INTERVIEW: Eric Anderson takes the stage as Shlomo Carlebach in ‘Soul Doctor’

At the Circle in the Square in New York City, Eric Anderson takes the stage on a nightly basis as Shlomo Carlebach, the popular Jewish icon whose influence is still felt today. The “rockstar rabbi” is the subject of the new Broadway musical, Soul Doctor, which played a sold-out engagement at the New York Theatre Workshop.

For Anderson, the journey into Carlebach’s heart has taken him from Florida to Israel to Manhattan. He called it a “surreal” experience. “I’m completely, completely blown away and just so, so grateful for the opportunity,” Anderson said recently during a phone interview. “It’s humbling, and it’s something that I certainly don’t take for granted everyday. It’s very surreal but cool. I’m having a blast. It’s a beautiful family we’ve assembled, and I think we have an exciting show to present.”

Anderson first auditioned for the musical in 2011 right after he got married. He won the part and quickly began rehearsals for a production in Florida. The audition process was actually the first time the actor ever heard of the rabbi.

“I had never heard of Shlomo Carlebach before I auditioned for it, and so I got the call, looked him up on, you know, YouTube and, you know, as many things as I could find online to get some ideas of who he was,” he said. “And then I just got immersed in it. Once I was cast, he became a household name for me.”

After a successful run in Florida, Anderson was asked to reprise the role off-Broadway at the New York Theatre Workshop, the downtown institution that has pumped out hits like Rent and Once. Before jumping back into the rabbi’s shoes, the producers sent Anderson to Israel so that he could establish his roots in the character. The actor wanted to attain a “real semblance of what he was about and how much he influenced people,” he said.

“It was amazing being in Israel and encountering people of all walks of life that just had an intimate portrait of who many considered to be their best friend. He spread himself very thin, but it was only because he felt obligated to reach as many people as he can and heal as many people as he can with his music and with his words.”

Along the path of discovery, Anderson became a fan of Carlebach’s warmth and personal interaction, admiring this “beautiful human being.”

“It’s not often that you get to play a role that lifts you up out of the experience of playing it,” Anderson said. “It’s one of those roles that you actually can take home, and it makes me a better person. It’s been a trip, a real trip.”

The journey did not end with the New York Theatre Workshop production. Anderson moved on from Soul Doctor and earned a spot in the company of Kinky Boots, the Tony-winning new musical playing at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. He opened the show on Broadway and then received a call from the Soul Doctor director and librettist, Daniel S. Wise, with good news that Carlebach’s story was coming to the Rialto.

“So at that point, you know, a week later I had to give my four weeks notice at Kinky Boots, which was a week after the Tony Awards, and I was doing double duty for a couple of weeks, rehearsing Soul Doctor during the day and at night doing Kinky Boots,” he said. “So it was really an actor’s dream. Talk about really surreal days.”

Soul Doctor uses Carlebach’s melodies but adds in some new lyrics to help drive the show. Anderson called it a “hybrid” of the rabbi’s traditional melodies that can play to a more universal audience. The show examines Carlebach’s life, in particular his relationship with the iconic singer Nina Simone, played by Amber Iman.

“So I think the mash-up of the traditional Jewish melodies with the gospel and the soul and the rock ‘n’ roll aspect really gives Broadway something interesting that I certainly have never heard on these stages before. And I think there’s something really magical about this music that is going to be one of the major high points and selling points of the show.”

Opening a new musical in the middle of the summer can be a daunting task, and Soul Doctor is not a typical jukebox musical or screen-to-stage adaptation. But Anderson said the Broadway theater community appreciates diversity, and that’s why he believes the show will succeed. “I think Soul Doctor fills a niche that isn’t currently on Broadway,” he said. “It’s, of course, a Jewish-based show, and there’s not to my knowledge a real Jewish-based show on Broadway right now. … I think word of mouth gets out about this. It’s something that is completely different than anything else that’s on Broadway. And I think that’s really going to be one of the major selling points, and also it’s about universal acceptance of one another as brothers and sisters with a common heart. And in this day and age more than ever that’s really something that can’t be stressed upon too lightly or that we can’t see enough of.”

Anderson spoke highly of the ensemble that has been brought together for the show, which officially opens Aug. 15. He said everyone is “excited and scared,” as Stephen Sondheim once said.

Throughout the development process, Anderson has come to appreciate the arc of his character. “In the first act, we start out by knowing Shlomo in his conservative days before he really comes out of his shell and becomes a universal poet. And I’d say that my favorite part at the moment is in the second [act] when he finally decides that he needs to go to San Francisco and perform for the unconventional masses, for the people that he doesn’t see in the synagogue day to day. And he cuts loose. So I’d say my favorite part is when he has the ability to cut loose and present his music in a new style … and rocks it out a little bit.”

Anderson’s ultimate goal appears to be to capture the essence of Carlebach for Broadway audiences, many of whom have never heard of the rockstar rabbi. “And hopefully we’ll be able to ignite the audience as much he did personally when he was alive,” he said. “It’s new. It’s fresh. It’s for families. And you’ll come out a better person as I have by being able to play him.”

By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com

• Click here for more information on Soul Doctor.