Piece of My Heart

“GORGEOUSLY GORGEOUSLY TUNEFUL!” TUNEFUL! - The New York Times

PieceOfMyHeartMusical.com

“IRRESISTIBLE! IRRESISTIBLE!” “STUNNING! STUNNING!” - Deadline Hollywood

- The Village Voice

Book by Daniel Goldfarb Music by Bert Berns Directed & Choreographed by Denis Jones

ABOUT PIECE OF MY HEART is the inspirational story of iconic songwriter Bert Berns, told in parallel with his daughter’s search for the father she never knew. Berns tragically died young, but he left behind an autobiographical body of work full of rock and soul classics. PIECE OF MY HEART is both a jukebox musical and an in-depth look into the struggles and successes of one of American music’s most prolific songwriters and producers.

PIECE OF MY HEART has been developed over the past decade in and around New York City, including at two of New York’s leading not-for-profit theatre companies New York Theatre Workshop (Rent) and New York Stage and Film (Hamilton). The musical premiered Off-Broadway at The Pershing Square Signature Center during the summer of 2014. The limited engagement played 100 performances and was extended by popular demand.

PIECE OF MY HEART has a cast of 18 actors (9 principals and 9 ensemble) and 6 swings and understudies, with a band of 9 on-stage musicians playing a score made up entirely of Bert Berns’ songs.

PIECE OF MY HEART is written by Daniel Goldfarb (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Modern Orthodox) and directed and choreographed by two-time Tony Award® nominee Denis Jones (Tootsie, Holiday Inn), who received Lucille Lortel and Callaway Award nominations for PIECE OF MY HEART. The show features music direction by Steven Van Zandt (E Street Band, The Sopranos), and vocal arrangements and orchestrations by Bert Berns’ original arranger/conductor Garry Sherman. Joining the producing team are Steven and Maureen Van Zandt (Renegade Theatre Company, The Sopranos), Paul Shaffer (The Late Show With David Letterman, It’s Raining Men), and Joe Grano (Jersey Boys).

PIECE OF MY HEART is the centerpiece of a multimedia campaign - what The New York Times called “the Berns boomlet.” Other projects include the critically acclaimed biography HERE COMES THE NIGHT: THE DARK SOUL OF BERT BERNS AND THE DIRTY BUSINESS OF RHYTHM & BLUES by author Joel Selvin, and the universally acclaimed documentary film BANG! THE BERT BERNS STORY. Bert Berns was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.

HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT 2009

PIECE OF MY HEART begins the early stages of its development at New York Theatre Workshop. NYTW hosts numerous readings and workshops between 2009 and 2010.

2011

PIECE OF MY HEART is invited to conduct a month-long residency at New York Stage and Film’s Powerhouse Season at Vassar College. The production is directed by Leigh Silverman and choreographed by Denis Jones.

20122013

PIECE OF MY HEART conducts a series of readings and workshops in anticipation of a commercial Off-Broadway production, including a two-week staged reading at New World Stages. Director/choreographer Denis Jones uses this time to further develop the staging and the dance vocabulary of the show.

2014

PIECE OF MY HEART premieres Off-Broadway on the Irene Diamond Stage at The Pershing Square Signature Center.

The New York Times called the show “gorgeously tuneful.”

Positive word-of-mouth leads to a two-week extension of the limited engagement.

20152016

Taking lessons learned Off-Broadway, the creative team conducts new work during a series of readings and a formal lab presentation. Marquee producers Steven and Maureen Van Zandt, Paul Shaffer and Joe Grano join the project.

2016

Bert Berns is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

20172018

Producers of PIECE OF MY HEART release the acclaimed documentary film BANG! THE BERT BERNS STORY.

2022

Producers of PIECE OF MY HEART form a new entertainment company to fund Bert Berns stage and film projects.

2023

Rob Reiner acquires rights to write and direct Bert Berns biopic feature film for Castle Rock Entertainment.

20242025

PIECE OF MY HEART aims for 2024-25 season on Broadway.

PRINCIPAL CREATIVE & PRODUCING TEAM Daniel Goldfarb (Playwright) Bert Berns (Composer and Lyricist) Denis Jones (Director and Choreographer) Steven Van Zandt (Music Director and Producer) Garry Sherman (Music Supervisor, Orchestrator, Arranger) Snug Harbor Productions (General Management) Jack Thomas (Executive Producer) Brett and Cassandra Berns (Producers) Maureen Van Zandt (Producer) Joe Grano (Producer) Paul Shaffer (Producer)

Photos (Top to Bottom): From the Off-Broadway production.

(Left to Right) Zak Resnick, Gabrielle Ruiz, and Derrick Baskin. Photo by Jenny Anderson.

Producers Steven Van Zandt and Paul Shaffer.

New York Stage and Film (2011) (Left to Right) Rachel Stern, Christian Carter, Pilar Millhollen, Jarrod Spector, Corey Antonio Hawkins, Michael Millan, Dominic Nolfi.

Bert Berns being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“GORGEOUSL GORGEOUSL “SENSATIONAL… SENSATIONAL… RIVALS anything on BROADWAY! BROADWAY!”

- The New Y

“IRRESIS IRRESIS

- Gay City News

“A A MUST SEE! GO NOW. And then take your mom!”

- Entertainment Hour

“UNDENIABLY UNDENIABLY ROUSING!” ROUSING! - HuffPost

“A surprisingly entertaining endeavor… An ardent and purposeful new offering!”

- Musical Theatre Review

“A toe-tapping good time of a musical!”

- TheaterMania

“A WORTHY ADDITION to rock history!”

- Newsday

“A POTENT and VASTLY ENTERTAINING new musical!”

- NorthJersey.com

- Deadline

LY TUNEFUL!” TUNEFUL!

York Times

STIBLE!” STIBLE! Hollywood

“An ANTHEM of

SELF-AFFIRMATION!” SELF-AFFIRMATION! - Millennium Magazine

“STUNNING! STUNNING!” - The Village Voice

“Jukebox musicals are growing up with Piece of My Heart!”

- CurtainUp

“BEST BEST NEW MUSICAL of the summer!”

- The Jewish Forward

“This COMPELLING,

PASSIONATE STORY

holds up against its original musical contemporaries!”

- Theatre Scene

“A jukebox musical of the

HIGHEST ORDER!” ORDER! - StageBuddy

“HUGELY HUGELY ENTERTAINING UNTOLD STORY!” STORY! - Manhattan Digest

From the Off-Broadway production. (Left to Right) Zak Resnick, Carleigh Bettiol, Derrick Baskin, Shonica Gooden, Harris Milgrim, Bryan Fenkart. Photo by Jenny Anderson.

F

illing that gap in our rock voluminous catalog, and Derrick Baskin, playing Bert’s ’n’ roll awareness is the Piece of My Heart taps it loyal friend Hoagy, brings his mission behind the gorgeously expertly. “Twist and Shout,” own sweet vibe to “Twist and tuneful new jukebox musical “I Want Candy,” “Hang On Shout,” you’re barely thinking Piece of My Heart: The Bert Sloopy” and “Everybody about The Beatles. Instead, Berns Story - and if your first Needs Somebody To Love” and maybe for the first time in response to that title is “Bert are among the many familiar years, you’re thinking about who?,” well, that’s exactly songs that the show’s stellar the music. When Bert’s bitter the point. But if, somewhere singers and splendid eight- widow sings “I’ll Be a Liar,” in your head, Janis Joplin piece orchestra may lodge in Linda Hart makes it ferocious, just ripped into “Piece of My your brain... comic and true. And when Heart,” you already know The danger for any jukebox Jessie, Ilene, and Ilene’s tender Berns’s music. musical is that the songs will younger self (Teal Wicks) sing When Bert Berns died seem like cheesy covers or a bit of “Cry Baby” together, at 38 in 1967, he left a pale imitations. But when its emotional power feels new.

From the Off-Broadway production. (Left to Right) Carleigh Bettiol, Shonica Gooden, Teal Wicks, Gabrielle Ruiz.

T

he jukebox musical can be an significant plot... The other through his songs; it’s a Beautiful: embarrassing phenomenon: worthy type of jukebox musical, The Carole King Musical-style a living, breathing pop-music and the much trickier kind to character study whose dark hero wax museum... Our instinct is to do well, is the biographical is like one of the Jersey Boys. sigh about it, but we shouldn’t. musical... (…) But the moment in Piece The form is evolving... Done This week, the musical Piece of My Heart when Berns rejects well, jukebox musicals, which of My Heart, about the Brill Phil Spector’s arrangement for are by nature about popular Building hit-maker Bert Berns, “Twist and Shout” and insists on music, can have great music and who wrote “Twist and Shout,” his own—“It’s ‘Guantanamera,’ dramatic insight, too.

“Hang On Sloopy,” “Brown not shama-lama-lama!”—made Good jukebox musicals Eyed Girl,” and others, opens at me realize that “Twist and Shout” come in two basic forms. The the Signature Theatre Company. is based on Cuban rhythms. And first is the straight- up celebration Berns’s name is known to few. this is exciting and valuable—I of a body of music, without The show tells his story in part heard the song anew.

D

aniel Goldfarb is owed Berns in a jukebox musical choreographed with verve thanks for his Piece calling attention to a rock ‘n’ by Denis Jones, Piece of My composer-lyricist- Heart is an undeniably rousing of My Heart. The librettist roll/r&b focuses the spotlight on non-performer. Directed and work.

B

ert Berns is a name you need to know. Berns’s songs are either intriguingly quirky or gorgeous, even the unfamiliar ones, showing off a stunning emotional range, and here they’re affectingly embedded into his biography.

R From the Off-Broadway production. (Left to Right) Shonica Gooden, Carleigh Bettiol, Linda Hart, Gabrielle Ruiz, Teresa Gattison. Photo by Jenny Anderson.

J

ukebox musicals are the jukebox musical as entertaining guilty pleasures of Broadway, as the best of those shows. offering well-heeled patrons So: Bert Who? How come the joys of nostalgia and the we’ve never heard of him until reassuring sense that the songs now? That’s the point of Piece we grew up on were classics of My Heart, the irresistible worthy of revisiting. How else show with a weird but effective to account for the extraordinary book by Daniel Goldfarb, songs popularity of Jersey Boys, by Berns performed by a cast Beautiful: The Carole King that goes into overdrive to win Musical, Motown: The Musical, our sympathy (they succeed) The Million Dollar Quartet, and a production directed and Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Mamma choreographed by Denis Jones Mia! and Rock of Ages? Piece that manages to embrace every of My Heart: The Bert Berns cliche of the jukebox genre, and Story is a bargain-basement still hold us rapt.

D

efusing to fall into the trap of most jukebox musicals, where the songs are the jewels and the book is little more than the glue that holds them in place, Daniel Goldfarb took pains to craft a fact-filled, dramatically rich narrative.

That Berns’ songs are partly autobiographical — heavy on the heartbreak and angst — made it easier for Goldfarb to integrate them into the story.

Under Denis Jones’ inspired direction, the show comes alive with briskly paced scenes…The sensational musical numbers, uplifted by zippy choreography, rival anything on Broadway right now.

irector Denis Jones has following scene. This helps the don't expect it to come from crafted it all into a sleek show pack in more music than musical theater. A fun evening package, with the kind of you would think possible, and it of song and dance, on the other musically satisfying staging does so in an authentic-sounding hand, it can do. Piece of My in which the bump of the last way… If you're looking for an Heart does the latter in spades. song immediately leads into the accurate portrayal of history,

B

ert Berns is the best pop songwriter you never heard of. Piece of My Heart is the best new musical of the summer, and you heard that here first... This is entertainment, and very entertaining it is.

T

he show is a jukebox efficient, as he makes the most musical of the highest order, out of both the framing device and as it cleverly goes beyond the fictional liberties…Denis Jones’ conventions of using the music directing (and choreography) are chronologically. Instead of telling vibrant to say the least, as there is Bert’s story by the songs, they tell not a single moment in the show it through the songs…The book where you’re not tapping your

by Daniel Goldfarb is enviably feet or clutching your heart.

From the Off-Broadway production. (Left to Right) Derrick Baskin, Zak Resnick, and Bryan Fenkart. Photo by Jenny Anderson.

P

iece of My Heart is the milestones flow together in energizing, a pleasure to bringing down the house a sometimes funny, sometimes devour… And yes this show Off-Broadway… A heartfelt sad and always entertaining certainly does make you feel “jukebox musical” this bright rendition of familiar and good. It is an anthem of selfand bubbly show reveals the enjoyable hits… Intimately affirmation so be prepared to man behind the music… Seen staged the musical numbers leave the theatre with a smile on through the eyes of his daughter, are like candy, addictive and your face and hope in your heart.

A NEW MUSICAL COMING TO BROADWAY!

BERT BERNS - ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME 2016 THE AC

GRAPHY CLAIMED BIO

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“ YOU’LL LOVE THIS MOVIE! ” - The New York Times

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