Music, History and the Multitalented Hershey Felder in ‘Rachmaninoff and the Tsar’: Review

Hedy Weiss: Theater Reviews

Music, History and the Multitalented Hershey Felder in ‘Rachmaninoff and the Tsar’: Review

Hedy Weiss | September 5, 2025, 5:22 pm

Hershey Felder in “Rachmaninoff and the Tsar.” (Stefano DeCarli)

Multitalented is hardly enough of a word to describe Hershey Felder, the Canadian-born multilingual pianist, actor, composer, playwright (and the list goes on) who spent a number of years in the U.S. but has made his home in Florence, Italy, since 2018.

Yet Felder, who is frequently on the road and almost invariably creates solo productions, can now be captured on the Glencoe-based Writers Theatre stage in the Chicago/Midwest premiere of “Rachmaninoff and the Tsar.” The music-infused, multifaceted production also involves actor Jonathan Silvestri in the role of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.

I should note, that while I attended the show’s opening night production, I am only now catching up with this review and hope that it will encourage many readers to head to the show during the final couple weeks of its run, which ends Sept. 21.

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Jonathan Silvestri and Hershey Felder in “Rachmaninoff and the Tsar.” (Stefano DeCarli)

Not only does Felder evoke the musical brilliance of Rachmaninoff (who lived from 1873 to 1943) as he performs a slew of his works for piano, but he also captures the nature of the composer’s life — his politics and personality. Rachmaninoff fled the Russian Revolution of 1917, came to the U.S. and lived primarily in New York and Beverly Hills, where for years he only performed the music he had written earlier in Russia rather than drawing on what in some ways seemed to be the music of a very different world for him.

The show is written and performed with Felder’s usual expertise and directed by Trevor Hay. The musical brilliance of Rachmaninoff and Felder’s superb musicality take hold, and there is a clear portrayal of how Rachmaninoff engaged in a rather dreamy interaction with the Tsar (Silvestri), who was murdered in 1918 under Lenin’s Bolshevik regime. All in all, a compelling evocation of how music, politics and personalities coalesced during a notable period in history.

Note: This show began its run on Aug. 13 and will continue through Sept. 21 at Writers Theatre (also known as the Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre), 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe. For tickets, phone 847-242-6000 or visit writertheatre.org.