Dudu Fisher
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David "Dudu" Fisher (born 18 November 1951; דודו פישר) is an Israeli cantor and performer, best known for his Broadway performance as Jean Valjean in the musical Les Misérables.
Early life
The son of a Holocaust survivor, Fisher was born in Petah Tikva, Israel. Fisher had a son in June 2016. His second wife Tali is his promoter and his agent.
Cantorial career
Fisher began cantorial studies at age 22, after his discharge from the army following three years of service that included the Yom Kippur War. He studied at the Tel Aviv Academy of Music, and studied privately under Cantor Shlomo Ravitz. He then took up the cantorial position at the Great Synagogue in Tel Aviv, followed by four years in South Africa. For over 20 years, he was the cantor at Kutsher's Hotel in the Catskills during the Jewish high holidays. In 2005, he became the Chief Cantor of the Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach, New York and its now defunct subsidiary, the New York Synagogue in Manhattan.[1]
After being mesmerised by the London performance of the 1980s hit musical, Fisher, despite no prior acting experience, requested the part in a Hebrew production of Les Misérables. He played its leading role, Jean Valjean, in Israel from 1987-90. In 1988 he was invited to perform the role before Queen Elizabeth II.[2] He played the role on New York City's Broadway during the winter of 1993-1994,[3] and later at London's West End. At both venues, Fisher was the first performer excused from Friday night and Saturday performances,[4] as he is an Orthodox Jew and was not able to perform because of the Sabbath.
Other performance roles
Among Fisher's other performances is his one-man Off-Broadway show, Never on Friday, an anecdotal work exploring the complications of his experience on Broadway as an observant Jew. He performed in many tours around Israel, the United States, and the world, particularly in Jewish communities, performing classics, as well as musicals, such as Over the Rainbow which toured Israel with Fisher performing 40 Broadway show tunes. He performed with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Zubin Mehta, with a performance televised in France, and with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Queens Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded an album of show tunes with the London Symphony Orchestra. He was the first Israeli artist allowed to sing in the Soviet Union before perestroika.
In May 2009, Fisher sang – along with contratenor David D'Or – for Pope Benedict XVI as the pope visited Israel.[5]
In 1988, he was invited to London to take part in a Royal Command Performance hosted by the Queen of the United Kingdom. The performance was a special version of Les Misérables, featuring artists from the many productions playing around the world. From there, the play’s producer, Cameron Mackintosh, invited Fisher to play the role of Jean Valjean on Broadway and London's West End.[2]
Discography
In addition to his stage and synagogue performance, Fisher has released over 25 albums, including songs in Hebrew, Yiddish, and English, many classics and cantorial pieces, as well as music for children. He also dubbed the part of Moses in the Hebrew version of an animated film, The Prince of Egypt (1998).
- Beshem Hashem (In God's Name) (2008)
- Hatikvah (2005)
- Lehitei Yiddish Beivrit (Yiddish hits in Hebrew) (2005)
- Coming to America (2004)
- Prayers On Broadway (2003)
- Odecha (1999)
- Mamenyu (1997)
- L'tav Ulchayim V'lishlam (For Good, for Life and for Peace) (1997)
- Never on Friday (1996)
- Az Yashir David (1996)
- Showstoppers (1994)
- The Malavsky Family Songs (1993)
- Mamma Loshon (Mother Tongue) (1992)
- Velvet Tiger (1992)
- Golden Chasidic Song (1992)
- Gift (1992)
- Tonight, a Musical (1991)
- Stairways to Heaven (1990)
- Over the Rainbow (1989)
- Yiddishkeit (1988)
- Elokai Neshama (1985)
- Songs of My Heart (1983)
- Golden Yiddish Favorites (1985)
- Childhood Years
- Raisins and Almonds
- Songs of the Living
- Yiddishe Mamme
- Dudu Fisher's Kindergarten (DVD/VHS):
- (1998) (translated to English)
- "We Are All Friends" (2000)
- "From the Heart and Soul" (2001)
- "The Friendship Trip" (2002) (translated to English)
- "It's the Thought That Counts" (2003)
- "From the Mouth of the Infants"
- "Shabat Shalom"
- "Shana Tova"
- "And Thou Rejoice in Thy Feast"
- "From Slavery to Freedom"
- "A Great Miracle Happened There"
- "Shavuot Holyday"
- "Jerusalem" (translated to English)
- "Purim"
- "Song of the Animals"
He also joined David D'Or, Eran Zur, and Meir Banai in the song "Lisa" on the album Radio Blah-Blah (1994) by the Israeli band "The Friends of Natasha".[1]
In 2009, Fisher recorded the song "Saleinu" for the organization Pioneers For A Cure, with the proceeds benefiting Ezer Mizion.[6]
See also
References
- ^ A Short Second Life for a Building With History. New York Times archive, retrieved March 10, 2016.
- ^ a b Brinn, David (23 April 2015). "Dudu Fisher: A life on stage". Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ Shanahan, Mark; Goldstein, Meredith (31 October 2009). "Wedding day nears". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ Rothaus, Steve (23 October 2017). "He's worked with A-listers like Streisand. Now he's ready to tell a few stories". Miami Herald. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
- ^ "David D'Or and Dudu Fisher Sing for the Pope". Consulate General of Israel in New York. 2009. Archived from the original on 22 June 2010. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
- ^ Bezalel, Mel Fay (15 June 2009). "Pioneering a Cure". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 6 October 2010.
Sources
- "Bridge Between People – 'Dudu' Fisher to Bring Music to Warner Theatre", Dallas Jewish Week, 13 June 2002.
- Dudu Fisher, at GoldenLand.com; accessed 12 December 2005.
- "Golden Land Dudu Fisher", forward.com; accessed 12 January 2018.
External links
- Official web site
- Sameach Music's full Dudu Fisher discography
- Jewish Australia Dudu Fisher
- Dudu Fisher at the Internet Broadway Database
- Dudu Fisher at IMDb
- Dudu Fisher's recording of "Saleinu" for Pioneers For A Cure
- Dudu Fisher's rendition of "Bring Him Home" on YouTube from Les Misérables (in Hebrew)
- 1951 births
- 20th-century Israeli male actors
- 20th-century Israeli singers
- 21st-century Israeli male actors
- 21st-century Israeli singers
- English-language singers from Israel
- Israeli hazzans
- Israeli male musical theatre actors
- Israeli Orthodox Jews
- Living people
- People from Kiryat Tiv'on
- People from Petah Tikva
- People from Tel Aviv
- Yiddish-language singers
- 20th-century male singers
- 21st-century male singers