On Second Avenue reviews

"...let me reiterate here that the inimitable Mike Burstyn is as fine an actor as he is an ebullient song-and-dance man and well deserving of his international acclaim."

Showbiz vet Mike Burstyn, whose parents, Lillian Lux and Pesach'ke Burstein, were stars of the Yiddish stage, spearheads the proceedings with the finesse of someone who was born in a trunk and has spent the bulk of his life on stage...Burstyn shines in the sublimely silly "Hootsatsa," dancing, singing and firing off fast-patter jokes of a hilariously awful stripe.

Mike Burstyn, shines all that much brighter in his solo moments, radiating affability like a cheery fireplace on a cold night...English, though, takes over for a priceless barrage of jokes delivered vaudeville-style by Mr. Burstyn. "Two Jewish cannibals," he begins, but the rest won't be spoiled here.

The revue is held together by he irrepressible Mike Burstyn, star of the Yiddish, New York and Israeli stage, who began entertaining as a youngster with his famous Yiddish star parents, Lillian Lux and Pesach Burstein. In one delightful turn, a clip of Burstyn’s father singing a comedy number segues into Burstyn singing the same song, the uproarious “Galitsyaner Cavalero,” in which an immigrant who wants to be an American winds up in Mexico instead. Burstyn, a master of vaudeville shtick, with all the moves and timing, sings “Hootsatsa,” a traditional number in which the singer pauses to tell jokes, now golden oldies. Example: Two Jewish cannibals are stewing the pot over a fire. Says one: “You know, I really hate my mother-in-law.” Cannibal two: “So just eat the noodles.”You get the spirit.

Mike Burstyn, stars in "On Second Avenue." Burstyn, who has starred on Broadway in "Barnum" and "Ain't Broadway Grand?", brings real pizazz to bear on the material.

Mike Burstyn, who starred in such musicals as Barnum and Ain't Broadway Grand (on Broadway) and Jolson (on the road), certainly understands the tradition. His parents, the late Pesach'ke Burstein and Lillian Lux, were great stars of the Yiddish theater, in which he got his start as a child. He scores with the audience, whether breezily singing old-time ditties or offering, in brisk succession with deft timing, ancient jokes that still work surprisingly well. You keep hoping he'll tell one more--and he does.

"With his innate ability to hold an audience in the palm of his hand, Mike Burstyn could be a star in any language. He could sing a song in Sanskrit and still bring people to tears. He could crack a joke in total gibberish and still nail the punch line. Burstyn possesses the perfect blend of mensch-next-door familiarity and larger-than-life charisma to charm any audience, and he serves up the right combination of humor and pathos to sell any musical number. Whether he's hamming it up in "Rumania, Rumania" or dishing out mother-in-law jokes with vaudevillian flair, the audience can't help but laugh, clap and sing along."