Portraying himself in a stunning one-person performance is Stephen Axelrod, a New York-based actor and playwright with a long list of acting credentials. A self-styled "tough-jew" whose treadmill quest for identity is relentlessly thwarted by a father intent on making him an extension of his own Queens blue-collar existence, Axelrod evokes a form of tragedy that emulates the rough poetry and on-target human insights of Clifford Odets, Phillip Roth, and Lenny Bruce. His natural gifts for story-telling and his passion for uncovering the truth of his personal quest, are alternately ballsy, resourceful, funny and obsessively honorable. His is a story that American Jews will relate to and seek comfort from. He is above all, a polished, hard-edged performer.

In the play Steve Axelrod ("Axe" to his friends) is a third-generation delivery truck driver for a familiar New York tabloid. A high-school dropout and former Marine, he lands on Wall Street where he becomes a high-rolling broker with a seat on the Exchange. On the "Street" he makes more money in one month than his father ever did in one year. Blue Collar Bay is autobiographical and his testament to a life brought forward through hand-to-hand emotional combat.

<= Please click on the picture to see Steve and some hi-lites of Blue Collar Bay.

Directed by Mark W. Travis ("A Bronx Tale"), whose directorial career includes so many one-person show successes that the Los Angeles Times credited him with having "carved a mini-genre staging one-man real-life theatrical pieces." Blue Collar Bay is a one-person show with true grit and bite, and fits nicely into that genre. It is a New York story, with specific time, place and culture, but is timeless in its theme. Audiences young and old have responded, and continue to respond to its cultural chords and themes.

The show also includes the familiar touch of collaborator and playwright Liz Karlin, whose works include the highly-acclaimed "Moon Dance." Ms. Karlin's assistance, says Axelrod, was "invaluable".