‘Rachmaninoff and the Tsar’ in a Midwest Premiere

An evening of classical music and history captivates theatergoers with Hershey Felder’s latest biographical sketch.

Jonathan Silvestri (L), as Tsar Nicholas II, converses with Hershey Felder, as composer Rachmaninoff, in Writers Theatre's "Rachmaninoff and the Tsar." Stefano DeCarli

GLENCOE, Ill.—Hershey Felder has portrayed many musical greats in one-man shows: Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, Frederic Chopin, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Now, in a Midwest premiere at Writers Theatre in Glencoe, Illinois, Felder is performing as the famed Russian pianist, conductor, and composer Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943).

This role has to be Felder’s biggest challenge yet, not only because Rachmaninoff is considered by many to be the greatest pianist who ever lived, but also because Felder, for the first time, is sharing a spotlight with another actor, Jonathan Silvestri.