Casting a Cantor
La Jolla Playhouse Premiere plays to Rena Strober’s Strengths
By Joel D. Amos

The La Jolla Playhouse’s theme is “Where American Theater is Born.” Nowhere was that more evident than with their premiere of “Zhivago” on May 25. The musical, based on the book “Dr. Zhivago” by Boris Pasternak, takes the emotion to new levels with a score by Lucy Simon and features a Jewish actress originating the role of Tonya, Zhivago’s best friend and eventual wife.

Rena Strober’s cohorts at the Playhouse appreciate the actress on many levels. “Rena brings great warmth and honesty to the role of Tonya,” Simon said. Ivan Hernandez, who portrays Yurii Zhivago, echoed the sentiments. “Rena’s wonderful to work with and she helps me to keep laughing when we're off stage, which is essential because it's easy for us actors to take ourselves entirely too seriously,” he said.

Strober brings her Russian-Jewish heritage to a role that required she forget the latter. “Fiddler on the Roof” this is not.
“It’s really hard because my character is just the opposite,” Strober said. She had to learn a new religion’s nuances. “I had to learn to cross myself, everything to make the character true.”

She is quick to point out being Jewish still played a role in her characterization. “I bring Judaism to every role I do,” Strober said. “It’s in the way I look – the honest passion that I have.”

Her resume includes Jewish characters, most notably ‘20s Hollywood siren Theda Bera, who is best known for portraying the sultry Cleopatra in silent films. Bera had a trying time balancing her Jewish private life with her public persona. “One of the greatest things about the theater is playing real people,” Strober said. She hopes to someday be a part of the Jewish play, “Last Side of Ballyhoo.” For right now, she is focused keenly on inhabiting her latest role.

Strober grew up attending a conservative synagogue in New York State, but did not make her religion her own until she was a part of the national tour of “Les Misérables.” Fresh from Skidmore College, she found herself drawn to a synagogue in Atlanta. The experience was life-changing. “It was the coolest thing, hearing a rabbi with a southern accent, singing with a twang,” Strober said.

Judaism helped her cope with the lonely hotel rooms and long hours that come with being part of a national tour. “I suddenly felt alone, so I went to synagogue. I walked in the congregation and everyone turned and just embraced me. How cool - I have a family in Atlanta,” Strober said. For the rest of the tour, she visited a synagogue in each city. Whether in Nashville, Memphis or Cleveland – she would have an immediate family. “It was amazing.”

Her cross-country synagogue tour also created another yearning. She returned to a Kosher lifestyle and discovered a fascination with becoming a cantor. The idea that you are singing for something greater - you are taking it to a deeper level,” Strober said. “You don’t get that doing ‘Guys and Dolls.’ It is more powerful.
Maybe this part of the journey is about me becoming a cantor and I need to keep looking into that.”

She became acquainted with another Jewish “Les Mis” cast member, Peter Risher, who also worked as a cantor. His commitment to his faith moved her. Risher never performed on Fridays or matinee Saturdays to honor the Sabbath. “It was great to see someone at that level who incorporates their faith into your life,” she said.

Her brother Dean has noticed the influence his sister’s faith has had on her. He directed the actress in her one-woman show, “Spaghetti and Matzoh Balls.” For one, he wasn’t surprised by her cantorial leanings. “It makes perfect sense. Judaism and going to temple have been one of the solid foundations that she has in her life.
The life of an actor - I’ve been there - is full of uncertainty. Rena is a great example. She did a national tour of ‘Les Mis,’ then she was on Broadway and then she was unemployed for over a year.
Rena’s true love and appreciation of Judaism has provided her with a solid foundation to lean on.”

Her first exposure to “Zhivago” came last summer when she auditioned for their Page to Stage workshop. She originally read for the role of Lara, but after getting the part of Tonya sees a perfect match. “I feel more like a Tonya.”

“The summer workshop was incredible,” Strober said. She had never been to San Diego and once she arrived, she had found another home, the La Jolla Playhouse. When she first arrived, the history of the establishment struck her. “I was sort of numb. I was in shock that I was here. I’ve done some wonderful projects, but to work here in a leading role in a Lucy Simon-Des McAnuff world premiere - it didn’t sink in for a while.”

Russian women are known for taking on much of the burden of a family in a stoic manner. Her challenge was then to stop utilizing her body for emotional power and pull it in much closer. “Being a Jewish New Yorker, it has been hard to be able to pull the emotion in and only the eyes show it,” Strober said.

After the workshop closed, she returned to New York. Strober heard rumors “Zhivago” was moving towards a full production - perhaps heading down the same Tony-nominated path as “Jersey Boys.” The playhouse’s season was announced and Strober saw “Zhivago” was the first show. “I hoped someone was going to offer it to me, but I had to go back and audition,” she said. It was months before she heard anything. “I let it go and I went on with my life.”

A week before the first rehearsal, her phone rang. “They said ‘come on out,’” Strober recalled. When asked if her tears turned to cheers she quickly responds. “Oh, I still cried. It was incredible,” Strober said.

“This is a huge production - I did Les Mis for a year thinking that was the biggest production I’d ever done, but this, this is huge. She says there is nothing that can prepare her for the spotlight of the Tony Award-winning La Jolla Playhouse. “You just have to live it,” Strober said.

She is occupying a path many have traveled, artists who try to keep true to their religion. “It is difficult to practice when you are at this level,” Strober said. In San Diego, Strober’s temple is Del Mar’s Beth El, where she has been greeted with open arms. “Suddenly I have a half dozen friends,” Strober said. “They are all coming to the show to support me. When I don’t have my family out here, it is the next best thing.”

Strober has found herself on her chosen path, a trail which puts her in front of an audience - a place where her faith, talent and destiny converge. “Jews are expressive with their hands and the way we speak, the way they can make stories bigger than they are,” Strober said. “That is what theater is.”

She considers herself fortunate to be born Jewish, but at this time, don’t tell her grandmother that cantor school will have to wait. “I looked into a few cantor programs, but it would mean giving up the theater completely. It is not a step I’m ready to take yet,” Strober said. “When I have children and a family my thoughts will be different. It is a way to mix the two things that I love - I can make money singing and being part of the Jewish community.”

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