Some people hear the first line of Simon and Garfunkel\u2019s 1964 \u201cThe Sound of Silence\u201d \u2014 \u201cHello darkness, my old friend\u201d \u2014 and drop everything to sing along earnestly about subway walls and tenement halls, nevermind that they may never match the iconic duo\u2019s supreme harmonies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But performer Elliot Lazar, who plays Paul Simon in \u201cThe Simon & Garfunkel Story,\u201d told the Long Beach Post that the show is not just for longtime fans but a great way to introduce newbies to the music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere have been a lot of people, especially some of my younger family members and friends, who’ve come and are like, \u2018I had no idea how good this music was\u2019 and became fans as a result,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even for fans, Lazar says the show offers some \u201cdeeper cuts\u201d of familiar songs, and also \u201creal gems\u201d from the duo\u2019s early days that may be unfamiliar, such as \u201cPunky’s Dilemma,\u201d which he describes as a \u201cgoofy tune\u201d and \u201cHe Was My Brother,” which he calls a \u201cpowerful folk piece\u201d written during the Civil Rights Movement, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think people always misunderstand how young they were when they got started singing together,\u201d Lazar said of the duo. \u201cThey knew each other from grade school and grew up together in Queens [in New York City] and the show takes audiences through their initial collaboration as rock-and-roll duo Tom and Jerry.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lazar added that while some think Simon and Garfunkel had overnight success with \u201cThe Sound of Silence,\u201d they actually first recorded that song years before it was released. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey had already been making music together for a really long time and in a number of different ways,\u201d he said. \u201cWe take you through that chronology, those humble beginnings all the way through to the height of their fame, and ultimately to the point where they \u2014 spoiler alert \u2014 break up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the show, the performers represent the singers on stage but use their own names, Lazar said, telling the story in third person with 29 songs. Art Garfunkel himself once came to a show in Staten Island, New York, unbeknownst to the performers, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt the end of the show, Art got up out of the audience, and you can’t see very clearly from the stage, so you’re thinking, \u2018Who is that? What’s going on?\u2019\u201d Lazar said. \u201cAnd he came up on the stage, and it was like this incredible moment that none of us ever expected to happen. He had a great time and met the guys afterwards and was very nice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lazar\u2019s current favorite song to perform in the show is \u201cMrs. Robinson,\u201d which Simon and Garfunkel wrote for the 1967 film \u201cThe Graduate\u201d and which Lazar describes as \u201cso infectious, really fun to play and sing.\u201d \u2029<\/p>\n\n\n\n Getting all the songs\u2019 vocal harmonies right is important to Lazar and involves listening closely to his fellow performer playing Garfunkel, especially since the cast rotates during the show\u2019s four-month tour, with different performers working together on different nights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe amount of listening and tuning in with one another that you have to do to get that blend just right \u2014 it\u2019s a great feeling to be having that live collaboration with someone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lazar has performed in other musicals such as \u201cJersey Boys\u201d and \u201cFiddler on the Roof,\u201d but as a three-year veteran of \u201cThe Simon & Garfunkel Story,\u201d he said local audiences can expect \u201cincredible music done very carefully.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere’s nothing like live music,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd this music is so special.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Simon and Garfunkel Story\u201d will perform at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Dr., Cerritos, on\u00a0Thursday, Jan. 29 at 7:30 p.m. and\u00a0Friday, Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. For tickets and information, call the box office at 562-916-8500 or visit\u00a0<\/em>CerritosCenter.com<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As a lifelong percussionist and electronic-music performer, San Diego native Cade Slattery told the Long Beach Post that joining the touring company of the percussion-heavy \u201cSTOMP\u201d fulfilled a dream he\u2019d had since he was 9 years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt was the concept of just being able to beat music with everything, and I remember seeing somebody do body percussion for the first time and I was kind of just blown away,\u201d he said. “You don’t even need drumsticks. Your body can be your own instrument.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSTOMP\u201d performers also use props such as brooms, garbage cans and even matchboxes and lighters to create rhythmic music. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After joining the physically demanding show 10 years ago, Slattery also learned more about acting, movement, physical comedy, improv and situational comedy since the show narrates its story without dialogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe show has themes of discovery, about finding instruments that are everywhere,\u201d Slattery said. \u201cThey’re all around you, you just need to discover them and find different sounds that they have.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The show features eight performers who come in with different performance strengths, such as dance or acting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI’m not a dancer myself, so I can learn a lot about movement from other performers, and there’s a lot of people who join the show who are only dancers and have never picked up a pair of drumsticks,\u201d he said. \u201cSo there’s a back-and-forth and this kind of breathing, a feel that we have with each other, that keeps it a super fresh environment for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The main thing local audiences can expect from the show, Slattery said, is how it\u2019s subtly nuanced and will make them laugh and be surprised. Audience members also participate in the show through clapping. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are a couple of parts where the audience is more or less the ninth stomper,\u201d he said. \u201cSo you’ll get to feel the music in more ways than one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/22120627\/3-art-garfunkel-731837-74ye0kj3-654954-LzIGMnXg-1024x775.png\")
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