Edward Fine has a thing for nostalgia.
A decade ago, the Toronto entertainer and voice-over artist began hosting what’s now an annual “Jewish cabaret,” an event that’s part singles mixer and part throwback to the Catskills era of the 1960s, when Jews of eastern European background famously summered in the resorts of the Catskill Mountains.
It’s also a tribute to the Ed Sullivan-type variety shows of yore, Fine said, noting that among the scheduled performances for this year’s cabaret event are covers of songs by Neil Diamond, Elvis Presley, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.
To be held Aug. 14 at 1118 Bistro Bar & Grill in Thornhill, Ont., the interactive show this year has an innovative twist, the theme being “Mina Big Fat Yiddisha Vedding.”
Essentially, the cabaret will feature what Fine said is a largely unscripted, “Yiddish-style” mock wedding between his alter ego – the “Amazing Edwardo” – and a friend of his, Janette Burke, also a passionate performer.
His plan is for as many audience members to get involved in the ceremony as possible, and for one in particular to “marry” him and Burke in the important role of rabbi.
“There’s gonna be music, a horah, breaking of the glass… I’ll have a partial script written in ‘Yiddish English, and I’m going to ask people to come up and read it,” said Fine, whose repertoire of impersonations stands at 50 and largely includes former Jewish entertainers including Jackie Mason, Rodney Dangerfield and Jerry Lewis.
Audience members will also have the opportunity to lip synch to songs from artists like Queen, Michael Jackson, the Beatles and Jerry Lee Lewis.
There is no cover charge and attendees are encouraged to come in costume and to purchase food and drinks from the restaurant.
“The owner is Italian, and when he saw there was going to be Yiddish, he got very excited. He loves Yiddish things,” Fine said.
An engineer who has worked professionally as a voice-over actor for radio and television commercials, Fine is also a self-described escape artist and magician with a serious love of the Jewish American illusionist Harry Houdini.
One of his prized possessions is a letter of endorsement he received from Houdini’s great-grandnephew after he requested it and was asked to “prove my magician background.”
Fine would not reveal his age (“I’m over 21,” he quipped) but said he was often exposed to Yiddish when he was growing up.
“My mother did Yiddish theatre, my brother speaks fluent Yiddish and I speak some… I find the language very funny – I don’t quite know why. There are expressions in Yiddish that simply don’t exist in other languages,” he mused.
The venue holds 100 people, but Fine said he doesn’t know how many will come to the cabaret, which he advertised on social media and ZoomerMedia platforms, noting that “there may be 20, there may be 200.”
While it’s not specifically advertised as such and anyone is welcome, Fine sees the event as a potential opportunity for Jewish singles to come out and meet each other.
And, at the end of the day, Fine said, the cabaret is a chance for Jews in the city who are secular and/or not affiliated with other Jewish institutions to meet and spend time together or to just perform songs in a fun, low-pressure environment.
“Other than something like karaoke, people don’t have anywhere to do that. [My show] lets people learn about theatre and meet people they would never otherwise meet,” he said.