Actor, singer and storyteller Mandy Patinkin has a resume most folks in his profession can only dream of. It’s simply because he has been blessed with a theatrical presence and a passionate commitment to the written word. These traits both challenge and propel the Tony and Emmy award-winner toward his greatest love — telling stories by way of the brutally honest renditions he bestows on the works of great American songwriters.
This gift is shared with his fans who will line up to hear their master storyteller perform at the Music Center at Strathmore Thursday and Friday nights.
| Onstage |
| Mandy Patinkin |
| Where: The Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda |
| Info: 8 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday |
| Info: $31.50 to 78.00, 301-581-5100, strathmore.org |
“I am completely lyric-driven; it’s the stories that matter to me,” Patinkin acknowledged. “I always wanted to train as an actor which is why I went for classical training at Julliard’s drama school. All of this other stuff has been an accident.”
In his stage show, Mandy Patinkin: Dress Casual with Paul Ford on Piano, he takes on the heavy hitters of American lyricists like Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Harry Chapin and his favorite, Stephen Sondheim, with whom he worked on the Broadway hit, “Sunday in the Park With George.”
Those who have never heard Patinkin’s rendition of “Over the Rainbow” are missing one of the finest interpretations out there of the classic song written for Judy Garland in 1939’s “The Wizard of Oz.”
“‘Over the Rainbow’ is utter brilliance,” Patinkin expressed. “It’s absolutely timeless, and no matter what day you sing the words, they seem appropriate, whether there’s a great tragedy that has just taken place in the world or one of the most spectacular triumphs the world has known, or an individual has known. These words reflect on everything.”
His personal tributes to the music of Cole Porter and Sondheim are equally intoxicating for himself and his audience.
“Cole Porter is one of the geniuses of all time; I consider myself just the mailman,” Patinkin continued. “These are the guys who sat down and wrote what they wished for; for themselves and for everyone else. They left all these wishes behind. Some of them had difficult lives, always trying to find the light through the darkness, which is very much what my life is about. I’m very moved by that journey and that quest.”
