Mirvish Productions – Jake Ehrenreich’s A Jew Grows in Brooklyn

Reviewed by Paula Citron

A good production makes ‘em laugh and makes ‘em cry. Jake Ehrenreich’s endearing solo show A Jew Grows in Brooklyn is peppered with genuinely funny one liners, but he does not forget his Holocaust survivor parents and the loss of European Jewish culture. The show is filled with personal photos and videos to illustrate various aspects of his life.

Ehrenreich is something of a renaissance man – a musician, actor, playwright, singer and comedian. Would you believe he performed Ringo Starr in Beatlemania? He shows us his drum skills in A Jew Grows in Brooklyn as well as playing the trumpet and trombone. He also sings. His shtick as a Catskills’ comic is side-splitting.

Ehrenreich’s premise is that he never really fit in anywhere, caught between his Yiddish-speaking Polish-born parents and being an American kid. His show is a true Yiddish fusion of self-deprecating humour and heart-felt pathos.

A Jew Grows in Brooklyn continues at the Panasonic Theatre until May 16.

A Jew Grows in Brooklyn
Mirvish Productions
Written and performed by Jake Ehrenreich
Directed by Jon Huberth and Jake Ehrenreich
Panasonic Theatre, Apr. 28 to May 16