Cantor Rebecca Garfein shines in recent concert
By ALAN SMASON
Cantor Rebecca Garfein took the opportunity to show her talented secular side at the Temple Sinai Gala this past Sunday, keeping the banter on the microphone lively as she described much of her life through song.
Cantor Rebecca Garfein, left, with Bob Egan at “Cantorful!” (Photo by Alan Smason)
Accompanying the cantor on piano and providing the arrangements for the songs she sang was her longtime collaborator Bob Egan, who flew in from his residence in New Hope, Pennsylvania to appear at the Pavilion of the Two Sisters with her.
The playful banter began with “Bei Mir Bist Du Schön,” the Yiddish song that first scored as a major hit for The Andrews Sisters and was quickly followed by her rendition of “Mr. Snow,” the Rodgers and Hammerstein number from “Carousel” sung by the character Carrie Pepperidge about her intended.
The two collaborated on a funny novelty song by Buskin and Batteau that referenced her years spent at Jewish summer camp. Titled “Jews Don’t Camp,” the song poked fun at the outdoor experience with lines like “I would love to fish and hunt and get my water from a stream. But until there’s seltzer in the brook, or maybe a nice egg cream…Jews don’t camp!”
Cantor Garfein followed with another Broadway tune,”Any Dream Will Do,” from the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical, “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.”
She moved into the popular realm with Kenny Loggins’ hit “Danny’s Song” and then referred to her year of training in the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) program in Jerusalem with her singing “Yerushalayim Shel Zahav” (“Jerusalem of Gold”).
Touching on the current hostage crisis and the continuing war between Israel and Hamas, she stated that she hoped “people will be returned to their homes” and that “peace will come again” to the region.
She returned back to Broadway with two songs that showcased her powerful voice “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from “Funny Girl,” originally introduced by Barbra Streisand and “Ice Cream” from Sheldon Harnick and Jerry Bock’s “She Loves Me,” done first by Barbara Cook.
Prior to a novelty song that she said was written for TV’s Fran Drescher (“What Do They Know”), the cantor surprised everyone with her rendition of “Thunder Road,” a Bruce Springsteen classic from his “Born To Run” album.
Following her rendition of the torch song “One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)” popularly sung by Frank Sinatra, the Cantor Garfein called up for “Bradley Cooper” to come up from the audience and reprise his duet “Shallow” with “Lady Gaga.” While the cantor assumed the role of Lady Gaga, the actor portraying Cooper was indeed actor Alexander Hatzidiakos, her husband.
The hour and 15 minute performance was ended with an encore of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” from “Carousel.“
Photos from the gala can be seen here:
