David Rothenberg chatted about his new book “Manhattan Mayhem.”
Mr. Rothenberg, 91, is a veteran theater publicist, Broadway producer, advocate, prisoners’ rights activist, and founder of The Fortune Society.
“Manhattan Mayhem” stories capture the mood and heartbeat of the planet’s most pulsating plot of land.
Rothenberg’s checkered life…in theatre, politics and prisons, are reflected in these tales of hope, heartbreak and humor. They are as diverse and unpredictable as Times Square on a Saturday night.
The Fortune Society’s mission is to support successful reentry from incarceration and promote alternatives to incarceration, thus strengthening the fabric of our communities.
Idea to write ‘Manhattan Mayhem’
On the idea to write a book, he said, “There was a pandemic and I had nothing to do.” “Stories were floating in my head for years, and I decided to put them down on paper,” he said.
“These are the stories that I would tell people, and they would encourage me to write them but initially, I didn’t have the time. When the pandemic hit, I had the time. They were stories from my experiences at The Fortune Society,” he added.
For Rothenberg, writing is a cathartic experience
“Writing this book was like therapy,” he admitted. “I’ve been doing readings, and there are a couple of them that I cannot get through without crying.”
“The stories are not all sad; a couple of them are funny. I hope they are funny. I wrote them hoping they would evoke humor or laughter but a couple of them are very tough,” he elaborated.
Career-defining moments
On his career-defining moments, Rothenberg shared, “There were a lot of moments that helped define me. Working in the theater certainly had a great impact, and working with formerly incarcerated people also had an impact.”
“There was drama every day at The Fortune Society, especially with people’s lives on the line,” he said.
“My first book was a memoir, and I was asked by the inmates to come in as an observer, and that was certainly lifechanging,” he said.
“When you go from being an advocate to a participant in a historic and tragic event, it changes you,” he added.
The digital age
Rothenberg addressed his views and thoughts on the digital age. “I don’t recognize it. I still communicate by carrier pigeon,” he said with a sweet laugh.
“I am learning how to use a cell phone,” he said. “My life’s ambition is to come back as a 15-year-old girl and walk down the street oblivious of everyone, and walking into people and walking into traffic. I don’t understand the digital age.”
“Certainly, the digital age makes things convenient for people, but I have to measure what we’ve lost by what we’ve gained,” he acknowledged.
Rothenberg is a firm believer of the following quote by Winston Churchill: “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
“Right now, one of the most impressive books I’ve ever read is ‘The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich’ by William L. Shirer, and if you read it today, it’s a blueprint for what is happening to America, which is kind of terrifying.”
For hopefuls who wish to go into the theater industry professionally
“We have an arts program at The Fortune Society, and over the years, many people have through it. Theater classes give people an opportunity to kick into their own emotions by digging in to other characters.”
“Some people have come out of Fortune and they have had careers in theater and television. Charles Dutton, who was ‘Roc’ on TV and he was in the original Broadway play ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,’ and he was put in solitary confinement when he was in a Maryland prison. They gave him one book and it was a book of plays.”
Rothenberg continued “He started reading them out loud in his solitary prison cell and he said ‘I can do that,’ and when he sent a letter to the Yale Drama School and he was very clever. He said I want to go from Jail to Yale, and they gave him a scholarship.”
“Then, he came to Broadway and then he had a television career and he made a lot of movies,” he said.
“I encourage people all the time to give it a try,” he said. “While it is a competitive industry, so is everything in life. If this is really what you want to do, you don’t have to ask about doing it, you just do it.”
Julie Harris
He recalled working with the grand doyenne of American theatre, the late but great Julie Harris, for two productions.
“I’ve learned that from some of the most dedicated artists I’ve work with, which included the late but great Julie Harris,” he said.
“I worked with her on two shows, and she was clear about that, and that’s what she wanted to do at a young age. Whenever she got on stage, she was prepared and powerful,” he underscored.
“This is what she always wanted to do… nothing else,” he added.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, he said, “I am in my Twilight Years.”
“I have a lot of memories at 91,” he admitted. “I’ve outlived the people that I grew up with; they are not there. I have a lot of young friends, and I am always fearful that my stories will bore some people. There are always young people who have a great deal of curiosity of what cam before.”
“Sometimes, I’m an almanac,” he said. “I was born during the Great Depression, and I lived through World War II, and through the Korean and Vietnam Wars.”
‘As far as the theater is concerned, when I name-drop some people that I’ve worked with, everyone is shocked because it was so long ago,” he added.
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, Rothenberg said, “Being able to fall asleep at night. That’s a tough question. It’s an essay question.”
“In America, it is based on your bank account… isn’it it? It is looking in the mirror and being satisfied with who you see, and that is not easily achieved,” he acknowledged.
“I also wonder if Donald Trump has trouble going to sleep at night. Well, that’s not success; that’s no conscience,” he added.
Closing thoughts on the book
For fans and readers, he said, “I want people to get a range of emotions out of this book. Life is a roller coaster of tears and happiness.”
Rothenberg remarked, “I have one story for all that time; I fictionalized it but it is based on a real story of a man that I met through The Fortune Society, who took his own life, which was something I saw coming. I urged him to seek help, but he put a gun in his mouth and killed himself, and that was very painful.”
“So, basically, I want people to get the roller coaster of life of laughter and tears,” he concluded.
“Manhattan Mayhem” is available on Amazon by clicking here.
