Rosalie Gerut

Rosalie    Shlemiel the First    Songs of Paradise    Prairie Lights    We Are Here    Sleep My Child    Imported Bridegroom

“Rosalie Gerut is a major talent on the threshold of greatness. A versatile singer/songwriter (try her collection of lullabies “Sleep My Child” and Rosalie Gerut & Friends “We Are Here” album for Blue Hill Recordings) who moves easily from English and Hebrew to Yiddish and Ladino, she ought to be a household name.”
The Jewish Advocate, New England

“Rosalie Gerut’s singing and acting are most impressive... She recalls the late Martha Schlamme... She has the same knack of telling a story...that captures the heart and imagination.”
The Jewish Bulletin, California, May, 1995

“Especially impressive is Rosalie Gerut as Shlemiel’s wise and long-suffering wife.”
Howard Kessel, New York Daily News

“Rosalie Gerut as Mrs. Shlemiel manages subtlety under unsubtle circumstances, and sings sweetly.”
Markland Taylor, Variety

““...a marvelous comic singer.”
Newsday

“…this musical should enjoy a healthy tenure at some nice Off Broadway house…bring it up to the level of its top members Rosalie Gerut and Marilyn Sokol...”
John Simon, New York Times

“…the star is the music...whether belted by Marilyn Sokol...or torched by Rosalie Gerut in a song to her foolish beloved.”
Jack Kroll, Newsweek

“The most winning performance...comes from Rosalie Gerut, whose Tryna Rytza combines playful intelligence, earthy sexiness and a pure, potent soprano.”
Malcolm Johnson, The Hartford Courant

“Tryna, a seller of radishes, played beautifully by Rosalie Gerut, who has a fine singing voice and good stage presence, castigates her husband for being a no good Shlemiel. While the comedy is a constant, the love scene between Shlemiel and his wife is quite moving."
WMNR Fine Arts Radio, Monroe, Connecticut

“...Shelmiel’s shrewish, but ultimately loving wife, lustily portrayed by actress/singer Rosalie Gerut...”
Nancy Rubin, Greenwich Time

“Ms. Gerut [Mrs. Shlemiel] exudes confidence and strength - and a fine voice... In the show’s only scenes that evoke real feeling... When the two [Mr. & Mrs. Shlemiel] melt in each others arms as possible strangers, the tables are for once turned and the effect is complete joy.”
Edward Buroughs, Trader Weekend

“Singer and songwriter Rosalie Gerut brings a beautiful voice and fine comic timing to the role of Mrs. Shlemiel.”
Gary Haber, North County News, New York

“...Shlemiel’s shrewish, but ultimately loving wife, (is) lustily portrayed by actress/singer Rosalie Gerut...”
Nancy Rubin, The Advocate, Stamford, Connecticut

“Miss Gerut’s onstage talent matches her offstage creativity.”
The New York Times

“There is surely nothing now onstage in New York that is more sprightly in any of our city’s many tongues than ‘Songs of Paradise’, the first production of the Joseph Papp Yiddish Theater. [It is] witty, tuneful, contemporary and traditional. ...The music, by Rosalie Gerut...draws on everything from rock-and-roll and gospel to traditional Jewish beats.
Richard F. Shepard, The New York Times, January 24, 1989

“It was early on that I started smiling at ‘Songs of Paradise’...being a stroll, with music - and what music!... But most seductive of all is Rosalie Gerut, as Hagar, old Abraham’s fancy woman, and as Rachel, for whom I jotted down the following: ‘Enter Rachel, strewing flowers, also song, in Yiddish/French on tippytoes like Minnie Mouse’. The amazing thing was that when I glanced at the program and saw that the music was also by Gerut. It is the most eclectic and lively syncopated blend this side of Al Carmines - jazz, ragtime, blues, gospel-jubilee, rock a snatch from ‘Carmen,’... etc., etc., all richly interwoven of course with Jewish melodies and rhythms...”
Jerry Tallmer, New York Post, January 26, 1989

“The show...is exhilarating... Ms. Gerut’s score ranges from klezmer to ballad. She can be tender, as in a painfully beautiful duet between Sara. and Hagar (Ms. Gerut), or outrageous - at the birth of Isaac... the cast break out into gospel, which quickly becomes classic do-wop rock and roll.”
The Jewish Voice, January 1989

“...charming score...”
New York Magazine, January 30, 1989

“The Public Theater got it right this time. ‘Songs of Paradise’ works... From beginning to end it is a beguiling show...’
Leo Segilsohn, Newsday

“The bottom line about ‘Songs of Paradise’ is that you’ll enjoy it a lot...”
Mary Campbell, Associated Press

“From so much laughing you could plotz!”
Village Voice

“For young and old alike”
Daily News

"Rosalie Gerut's attractive score...is a lively knockoff of pop, operetta, rock, rap, gospel and folk idioms... with musicality in its genes."
Sun-Sentinel, April 2002

“'Songs of Paradise', the sunny, high-spirited Yiddish-English musical at Theater Four... pianist Larry Goldberg and the percussionist Rex Benicasa do lively justice to an eclectic score that draws upon jazz, rock and gospel among others... In many ways 'Songs of Paradise' adds up to old-time entertainment.”
Lawrence Van Gelder, New York Times

“Rosalie Gerut’s score...is endlessly inventive; it ranges from jazzy, percussive, klezmer-style rhythms to ragtime, rhythm and blues, and film-score type pop. The show-stopper comes near the end of the first half, when Abraham’s siring of Ishmael and resultant marital woes are noted by the cast in a rousing Motown number that brings down the house.”
The Jewish Week

“The sounds of rock, klezmer, Motown, jazz, Latin rhythms, etc. blaze a trail through Genesis.”
Joan Eshkanazi, Curtain Up

“The inventive music, by Rosalie Gerut, is a..combination of ragtime, gospel, rock and klezmer, with a Sousa march and a saucy aria tossed in, the tunes are rousing - even inspiring the audience to clap along on occasion.”
Bonnie Friedman, The Forward

“Paradise is found in Yiddish Musical”
New York Post

JEFF COMMITTEE AWARD – one of top ten new musical productions in Chicago 2003

“... I stayed for... weeks in Zenica, Bosnia, to help raped women and their children. One evening we had one hour of electric power and heard your music. During listening, women wept and spoke about their hope and the hope of your music... Often I listen to your songs, finding and feeling my soul. ‘We Are Here’ is a very important song...”
Dr. Michaela A.C.Schumacher, Medical-Therapeutic Project , Bosnia

“I was very moved by [We Are Here]. I think it’s wonderful.”
Dr. Michael Berenbaum, Director of Research Institute,
U.S. Holocaust Museum, Washington D.C

“One of the most poignant, beautiful and memorable recordings I have ever listened to. Rosalie Gerut’s magnificent voice and music make you cry for the past, smile at the future, and renew the promise never to forget.”
Professor Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law School

“Producing a television video of the recording of “Zog Nit Keyn Mol” in the studio was the most emotionally stirring experience I have had in my 15 years as a television producer. The synergy between survivor Allan Fine and the group of sons and daughters of Holocaust survivors brought forth love and emotion. The deniers of the Holocaust would be hard pressed to come up with any plausible refutation after experiencing this moving ballad. The message of the song lives on in a most beautiful way.”
Andrew Reikes, Producer/Director, WHDH-TV, Boston, MA

“The sounds linger in your memory... a bittersweet mandolin, the cello’s soulful baritone, the fluid notes of the flute... all of them cling to the mind, recalling worlds drowned in the mists of by-gone days, worlds brought to life through the magical performance of Rosalie Gerut and Friends.”
The Corporation for Jewish Broadcasting

“A marvelous collection... just extraordinary and beautiful.”
Ron Della Chiesa, WBBH-FM

“Rosalie’s lullabies are so beautiful, they don’t just put you to sleep.”
Professor Alan Dershowitz, Harvard Law School

“I loved it!”
Rabbi Harold Kushner, Author

“A new disk from Blue Hill Recordings, comes with no guarantee to send your child off to dreamland. On the other hand, it won’t put you to sleep either... “Sarah’s Lullaby and Hagar’s Lament”, by Rosalie Gerut, with lyrics by famed Yiddish poet Itsik Manger (with Miriam Hoffman), is nothing short of gorgeous, thought-provoking and beautifully performed... “Ba’a M’nucha” (Rest Comes) is the kind of Israeli melody you might recall singing around a campfire when you were a kid... Performers include three female vocalists: Gerut; Bay Area singer Judy Frankel, who sings the Ladino songs; the hugely talented Lilly Kinas, who steals the show; and two men, Solomon and tenor Norman Janis, with members of the Klezmer Conservatory Band... Most of the songs are accompanied simply, by guitar, piano or violin. One, sung by Frankel, has no accompaniment at all... Production values are high and all the songs are translated and transliterated in a companion booklet, artfully decorated with an Israeli painting of a mother, and child that could be mistaken for a Persian miniature... The CD itself, white with green lettering and a border of flowers, is pleasant to look at as well as to hear and forgoes the usual shiny metal look... 'Sleep My Child' may make a nice baby present, designed to lull a wakeful child to sleep with songs in a variety of languages. But don’t be surprised if the parents stay up and listen to it instead.”
Northern California Jewish Bulletin, April 14, 1995

“A great selection! Children might want to stay awake and listen.”
Steve Netsky, Rounder Records

“Outstanding! This delightful recording of heartfelt renditions of classic songs is peaceful, captivating and entertaining. The sound is beautiful and relaxing. Totally professional.”
Randee Freidman, Sounds Write Productions

“This collection of beautiful lullabies will calm parent as well as child. Apart from the joy of hearing songs like “Oyfn Pripetshik” and “Erev Ba” again, it teaches about the Jewish experience. Ladino sounds romantic themes of the Spanish Renaissance, while Yiddish incorporates a passion for helping the poor and Hebrew praises the virtue of the land.”
D.S., Hadassah Magazine

”Der Bay doesn’t accept paid ads, but if something of note comes along it is mentioned. One of the top Klezmer groups and a top female voice came out with a mixture of songs in Yiddish and three other languages. Only the ten Yiddish songs were evaluated. They alone are worth the purchase of “Sleep My Child: A Collection of Jewish Lullabies”... Rosalie Gerut is one of the premiere female Yiddish vocalists in the U.S. When you combine her voice with the Klezmer Conservatory Band, one has the makings of a potentially great combination. This CD more than lived up to expectations... Mordechai Gebirtig’s 'Yankele' and Mark Warchawsky’s 'Oyfn Pripenshik' are two favorites. One can easily compare them to other renditions. They’re winners.”
Der Bay, December 1994

“A Collection of Jewish lullabies from some of Boston’s finest musicians including Rosalie Gerut of the Joseph Papp Yiddish Theater, Robert Solomon of Safam, and Ladino songstress Judy Frankel. Songs are in English, Yiddish, Hebrew and Ladino. Easily the best album of this kind on the market, the songs appeal as much to adults as they will to the kids.”
Planet Music, 1995

“An elderly folksinger once told me that to understand history you should listen to a mother sing a lullaby. You’ll hear not just love, but also hope and a touch of sadness. Those first sweet tunes are a parent’s mix of prayer and reality, the chance for a new start and a fear of old troubles. This disc is a collection of songs that spring from different Jewish experiences - Ashkenzazic and Sephardic, Israeli and American, ancient and contemporary. Sung by some of today’s most evocative Jewish singers, such as Judy Frankel and Robert Solomon, they connect the centuries and the continents where Jews wandered, but also sought a better future for their children. Standards include a trio of Yiddish favorites: “Sleep My Child” and “Raisins and Almonds.” There’s the Ladino gem, “Sleep My Little Angel,” and a popular Hebrew tune, “Erev Ba (Evening Is Coming),” And there’s “Wings of Love,” an instant classic when it debuted in 1982.”
Dirty Linen, April/May 1995

“This is a collection of 20 Jewish lullabies sung in simple, vocal renditions in Yiddish, Hebrew, Ladino and English accompanied by guitar, mandolin, bass, accordion, violin, dumbek, cello and piano. The voices are beautiful and often exquisitely haunting. The backup music is played by experienced, accomplished musicians who have worked with the Klezmer Conservatory Band, Rosalie Gerut & Friends, among others... While the songs are all lullabies, they are fascinating for adults as well. Some of the songs in Yiddish and Ladino date from the Renaissance era or earlier. With the detailed liner notes, this is a good album to use to learn these ancient traditional songs. The album gives a good feel for the voice of a scattered people as they travel through the ages. Children will be captivated and soothed by this lavish collection.”
Sequoia, Heartsong Review, Spring/Summer 1995

“At first glance, a CD of lullabies might seem to be a bit hard to take. On the contrary, these songs sung in Yiddish, Hebrew, Ladino and English are all well worth listening to. Besides, you do not HAVE to hear them all at one sitting! The (booklet) with the disc... is informative, giving, original text, translation as well as the transliteration of all the songs. The performers, vocal as well as instrumental, are all well schooled and are a joy to hear... The performers and arrangements are all first rate! (This) CD ought to be made available for listening and also purchased by every Jewish temple and synagogue gift shop. They not only promote Jewish cultural literacy, but are all wonderfully performed and gave this listener much joy.”
Morton Gold, Jewish Post and Opinion, July 26, 1995

“...the many surprises [of the] screenplay... unfold trippingly, like the clarinet cadences in the klez-inspired score.”
The Village Voice

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