Jewish actor Nick Berke returns to Pittsburgh with ‘Come From Away’

Even before being cast in “Come From Away,” Nick Berke was excited by the musical.

“I saw it when it was in previews on Broadway in, like, 2016 and immediately, I was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is one of the best things I’ve ever seen.’”

So, when the opportunity arose for Berke to audition for the show that “had been living rent free in my brain,” he said, he leaped at the chance.

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“I was like, ‘I absolutely have to,’ I jumped at the opportunity,” he said.

Berke is a standby in the touring company of “Come From Away,” running at the Benedum Center May 2 through May 4.

He’s responsible for knowing four parts — two primary assignments and two secondary assignments.

And while that might seem like a lot, Berke prefers it to being cast in just one role for the duration of a run.

“It keeps me afloat and keeps it interesting for me,” he said. “It’s constantly changing. I don’t think it would be as enjoyable an experience if I was just playing one role every day.”

“Come From Away,” he said, is a tricky musical — there are just 12 actors, who are essentially always on stage, with only very brief opportunities to run backstage for a drink of water or to check their notes — and by learning four roles, Berke has an opportunity to understand the entire musical and each of the characters.

Berke enjoys the challenges of being a standby, or swing actor, he said. It’s the same thing he did in the traveling production of “Fiddler on the Roof” and “My Fair Lady.”

“It’s kind of what I’ve made my career and my reputation doing,” he said.

In fact, he said, it’s the ability to be flexible and adapt that has attributed to his continued employment — he’s been in the touring companies of not just “Fiddler on the Roof” and “My Fair Lady,” but also “A Chorus Line” and a host of regional theater productions.

“Come From Away” tells the story of airline passengers stranded in the town of Gander, Newfoundland, when their planes are diverted after 9/11, and the town’s residents who helped house and feed the passengers.

Berke said the show is non-stop action, noting that it’s an hour and 42 minutes with no intermission.

“The scenes are not long, the songs are not long,” he said. “It moves really, really, really fast.”

And, at times, he said, it feels like acting without a net.

“The singing is harder in ‘Come From Away’ because it’s not traditional with the sopranos singing this, and the altos singing that, in a giant ensemble of people,” he said. “It’s much more personal to the role and character you’re playing. Most often you are only one of two people singing so if you forget, or if it’s wrong, you’re really exposed.”

Berke credits musical theater, specifically the time he spent in the cast of “Fiddler on the Roof,” with reconnecting him to his Jewish identity.

“I lost touch with it a bit,” he said, “not for any specific reason, it just wasn’t the focus of my life.”

His recommittment, he said, occurred slowly and gradually and has been focused more on cultural components than religious ones.

Berke said he adheres to the sentiment from the opening number of “Fiddler”: “Tradition.”

“I feel as though that’s the strongest tenet of my Jewish identity, how I uphold traditions and pass them down. That’s how most of my family feels as well, versus, like, actually practicing or going to a synagogue,” he said.

Connecting his Judaism back to “Come From Away,” Berke said there is a song about religion called “Prayer,” which recaps and memorializes the faiths of the people stranded in Newfoundland.

“It’s essentially a gorgeous musical montage of all these different faiths,” he said. “There’s a rabbi who sings ‘Oseh Shalom,’ and has a very meaningful connection with a person in the town — all of this is real and actually happened with a person who talked about how he was Jewish. His parents were Jewish. They left Poland before the war. They got out and they told him as a little kid to never tell anyone he was Jewish. This was a secret, and this is the time he decides to tell people he’s Jewish.”

Berke said he’s fortunate that the rabbi is one of the primary parts he covers in the show.

When he’s not acting during a scene, Berke said he has the opportunity to sit back and watch, giving him the chance to exhale and find peace.

The actor is looking forward to returning to Pittsburgh. He was in the Steel City as part of the “Fiddler” cast in 2018. He said he self-identifies as a “foodie” and is thrilled to have the opportunity to revisit a few of his favorite haunts — Pamela’s and Primanti Bros., as well as Nicky’s Thai Kitchen.

“I like exploring the food and culture of different cities that we go to. Pittsburgh is up there,” he said.

The tour is the end of one chapter for the musical, whose rights will soon be available for purchase, meaning regional theater companies will be able to produce “Come From Away,” something Berke is looking forward to seeing.

“I’m excited to see what all these productions will look like and how they’ll do it. It’s very exciting,” he said.

Tickets for “Come From Away” are available on the Cultural Trust’s website. PJC

David Rullo can be reached at drullo@pittsburghjewishchronicle.org.