The Production


THE PRODUCTION

“THE HEBREW HILLBILLY® - Fifty Shade of Oy Vey! chronicles a womanʼs journey growing up as a Jewess in the South..."

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – Flamingo Blues Entertainment proudly presents the Fall – Winter 2020 – 2021 Season of THE HEBREW HILLBILLY® – Fifty Shades of Oy Vey!, an original musical solo play written and performed by Memphis singer/songwriter/executive producer Shelley Fisher. The show features 17 original songs written by Shelley Fisher, Ken Hirsch and Harold Payne.

THE HEBREW HILLBILLY® – Fifty Shades of Oy Vey!, chronicles Ms. Fisher’s Hollywood odyssey that begins in the heart of the Mississippi Delta in her hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Blues and Bar-b-cue.  Growing up Jewish in the deep South with a flamboyant mother who frowned on her dating the local redneck boys, the Hebrew Hillbilly begins singing as a little girl and never stops.  From her early years as a blonde bombshell, through her current incarnation as The Memphis Belle of L.A., Ms. Fisher has ridden a show business rollercoaster that slows down just long enough for her audience to climb on board this deeply personal, yet universally appealing and hilarious ride.  The production is directed by Chris DeCarlo and produced by Debra Ehrhardt, with 15 original songs written by Shelley Fisher, Harold Payne, and Ken Hirsch.

Shelley recorded a solo album on Fantasy Records, rocked the disco charts with her hit rendition of ‘Wonder Woman’ on Roadshow Records, and wrote ‘Disgorilla’, the sequel to Rick Dees ‘Disco Duck’.  Live performances include, The Barbara Morrison Performing Arts Center, BB Kings on Beale Street, Harvelle’s, The Marina City Club, Moonshadows Malibu and Sandals Resorts Jamaica.  Her unique and earthy blend of soulful music and comedy has captivated audiences worldwide. As creator and star of the romantic comedy cooking show, ForkPlay®, Shelley has appeared on many national TV shows including ‘Style Court’ on the Style Network, ‘The Dream Team’, and with Dick Clark on NBC’s ‘The Other Half’ as well as on Canadian ‘Breakfast TV’ in Vancouver, Canada.

Native New Yorker Ken Hirsch attended Juilliard School of Music and has been writing hit songs for most of his life.

Harold Payne is a multi-platinum songwriter whose soulful uplifting songs and husky heartfelt vocals combined with his uncanny gift for spontaneity have graced stages around the world. He has written songs for such diverse artists as Rod Stewart, Patti Labelle, the Temptations & Kelly Rowland—literally from Peter Paul and Mary to Snoop Dogg. His most recent project with Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Bobby Womack’ (“Bravest Man in the Universe”) just won 2012 “Best Album of the year” for the prestigious Q awards in the UK.  The album was co- written by Payne and produced by Gorrilaz & Blur frontman, Damon Albarn and XL recordings chief Richard Russell. He has created custom and recap songs for such luminaries as Regis Philbin; Disney music head, Bob Cavallo; Mark Victor Hansen and Yahoo president, Susan Decker.  He performed his “recap improv” magic on the main stage of the 2012 National Speakers Association convention.

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Shelley Fisher & Debra EhrhardtProducer Debra Ehrhardt produced her first award-winning play, Mango Mango, and Invisible Chairs, which was later produced by David Strasberg at the Marilyn Monroe theatre in West Hollywood and later optioned as a situation comedy by Fox. She was also a 2007 NYC Fringe festival award-winner and received a 2007 Proclamation from the City of New York for JAMAICA FAREWELL for her outstanding contribution to the Jamaican community. JAMAICA FAREWELL was the final production in the 2010-11 subscription season at Garry Marshall’s Falcon theatre in Los Angeles and has been optioned by a major Hollywood Film Producer. A member of the Writer’s Guild of America, Ehrhardt is currently adapting JAMAICA FAREWELL for the big screen. More info at www.jamaicafarewelltheplay.com.

Veteran director Chris DeCarlo is co-founder, together with his wife and partner Evelyn Rudie, of Actors’ Repertory Theatre, the American Cultural Youth Ambassadors and the Jewish Heritage Series. He has been acting, writing and directing in Los Angeles for more than 40 years, bringing to the stage over 250 World Premieres and American Premieres. Most recently he directed the Santa Monica Playhouse’s critically acclaimed musicals Love in Bloom and Backstreet, as well as Arnold Schulman’s Sleeping Ugly. Among his LA TIMES Critics’ Pick productions are the Sroka/Fleming comedy Dying for Laughs starring Stuart Pankin, and Charlie Lustman’s Made Me Nuclear. His current projects include Shelley Fisher’s The Hebrew Hillbilly®.