Two area temples are teaming up to present a unique performance on Sunday, March 29 at Westport Town Hall of one cantor playing another in “Cantor Arik Luck is Moishe Oysher.”
Cantor Arik Luck plays Cantor Moishe Oysher in the one afternoon only performance. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo
Temple Israel of Westport and Temple Shalom of Norwalk are sponsoring the 3 p.m. performance about the life of Oysher, an unorthodox cantor of the 1930s and ‘40s who played in Yiddish theater and films. He died in 1958 at age 51.
Oysher’s story struck a chord with Cantor Arik Luck (Beth Emet, Evanston, Ill.) who wanted to be a stage actor before he entered cantorial school at Hebrew Union College in New York.
During his studies, Luck discovered Oysher and his interest prompted him to create a full-length musical revue, “Arik Luck Is … Moishe Oysher: The Master Singer of His People!”
It got rave reviews at the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) Biennial in San Diego last year, an announcement said.
Along with Luck, his sister-in-law Sari Greenberg appears in the performance as Moishe Oysher’s wife and performance partner.
“A seven-piece band from New York City backs up the duo and the result harkens back to the golden age of Yiddish radio,” the announcement said.
“If you’re a fan of Oysher or you’ve never heard his name, don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear one of the greatest cantors in our movement deliver the performance of a lifetime.”
Cantor David Reinwald of Temple Beth Sholom in Santa Ana, Calif. said of the show: “This is a performance people are going to talk about. People who don’t go are going to hear about it and wish they had seen it.”
Tickets ($12 adults, $10 seniors/children) are available online at: http://www.tiwestport.org/arikluck.
