Singer, actress, songwriter, recording artist and voice over actress Lisa Fishman has performed throughout the U.S. and Europe, starring in Off-Broadway and Regional Musical Theater, performing her original music in theaters and clubs from Coast to Coast, singing and recording with several of the Country's top 'Klezmer' bands (aka: Eastern European Jewish music), performing in her own, original Jewish musical act, "The Lisa Fishman Jewish Experience," starring in Yiddish Theater productions, singing jazz, rock, folk, blues, musical theater, light opera and even heavy metal in bands and musical projects across the country, performing for children on television and record, acting in TV and film, and working as a voice over artist in animation, commercials, dubbing and even dancing toys!
As a musical theater actress, Lisa played the roles of Yente and Bobe Tsaytl (aka: "Grandma Tzeitl) - as well as understudied the role of Golde - in the Off-Broadway hit, "Fiddler on the Roof" in Yiddish, directed by Oscar and Tony winning actor/director, Joel Grey, which ran from the summer of 2018 until January of 2020 and was reprised in the Fall of 2022. Lisa was featured alongside Broadway and film star, Mike Burstyn, in the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene's Drama Desk nominated, Off-Broadway sensation, “On Second Avenue,” in New York City and Los Angeles, and also shared the stage with Broadway star, Bruce Adler, in the hit show, "Bruce Adler, A, B, C."
Additional Off-Broadway credits include Toybe, the Innkeeper's wife, in the Drama Desk nominated hit, "The Golden Bride" ("Di Goldene Kale"), the singing and guitar-playing Troubadour in "Shpiel, Shpiel, Shpiel," written by the Tony and Oscar Nominated writer of "Tootsie," Murray Schisgal, and directed by Tony-Award winning stage and film director, Gene Saks, Broadway and Television star, Bob Dishy, and Motl Didner, and playing the chicken-plucking Leyele in the Off-Broadway hit, "Gimpel Tam," all produced by the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene in New York City.
Regional Theater credits include the starring roles of Sally Bowles in “Cabaret,” Nancy in “Oliver,” Fanny Brice & Emma Goldman in “Tintypes,” the Chanteuse, Chaya, in "Ghetto Cabaret," and Yenta Pesha in "Shlemiel the First."
Additional Jewish Theater credits include starring in “Shpil-Zhe Mir a Lidele In Yiddish” ("Play Me A Song In Yiddish"), a two-person musical in English and Yiddish written by and co-starring Francois Lilienfeld, which toured throughout Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
Lisa is an accomplished songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and recording artist, and has performed her original, eclectic songs - which blend her influences in rock, folk, jazz, blues, cabaret and comedy - throughout clubs and cabarets in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Colorado, Washington, D.C., and various countries in Europe, and she can be heard on her original CD, “Tie Me Down.” Lisa has also written a one-woman, theatrical and musical show entitled “Dating (And The Search For Love),” which has been performed throughout Southern California.
Lisa was one of the regularly featured vocalists with Chicago's renowned "Maxwell Street Klezmer Band" from 1994 through 2000, and still concertizes with them as often as possible. She is featured on their 1996 recording, “You Should Be So Lucky!” (Shanachie Entertainment), and was seen performing with the band on several television programs, including "World Stage Chicago" and Public Television's "Artbeat.” Lisa is also a vocalist with Chicago’s "Modern Klezmer Quartet," and is featured singing jazz-inspired arrangements of Jewish standards created by Bob Applebaum on their 2007 recording “Jazz Klezmerology."
Lisa also sings with the Los Angeles based band, "Klezmer Juice," known for their featured scene in the film, "Wedding Crashers," and was one of the featured vocalists with "Mostly Kosher," a ‘Gypsy-Rock Klezmer Band’ for their "Festival of Holidays" celebration at Disney's California Adventure Theme Park.
As a concert artist of Jewish music, Lisa has shared the stage with many of the greats from the world of the Music, Theater and Klezmer, including violinist Itzhak Perlman, Mandy Patinkin, Theodore Bikel, Jerry Stiller, Lainie Kazan, Tovah Feldshuh, Mike Burstyn, Bruce Adler, Renee Taylor, Claire Barry of the Barry Sisters, Fyvush Finkel, Dudu Fisher, Adrienne Cooper, Daniel Kahn, Frank London, Alicia Svigals, Lorin Sklamberg and other members of The Klezmatics, Michael Alpert and members of Brave Old World, Hankus Netsky and members of The Klezmer Conservatory Band, Zalmen Mlotek, Seymour Rechzeit, Deborah Strauss, Jeff Warschauer and Mendy Cahan.
Lisa also had the pleasure of singing alongside Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, & Mary, for a special Hanukkah concert at Chicago’s Athaneum Theatre, as well as backup the legendary Jewish singer and songwriter, Debbie Friedman, at a concert at Carnegie Hall.
Jewish concert highlights include Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park, the Barbican Centre in London, the Viener Konzerthaus in Vienna, The Hague, The Knitting Factory in New York, Chicago’s Old Town School of Folk Music, Los Angeles' Gindi Theater at the University of Judaism, and concert halls throughout Switzerland, Germany, The Czech Republic and The Netherlands.
Lisa can be heard singing the beautiful, Yiddish love song, "Sheyn Vi Di Levone,” in the 2003 film, "Dummy," starring Acadamy Award winner, Adrien Brody, Illeana Douglas, Ron Leibman, Jessica Walter, Vera Farmiga and Milla Jovovich. Lisa's singing and songwriting are featured during the closing credits of Amazon Studios' animated film, "The Alchemist Agenda," written by Marty Weiss, with her original blues tune, "Mr. Husky Eyes." Lisa is also a featured singer in the animated short film, "Labzik: Tales of a Clever Pup," which was based on the 1935 book by Chaver Paver, written by Jake Krakovsky and presented by Theater Emory of Emory College of Arts and Sciences. Lisa’s Jewish singing has also been featured on many television programs, including New York City’s “Jewish Entertainment Hour.”
In addition to her solo singing, songwriting work and involvement in Klezmer and Yiddish music, Lisa has also sung in bands and musical projects galore from Coast to Coast - including several jazz ensembles, rock, blues and pop bands, an all-female acapella group, a three-woman variety singing and dancing act featuring music from the '40s through the '90s, and even a Motley Crue cover band where Lisa played the role of Vince Neil, the lead singer.
Lisa also currently performs with the fabulous cantor and tenor, Nicholas Hylander, in their original musical theater and Jewish stage reviews, and also has the immense pleasure and honor to share the stage with Willie Chambers (of the famous psychedelic soul band of the '60s and '70s, "The Chambers Brothers," known for their hit, "The Time Has Come”) in Los Angeles’ “Good Time Orchestra.”
Lisa’s extensive work performing and recording for children has included singing children’s songs and playing guitar as a series regular on WFTY-TV’s reading-readiness television program, “Raring To Read.” Lisa can be heard singing in English and Hebrew as the featured guest vocalist on the recordings, “A Part of a Chain” & “A Kid’s Life,” by award-winning, children’s recording artist and performer, Robbo, and Lisa was seen singing “Yiddish-ized” versions of new and old standards in a production of New York City’s “Kids and Yiddish.”
In television, Lisa was featured as a senior resident on the program, “L.A. Dragnet,” featuring Ed O’Neill and Eva Longoria, and starred as casting director, Melissa, in the short film, “The Audition 2," written and directed by Michael Einav.
As a voice over artist, Lisa has voiced animation, commercials and English dubs for Netflix - including voicing the leading role of Adina on the hit Belgian television series, “Rough Diamonds," as well as multiple roles in the Netflix film, "Blood and Gold." She can also be heard doling out comical one-liners in English and Yiddish as the voice of "My Yiddishe Bubbie," a dancing plush toy sold by major retailers worldwide.
More of Lisa's original music can be found on
www.LisaFishmanMusic.com