound of hipsters and the art world of the day. The production picture at that point shows Manon Haliburton in the role of Anna (a socialite and gallery owner) with Mark Robbins in the role of Jacob, an older dedicated painter who mentors Asher. Manon and Mark are otherwise Asher’s parents, Rivkeh and Aryeh.
The music features Laurel Morgan Parks and Sascha Groschang on violin and cello, and Nihan Yesil’s singing. My brother Gary Mackender did all of the accordion parts, and I rounded out the other instruments, primarily piano, bass, and hammered dulcimer.
My video here does not attempt to tell the story or move in strict chronological order, but rather uses research images and production pictures (along with many of my paintings) to supply visuals to a medley of songs I produced for the show.
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