When she met Leonard Bernstein in 1974, and shared with him that her father had been in the audience at a concert he played for Holocaust survivors in Munich in 1948, he closed Auckland Town Hall to play a piano concerto just for her, that she got to watch from a seat in the dress circle designated by Bernstein, who played for her eyes (and ears) only.
As for Leonard Cohen, she was working part-time as a cab driver when she picked him up as a fare. Impressed by his driver, Cohen produced a cassette from his pocket to hear on the cab’s player, warning the this was the only audio copy of his latest song ‘Hallelujah’ That Deb manages to create real tension as she shares how it unspooled from the slot, tells you what a captivating storyteller she is – we the audience were tense too, and delighted to relieve the tension by singing Hallelujah in Yiddish with her – and to learn that Cohen and Deb remained firm friends.
But don’t just take my word for it. You too can thrill, laugh and even wipe a tear from your eye at Deb’s unmissable show until 1 February!
By Judi Herman
Cohen, Bernstein, Joni and Me runs from Tuesday 20 January until Sunday 1 February 7.30pm, 4pm (Sundays only). £25 (concs £23). Upstairs At The Gatehouse, London, N6 4BD. 020 8340 3488. upstairsatthegatehouse.com
