Both Sides Now: The Music and Lives of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen

“Two singer-songwriters sit on the edge of a cliff…”

With these words, we are drawn into the world of Both Sides Now - a theatrical concert that explores the music and lives of long-time friends and one-time lovers, Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. Created by, and starring Robbie Schaefer and Danielle Wertz, the cabaret-style performance traverses decades alongside songs such as A Case of You, Hallelujah, Big Yellow Taxi, Suzanne, and many more. Both Sides Now is at once a piece of the 60’s and 70’s, and of right now -- offering us a story about the messiness of being human, of lives persistently lived at the edge of growth, and of finding the courage to turn toward one another, again and again.

Robbie Schaefer

Robbie is a rabbi, singer-songwriter and theatre/film artist. The guitarist and songwriter for the indie folk band Eddie From Ohio has several solo releases as well, including the 2023 single Under the Sun.

He is the founder of Lamplighters, an online community that cultivates small-batch, relationship-driven, inclusive Judaism.

He is also the founder of OneVoice, an international non-profit that unites and empowers youth through music and the creative arts. The organization was active from 2011-2023 and completed projects in Tanzania, Nicaragua, India, Greece, and Israel.

Robbie has shared the stage with Jason Mraz, Sara Bareilles, Josh Groban, Keb ‘ Mo, and Emmylou Harris, among others. His first work for musical theater, Light Years, which explores his relationship with his father, a Holocaust survivor, saw its world premiere at the Tony Award-winning Signature Theatre in 2018. The musical is now a feature film entitled Burst The Silence (Rolling Pictures), which is due for release on streaming platforms in 2025.

He is currently at work on a new musical, The Blue Poppy, an Irish-Jewish ghost story written in collaboration with Scottish playwright Grace Barnes, and Songs From The Wilderness, a new album of Jewish musical midrash (interpretation), due for release in early 2026. 

Also, he likes olives. A lot. 

Danielle Wertz

Danielle is a storyteller, collaborator, jazz musician, composer and arranger. Her voice—described by DownBeat Magazine as “evocative… remarkably intimate, expressive and poignant”—has earned her an international following as a jazz artist and growing recognition across disciplines.

​Wertz began her career deeply rooted in the jazz tradition, gaining early acclaim as the youngest semi-finalist in the 2015 Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition and runner-up in the 2017 Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Vocal Competition. After releasing two small ensemble albums as a bandleader and a third with Denmark’s Nordkraft Big Band that critics called, “a triumphant collection,” Danielle has affirmed her singular voice in contemporary vocal jazz and continues to expand her presence in genre-blurring large ensemble work.

After completing her first European tour as a bandleader in the fall, Danielle remains an avid collaborator internationally and at home in the NYC creative music scene. She is looking forward to being the featured artist on two major interdisciplinary projects in 2026: a Harriet Steinke original work commissioned by Beth Morrison Projects, and a crossover jazz opera composed by Ben Morris with a libretto by Gina Stevensen.

Also, she loves chocolate. A lot.