Larry Magid Entertainment and the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts will present Jake Ehrenreich in his unique multi-media hit musical production, A JEW GROWS IN BROOKLYN. Described as a “Heartwarming true story, Holocaust family, rock n’ roll comedy musical,” A JEW GROWS IN BROOKLYN will play the Perelman Theater in the Kimmel Center December 23 through December 28, 2010.

Tickets starting at $30 are on sale now and can be purchased by calling 215-731-3333, online at kimmelcenter.org/broadway, or at the Kimmel Center box office, Broad & Spruce Sts. (open daily 10 am to 6 pm and later on performance nights). Groups of 10 or more will receive discounts for select performances by calling 215-790-5883.  Performances include:  Monday, Tuesday & Thursday evening at 7:30 pm; Friday & Saturday at 2:00 pm; Saturday evening at 8:00 pm and Sunday at 1:00 pm.

Following its smash year and a half record breaking run in the heart of the Broadway, A JEW GROWS IN BROOKLYN has been touring major cities across North America, receiving critical and popular acclaim everywhere it plays. It has also spawned a book by the same title.

The New York Times raved about Ehrenreich’s “dazzling showmanship”, compared the show to Billy Crystal’s 700 Sundays, and said “you don’t have to be Jewish or Brooklynish” to love it.  Bloomberg radio called it “Sensational” and The Toronto Sun shouted “excruciatingly funny”. The New Yorker declared it “a singing valentine” while  The Miami Herald  called it “one of the most touching, soulful, and laugh out loud shows you’ll ever see!” The Philadelphia Inquirer declared simply “What’s not to love?” and The Chicago Tribune raved A Jew Grows In Brooklyn has “A glow all its own”. In a testament to the universal nature of the show’s appeal,  ABC TV said it “speaks to anyone hoping to love out the American Dream” and The Sun Sentinel crowed “Ehrenreich would win over a symposium of Episcopal ministers from Boston!” 

A JEW GROWS IN BROOKLYN tells Jake’s true story growing up in Brooklyn as the first American-born child of Holocaust survivors. His desire to “fit in” in the face of his parents thick European accents and his family’s haunting past made him do everything he could to conform to his vision of what it meant to be a “real” American.  In poignant, touching and hilarious stories and songs, performed with a live band and multi-media video and photos – Jake uniquely takes us through an unforgettable journey of discovery and lessons learned.  From the classic Rock music (California Dreamin’, Secret Agent Man, Sunshine of Your Love and much more), and Yiddish lullabies, (and even a loving Christmas medley) of his youth, to a Catskills Nightclub recreation (including a multi-instrumental version of  Louis Prima’s  Sing, Sing, Sing), where his family learned to laugh again, we come to see the immigrant experience in a personal and vastly entertaining way.  Jake’s unusually uplifting message even caught the attention of the publishers of the “Chicken Soup for the Soul” Publishers, and they released his book of the same title earlier this year.  From the front stoops of Brooklyn to the bedsides of ailing parents and siblings, and then to a family of his own, Jake successfully uses his inspiring show to illuminate the universal nature of our shared search for identity and meaning.

Jake Ehrenreich is a writer, actor and musician. He has appeared on Broadway in Dancin’, Barnum, and They’re Playing Our Song, and toured internationally as Ringo in Beatlemania. He has performed with such musical luminaries as Greg Allman, Richie Havens, Whitney Houston, Tito Puente and many more. A documentary about Jake and his family’s journey is in production and scheduled for 2011 completion, and he has begun filming a pilot variety show “The Jake Ehrenreich Show” with FOX reporter Rachel Leigh. He now resides in Orange County, NY with his wife Lisa and 12 year old son Dovy.

More information about the show: www. ajewgrowsinbrooklyn.com and www.jakeehrenreich.com

Kimmel Center, Inc., a charitable, not-for-profit organization, owns, manages, supports and maintains The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, which includes Verizon Hall, Perelman Theater, Innovation Studio and the Merck Arts Education Center.  Kimmel Center, Inc. also manages the Academy of Music, owned by the Philadelphia Orchestra Association, and the University of the Arts Merriam Theater.  Kimmel Center, Inc.’s mission is to operate a world class performing arts center that engages and serves a broad audience which includes providing arts in education, community outreach and a rich diversity of programming.  The 2010/2011 season is sponsored by Citi,  and the Broadway 2010/2011 Season is sponsored by Verizon and American Airlines.  For additional information, visit kimmelcenter.org.