Tom Lehrer – the man, the music and the play

Tom Lehrer is Teaching Math and Doesn’t Want to Talk to You is the long-winded but ironic title of a new play opening at Upstairs at the Gatehouse in Highgate. Already we’re offended. As Jews we’re a friendly collective and love to chat, so why doesn’t Tom want a yachna? The irony lies in the fact that this is essentially an on-stage interview with Tom, investigating his career change from well-known singer-songwriter to obscure maths lecturer.

Now aged 96, Tom Lehrer, who grew up in Manhattan, is a Harvard alumnus who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics, but during the 50s and 60s had a fantastic career in music. Humorous songs were his schtik, including Poisoning Pigeons in the Park and Masochism Tango, a song about the mutual hatred between two people, featuring the lyrics “Your eyes cast a spell that bewitches. The last time I needed twenty stitches”.

In the early 70s, Tom retired from public performance to teach maths and musical theatre history at the University of California.

Shahaf Ifhar, whose credits include Indecent (JW3 London) and Bad Jews (Centre Stage, Israel), plays Tom. He says he was drawn to the role because “although most of my theatre work was in Israel, I attended university in London and actually discovered Tom’s work whilst studying there.”

Harry Style (no that’s not a typo) is playing the piano and is also the play’s musical director. His previous work includes You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, A Slice of Saturday Night at the Gatehouse, and a turn on The Voice with his barbershop quartet The Ashatones. He says that music was always his childhood dream. “Everything I do is music-related although I did once consider international law and I really enjoy languages. I’m sticking with this though because it’s all I’ve got!”

This is a coveted role for Harry because he knows and admires Tom’s work. “The show is chock full of songs – I was given a playlist of about 25 but not all are featured or in their entirety, just abridged versions. I’m constantly listening to his songs, getting my mind in that mode.”

One of Lehrer’s well-known songs the audience will hear is The Elements, in which he set the names of the chemical elements to the tune of the Major-General’s Song from Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance. Harry once performed The Elements with Ashley Jacobs from The Ashatones, at a charity event. “On the final note, the keyboard fell off the stand and collapsed with the most perfect timing so it looked like it was part of the set,” he laughs.

Shahaf studied sociology at university “whilst secretly carrying out my childhood dream to become a rock star! I had to carve my way discreetly into the performing arts as there was no role model for me in my family so whilst it wasn’t actively discouraged, I feared my immediate community would disapprove.”

He says that theatre world in Israel has suffered since October 7. “It’s all up and running but artistically and commercially it’s still quiet, so I feel fortunate to be able to shift my focus and skillset to another country. The wonderful thing about theatre is going into a room and adopting this new family for a short period and then you go your separate ways – I feel I am addicted to that! It’s such an unusual human interaction to experience daily.

“It’s such a beautiful and fortunate thing as a performer to have this opportunity to temporarily put everything else in your life to one side. I live between Israel, London and Warsaw – I leave my little family and travel constantly spending months at a time where work takes me. The last couple of weeks have been a complete immersion, which I love. Tom’s rhyming structure is very consistent, so your brain picks up from the repetition and then we build on it in the rehearsals.”

All too often non-Jews take the roles of Jews, as in the recent adaptation of The Lehman Trilogy. Not all actors object though. “To my mind it’s a case-by-case analysis of the situation,” says Shahaf. “I’m of Jewish heritage but it’s really a question of the director envisioning the show plus the intention and tone of the piece. Of course, I’m glad from a casting perspective and it might make certain groups of people more comfortable to know there’s more alignment with ethnicity in certain roles.”

Harry says: “I hadn’t really thought of it in words until Shahaf said about a ‘case-by case-basis’ which I agree with – each show and character is different. And some nuances might need someone to represent in a certain way. I saw Fiddler on the Roof at the theatre featuring a non-Jewish Tevye but didn’t give it a second thought. As long as the character is handled with the right amount of sensitivity, I think it’s fine.”

Google Tom Lehrer and you’ll unearth many theories about why he gave up the gig. It doesn’t look like Shahaf or Harry will be doing the same any time soon.

Tom Lehrer is Teaching Math and Doesn’t Want to Talk to You is at Upstairs at the Gatehouse in Highgate 28 May- 9 June upstairsatthegatehouse.com