Oceanside bass player makes waves at the Madison Theatre

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When 15-year-old Emily Oberstein saw an annual musical revue produced by longtime Oceanside music teacher Bruce Bider at Molloy College’s Madison Theatre last year, she said, “I knew I wanted to be a part of this production.”

As an award-winning bass cellist and stage performer — having participated in the Nassau Music Educators Association’s All-County Festival, performing both vocals and bass — Oberstein certainly had the talent, but with the constant pressure of schoolwork, she said she wasn’t sure if she’d make the cut.

But after becoming acquainted with Oberstein through Oceanside High School’s 2017 production of “Guys and Dolls,” Bider, who had directed the play, said the young musician was definitely on his radar.

“When I was putting the revue together,” he said of his Madison Theatre production this year entitled “Showtune: Celebrating the Words & Music of Jerry Herman,” “I thought ‘well, we have our bass player.’”

The two practiced for more than a month, slowly memorizing the score act-by-act, Oberstein said, until the day of the performance came on July 22. But like much in life, not everything went to plan.

The lead actress in the performance had called in sick, and Bider brought in a last-minute replacement in the form of stage actress Marilyn Maye, who had appeared on “The Tonight Show” a record 76 times. Maye sings in a different octave than the original actress, which posed a steep technical challenge for Oberstein, who had to relearn Maye’s songs in her pitch three hours before the production was scheduled to start.

“I was a bit stressed at the moment,” Oberstein recalled, “but I managed to get through it.”

“She floored not only Ted Furst and myself,” Bider said, referring to “Showtune’s” musical director, “but also the cast ... I think a musical star was borne in the pit at the Madison Theatre that day.”

The cast was so impressed with Oberstein’s ability, Bider said — especially in light of the added challenge — that Richard Skipper, another lead in the play, gave her a special shout out at the end of the performance.

“I have been in this business longer than most of you have been on this planet,” Skipper joked, “and I have worked with many bass players, and I think this is the youngest bass player I have ever worked with.” The crowd erupted in applause.

Although she has found success with the bass, as a teenager of many talents Oberstein is faced with a dillema of what type of performing art she’d like to focus on. “I still want to keep up my instrument skills as much as possible, but in the future I’d like to lean towards more vocal performances,” she said. “I’d love to become a chorus instructor … that’s my dream.”

Bider said he thinks the musically inclined teenager has every talent she needs for achieving that dream, but in the near term, he is already looking to next year’s Madison Theatre production where he said he would welcome Oberstein in any role she desired, whether it be on stage or in the pit. “Oh, she’s got this gig for as much as she wants it,” he said. “But she’s got a year to decide.”