GUEST REVIEWER: “Stark and Shtark: A review of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene Production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (in Yiddish)”

Stark and Shtark

A review of the
National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene Production of
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (in Yiddish)
At the Museum of Jewish Heritage

August 19, 2018
GUEST REVIEWER: Moshe Bloxenheim

Now, I am not a natural Yiddish Speaker by any means and I entered the theater to see this Yiddish Production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF with the attitude of one who might be going in to see an opera in a familiar but foreign language. To my amazement the addition of Yiddish to FIDDLER ON THE ROOF did not alienate me, nor did it feel like a gimmick. While the use of Mr. Shraga Freidman’s Yiddish translation did not always have the flowing poetry of the English of Mr. Joseph Stein’s book and Mr. Sheldon Harnick’s lyrics, the language had its own particularly biting beauty to the ear. Even in Mr. Friedman’s Yiddish rendition, Mr. Sheldon Harnick’s words still flow with Mr. Jerry Bock’s music in a classic unity, from the buoyant introductory song “Traditsye” [Tradition] to the final mournful and ironic “Anatevke” [Anatevka].

The plot itself may be a simplified adaptation of Mr. Sholom Aleichem’s Tevye stories, but this Yiddish FIDDLER ON THE ROOF gives me the sense of an old sepia photograph taken to preserve a sense of place.

Within this picture, we behold 1905 Anatevka – a village on the Russian Pale of Settlement. Tevye, the poor yet philosophical dairyman, scratches out a meager living for himself and his wife Golde and their five daughters. When Tevye’s older daughters reach out beyond the safe and traditional futures that their parents had expected for them, it signals the beginning of changes that will eventually overturn the seemingly stable world of Anatevka.

A keen cast of performers populate this little Shtetl.

Mr. Steven Skybell splendidly imbues Tevye with the weariness of a man who can barely get by, but he also shows Tevye’s spirit: that wonderfully wry sense of humor and the deeply personal – if sometimes annoyed – relationship with G-d that makes him so moving. This Tevye clearly values the past but will do his best to adjust to the changes that will affect him and his family. What is more, is start turns such as “Ven Ikn Bin a Rothchild” [If I were A Rich Man], Mr. Skybell knows how to stay admirably and enjoyably in character.

As Tevye’s wife, Golde, Ms. Jennifer Babiak gives a good performance. She is indeed the careworn wife and mother who manages, but wants security for her daughters. Ms. Babiak is fine singing the soulful “Shabes Brokhe” [Sabbath Prayer] and she gets good laughs when she chides of Tevye or reacts to Yenta. But I did not feel that Ms. Babiak’s Golde was the most wifely counterbalance to Tevye.

On the other hand, Ms. Rachel Zatcoff truly makes Tsaytl her father’s child. She is willing to do her best to be a good daughter, but she cannot keep silent when she feels her own life will be thrown away. When Tsaytl speaks up for herself, Ms. Zatcoff lets us feel the desperation and thrill of her audacity.

Similarly, Tevye’s second daughter Hodl discovers that her own future runs contrary to Anatevka and family expectations. Ms. Stephanie Lynn Mason skillfully portrays Hodl’s development as she discovers love and sees that the world is more than just Anatevka. In “Vayt Fun Mayn Liber Haym” [Far From The Home I Love] Tevye’s second daughter is not merely singing about the sorrow of leaving all that she held dear for love. Instead, Ms. Mason makes it clear that Hodl is now paying the price of looking beyond herself.

The role of Khave is a role of little dialogue yet she is the daughter who brings Tevye and Golde’s world crashing down. It is amazing how Ms. Rosie Jo Neddy still gives us the full emotional impact Khava’s choosing a man outside her faith and how it would make her an outcast. Tevye’s heartbreaking song “Khavaleh” becomes all the more affecting due to Ms. Neddy’s beautiful dancing.

What about the men who have won Tevye’s daughters?

It is possible to make Motl Kamzoyl a nebbish’l but if the likable Mr. Ben Liebert shows us a Motl who is meek, his Motl is also clearly in love with Tsaytl and takes inspiration from her – even facing Tevye for Tsaytl’s hand against all hope.

Mr. Daniel Kahn gives us a principled Pertshik who is out to want to improve the world and who thinks a bit too highly of his own ideas, but Mr. Kahn’s Pertshik wins us over with his open appreciation of Hodl who easily brings him down to earth. When he sings “Itst Hob Ikh Di Gantse Velt” [Now I Have Everything] Pertshik is not only a man who has found love but also humanity.

Compared to Motl and Pertshik, the Russian, Fyedke, has little to say. Nevertheless, the attractive Mr. Cameron Johnson says it with an honest flair. Singing and dancing, Mr. Johnson takes a memorable moment in the spotlight in “Lekhayim” [L’Chayim, To Life].
In spite of Leyzer-Volf being wrong for Tsatyle, Mr. Bruce Sabath makes us sympathize with this lonely widower, and like him. Unsuitable as he might be, it is clear that Mr. Sabath’s Lazar-Volf would try hard to make Tsaytl happy. In addition, Messrs. Sabath and Skybell know how to make the best out of their character’s bickering.

Of course Ms. Jackie Hoffman’s Yente the Matchmaker has her own definite opinions regarding girls who find their own husbands. Here is a hilariously sublime and all-too recognizable noodge: She busily rises above her own lone status, ignoring defeat as she poses and answers all her own questions, pushes some surreal matches and outright steals the very scenery.

Another delightfully notable presence was the spectre of Leyzer-Volf’s first vife, Frume-Sore, enacted with wickedly melodramatic abandon by Ms. Jodi Snyder.

Mr. Adam B. Shapiro plays the Rabbi of Anatevka with a sweet and sad buffoonery of a man who had always been assured and comfortable in his position and is now trying to use the same formulas in the face of circumstances he had never conceived of.

Any actor taking on the role of Der Gradavoy [The Constable] has to portray a prejudiced man who can countenance the persecution of innocents by government ukase. Mr. Bobby Underwood understandably avoids the easy melodrama inherent the role, but I felt his understatement was more a case of playing it safe.

Ms. Lauren Jeanne Thomas is excellent playing the Fiddler of the title, punctuating the show with her musical presence.

The rest of the company are first-rate as well and all bring this isolated community to vivid life..

Director Joel Grey has an admirable trust in the material, deftly interweaving the comedy and drama, never allowing the action to flag for a second. Every person seems to have a story in this Anatevka, even if there is not time enough for them to tell it — this is an even more noteworthy achievement when you realize that several of the performers are working phonetically in an unfamiliar language.

Although Choreographer Staś Kmieć is clearly influenced by Mr. Jerome Robbin’s staging of the original Broadway production, he creates a remarkable spectacle that is surprising for such a small venue. Besides the dancing, Mr. Kmieć works ideally with Mr. Grey to set up both public and private moments in the life of the community.

The orchestra is ably led by Mr. Zalmen Mlotek using Mr. Larry Blank’s adaptation of Mr. Don Walker’s original orchestrations for Mr. Jerry Bock’s wonderful music. Mr. Mlotek and his players appear onstage, underlining the fact that they too are part of the proceedings and can comment on and underline the action without intruding. In addition, Director Gray and Conductor Mlotek know how give those performers who were not so comfortable in Yiddish an air of fluency that happily fools those of us who are also not that familiar with the “Mamaloshen” [Mother Tongue].

Mr. Beowulf Boritt’s stark scenic design with its paper and fabric hangings and basic props are a suitable canvas for Messrs. Grey and Kmieć to paint a picture of the past. Assisted most effectively by Mr. Peter Kaczowrowski’s lighting, Ms. Ann Hould-Ward’s costumes and the hair and wigs of Mr. Tom Watson, the performers vividly summon up the houses and streets of Anatevka on the deceptively simple set.

I am always surprised when a small theater needs amplification, but Mr. Dan Moses Schreier’s sound designs are suitably understated. (Finally, I realize how apt the name Schreier – which is Yiddish for “a shouter” – is for audio work).

In all, the Yiddish FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is an amazing production that gives far more to the audience than one might expect. Would it be as satisfactory in English? That is something to consider, but not too intently, since this Yiddish Language production is quite marvelous as it is.

Having finished the overall review, I would like to applaud Mr. Sheldon Harnick, the original lyricist of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF who prevented the present adaptation from replacing the word “Tradition” with “The Torah”. Understandably, this change promises a real dramatic kick to the play but I believe it would make the whole premise of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF ring false. “Tradition” implies rules based on societal norms and roles. “The Torah” deals with the religious belief that defines Tevye and his community not merely as residents of Anatevka with quaint customs but as Jews. In FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Tevye struggles to balance his understood position in Anatevka with the changes that are threatening tradition while trying to understand what G-d would want from him. Under “Tradition” Tevye can question and even adapt, but he does not defy G-d. If “The Torah” became the theme, then we would be seeing Tevye and his neighbors finally being evicted from Anatevka for the very religion that Tevye would have been discarding all along.

 

Fiddler on the Roof (in Yiddish)

DIRECTED BY JOEL GREY

July 4, 2018 – Oct. 25, 2018
at Museum of Jewish Heritage

 

 

or call 866-811-4111

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About the reviewer:
MOSHE BLOXENHEIM

I am a computer programmer, wannabe writer who loves theater and just got into the habit of inflicting my theatrical opinions.
I live in New York.Moshe can be reached at MB1224@aol.com

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Comedy Can’t Be Taught ~ A review of Renée Taylor’s “My Life on a Diet”

Comedy Can’t Be Taught!
A review of Renée Taylor’s

“My Life on a Diet”
July 19, 2018
Theatre at S. Clement’s

If ever there was proof that comedy can’t be taught, Renée Taylor is that living proof.

After a lifetime consisting (so far) of 22 plays, 4 films, 9 TV movies and TV series, 3 Broadway shows, an Off-Broadway show, Oscar noms, Emmy and countless other awards, and a 52 year marriage to the man of her dreams, actor/director Joseph Bologna, Renée Taylor is still at it – and still trying out new diets!

In “My Life in a Diet”, co-written and originally directed by her late husband, Ms. Taylor, at a spry 85 years young, delivers a hysterical 90+ minute monologue about her life which sparkles and shines almost as much as the dress she wears. 

Best known for her role as Sylvia Fine, Fran Drescher’s food obsessed mother in “The Nanny”, Ms. Taylor started her acting career at age 15 in a Purim Pageant at Madison Square Garden and earned her Actor’s Equity card at age 19 for her appearance in “The Rehearsal” on Broadway. A Wikipedia or IMdB search will tell you all the details of her amazing credits, what I will tell you is this show is a goldmine of stories, Hollywood secrets and a personal journey that is a master class in comedy and story-telling that should not be missed.

Her on stage biography is liberally sprinkled with anecdotes about Hollywood legends such as Joan Crawford, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Cary Grant, Barbra Streisand, and her mother, Frieda, the ultimate stage mom.

Ms. Taylor also shares the myriad of fad and celebrity diets she has tried over the years. As she says, “I used to think that if I ate like star, I just might live like one!”

Ms. Taylor is living proof that you’re either born with it or not. Go see a living comedy legend  for a delightful evening of laughs and tears. There is nothing like it on or off Broadway right now.

Elli with Renée Taylor @ “My Life on a Diet” 07.19.18

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MY LIFE ON A DIET is presented by Mr. Schlossberg in association with Morris S. Levy, Rodger Hess, Harold Newman, Jim Fantaci, Andrew Tobias, andRonald Glazer/Sabrina Hutt.

MY LIFE ON A DIET has set design by Harry Feiner, lighting design by Stefanie Risk and sound design by Jay Risk.

MY LIFE ON A DIET will be performed Off-Broadway at Theatre at St. Clement’s (423 West 46 Street, btw. Ninth & Tenth Aves). The limited engagement runs Thursday, July 12ththrough Sunday, August 19th. UPDATE: Now extended thru Sunday, September 2nd. The performance schedule is as follows: Wednesdays at 2pm, Thursdays at 7pm, Fridays at 7 pm, Saturdays at 2 pm and 7pm, and Sundays at 3pm.

Tickets to MY LIFE ON A DIET — priced at $65 ($75 premium seating) — are now available online at MyLifeOnADietPlay.com or by calling Telecharge at (212) 239-6200.

Follow Renée Taylor online:
Facebook:         https://www.facebook.com/Ren%C3%A9e-Taylor-394298697354583/
Twitter:            https://twitter.com/ReneeTaylor1613
Instagram:       https://www.instagram.com/official_renee_taylor/?hl=en

Give me down to there – HAIR!

Give me down to there – HAIR!

A review of
Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s
production of

I first fell in love with “HAIR the Musical” (with its famous nude scene) when I saw it at the Aquarius Theater in Los Angeles about 6 months after the Broadway production opened – I was 13, recently Bar-Mitzvahed, but looking so much older that no one stopped me from going in to see it.

Over the years I have seen many a production of “HAIR” – including that weird film version – and most recently the last Broadway revival (twice) and so I consider myself a bit of a #HAIRMAVEN.

Peregrine Theatre’s production of “HAIR the Musical”, now playing thru September 7th 2018 at FISHERMEN HALL (inside Provincetown High School) is one of it’s finest shows to date.

This productions stars a group of unknowns (listed below) who mingle with the audience before the show and during intermission while managing to stay in character as the 60’s hippies they portray.

Director/Choreographer Kyle Pleasant has molded his actors into a ‘Tribe’ rather than a cast which is evident as they move about the audience introducing themselves and being the flower children that their roles portray. Using choreography that feels more organic and spontaneous than rehearsed the piece flows seamlessly from song to song.

Being more of a musical journey than stage musical has always been one of “HAIR’s” greatest distinctions. This 50th Anniversary version’s Musical Director, Matthew Hougland has proved that with musical numbers that evoke the feelings of the 60’s (I was there!) which was an era of free love, psychedelic drugs, rock & roll, draft dodging, draft card burning, and an anti-war/anti government sentiment not dissimilar to today’s politically charged times.

“HAIR’s” cast is the aforementioned group that Peregrine’s creative’s have brought in to be the tribe. Each and every one of the principle cast members shine in their performances as does the Ensemble.

In addition, Gifford Williams’ Lighting Design, Chad Hayduk’s Makeup Design, and Carol Sherry’s Wig Design, are all quite professional and impressive

My only criticisms are technical in nature; Christopher Heilman’s sets are a bit too High School musical for my taste, and the auditorium’s sound system is in desperate need of an upgrade (I am told that this coming year will bring some improvements – donors take note!).

So, dress in your hippie finest, don your peace symbols, put on a flowered hairband, and go see Peregrine Theatre Ensemble’s production of “HAIR the Musical”. It’s as fine as entertainment gets.

HAIR
Book and lyrics by James Rado & Gerome Ragni
Music by Galt MacDermot
DIRECTED BY: KYLE PLEASANT
​Musical Direction: Matthew Hougland
July 10th  – Sep. 7th 2018
TICKETS ON SALE NOW!!
PURCHASE TICKETS

Director/Choreographer Kyle Pleasant
Musical Director Matthew Hougland

CAST
Claude Kevin Lagasse
Berger Jeffrey Kelly
Shelia Daisy Layman
Dionne Rhetta Mykeal
Jennie Lexi Tobin
Chrissy Rebecca Zeller
Hud Nigel Richards
Woof Brendan Williamson

Featuring
Melissa Zeller
Michael Whitty*
Carly Cherone
Alexander Tan
Landon Ebuna
Kelly Hooper
LeVane Harrington
Meridien Terrell*
Julia Solecki

*Dance Captain

The Production team includes: Christopher Heilman Scenic Design; Seth Bodie Costume Design; Gifford Williams Lighting Design; Chad Hayduk Makeup Design; Carol Sherry Wig Design; Brenna Hull Production Stage Manager; Molly Rocca Assistant Stage Manager; Alyssa Krinsky Intern & Social Media; Dusty Cohen Intern & Prop Master; Chanthoeun Hart Varon-Collins Intern and assistant to production; Patron Saint of Peregrine and front of house Carolyn Collins; Artistic Director Ben Berry; Executive Director Adam Berry

Guest Review: THE BAND’S VISIT at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre 

“The Accidental Tourists”

A review of
THE BAND’S VISIT: a New Musical
At the Ethel Barrymore Theatre 
June 6, 2018

 
One pronunciation mistake at a bus ticket window results in the visiting Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arriving in the remote town of Bet Hatikvah instead of metropolitan Petah Tikvah… with no bus out until the next morning.  THE BAND’S VISIT traces the course of this one night where different people, Egyptian Musicians and Israeli Townsfolk are thrown together by this mishap and get to know each other.  As the mutual caution lifts, people come out of their shells, stories are shared and some personal lessons are learned before the Orchestra heads off to their scheduled concert the next day.
Based on the 2007 film of the same name, THE BAND’S VISIT does not set out to bedazzle.  There is no glitz, nor power ballads, nor earth-shaking crises, nor any of the other standard hooks that are usually needed to engross an audience.  What THE BAND’S VISIT has to offer is absolutely outstanding theater as it tells its tale in its own good time.  As the scenes of Mr. Ithamar Moses’s book unfold, the audience member feel like eavesdroppers and at other times like neighbors sharing the evening with these people who are making the best of an awkward situation.
From the opening number “Welcome to Nowhere,” Composer David Yazbek adventurously creates evocative music and lyrics that truly blend into the play:  Each character is given a special voice representing their own life and ethnicity and the songs heighten the different moments of this one evening where people share their time.  Common pleasures and desires form bridges in numbers like the wonderful “Omar Sharif” where Dina remembers enjoying Egyptian Movies on TV or when the hapless youth Papi explains how he is uncomfortable talking to women in the hilariously and sweetly self-pitying “Papi hears the Ocean.”
From the very first, we can see that the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra is not the orderly group that Colonel Tewfiq Zakaria would like it to be.  Mr. Dariush Kashani is superb as the quiet Orchestra leader who begins by trying to keep his feelings, the Orchestra and the situation in tight control and slowly and cautiously opens up in the company of Dina, the local Café owner.
Ms. Katrina Lenk is unforgettably Dina, the café owner who comes to the aid of the stranded Orchestra.  The extraordinary Ms. Lenk lets us see a soul that is fading in the lackluster world of Bet Hatikvah come to full passionate life for at least one night.  Whether she is casually describing the loss of dreams in “It Is What It Is”, sweeping us along in “Omar Sharif” or delivering the piquant “Something Different’ with its memorable lyrics “The Honey in Your Ears/The Spice in your Mouth”, Ms. Lenk gives a unforgettable performance that keeps the audience wanting more.
If Dina has been marking time after losing her romantic hopes, young Papi is currently in the throes of an infatuation that incapacitates him and Mr. Etai Benson is appealingly and comically recognizable as the really nice guy who can never do the right thing around his crush.
Jazz-inspired Haled makes for a good contrast to Papi in that he always has something to say to an attractive lady.  Haled’s cool-cat attitude can backfire, but if Mr. Ari’el Stachel’s character wants to be a charmer, the audience is more than willing to buy in.
Haled’s band mate Simon is a composer who has never finished his one concerto.  Mr. Alok Tewari shows us this shy but skilled clarinetist who finds himself a guest in Itzik’s home.  Itzik is also a person who never quite completes things, but if he is without any ambition, Mr. John Cariani makes him a downright loveable guy – even if we fully understand his wife’s frustration with his drifting.  Itzik’s Father-in-Law Avrum keeps out of the young couple’s friction and hits it off with Simon as a fellow musician.  Like many of the roles, in THE BAND’S VISIT, Avrum’s time onstage is limited and Mr. Andrew Polk truly makes the most of it, singing Avrum’s rousing story of meeting his wife, “The Beat of Your Heart.”
Even though so many of the parts are brief they are carefully filled by the marvelous cast of THE BAND’S VISIT whether as locals or as the actual orchestra that accompanies the show, but one last mention has to be made about Telephone Guy, the young man whose girlfriend left town some months before and had promised to call him – on the only pay phone in town.  Mr. Adam Kantor gives a noteworthy performance in a role that ranges from schlemiel – HOW many months has he been waiting for that call? – to surreal hero.
Some directors might have given THE BAND’S VISIT a more compact pacing and a different focus.  However, Director David Cromer wisely keeps things more diverse, taking full dramatic and comic advantage of the slowly dissipating air of painful embarrassment and reluctance that arises when the Orchestra realizes it in the wrong town and the citizens of Bet Hatikvah find themselves stuck hosting a group of unwilling guests.  Mr. Cromer easily moves from story to story and back revealing various private scenes as if by chance, adjusting the pace as needed.  Dialogue flows to match the language skills and comfort levels of the characters and it is very clear that Egyptians and Israelis are speaking English so they can understand one another, but will naturally revert to Arabic and Hebrew as the stress of the situation dictates.  Furthermore, Mr. Cromer recognizes that in Israel, one may hear a variety of accents even in a place as nowhere as Bet Hatikvah.
The musicians of THE BAND’S VISIT seem to be in a wonderful, show-long jam session where tunes are picked up and then tweaked as players join in, forming groups of different sizes that can build to the striking sound of the unified orchestra.  There is a whole musical palette on display ranging from suave to joyously raucous and clearly Musical Director Andrea Grody is making the most of Mr. David Yazbek’s compositions – orchestrated by Mr. Jamsheid Sharifi, with additional arrangements by Ms. Grody.  No matter what direction a song might take, the style always places us firmly in the Middle East.
The locale is also established through the amazing skills and united work of Mr. Scott Pask’s scenic design, Ms. Maya Ciarrocchi’s projections and Mr. Tyler Micoleau’s lighting.  I cannot imagine how much care must have gone into the planning but turntables, sets and lights work together effortlessly and unobtrusively to shift the show from scene to scene without ever breaking the sense of milieu.  Choreographer Patrick McCollum also shows his skills in this aspect because the characters are able to move so smoothly through the changing settings as well as set off the musical numbers.  Even when performers are sitting still in a song, Mr. McCollum arranges onstage images that are downright beautiful.
Ms. Sarah Laux’s costumes do much to set up the characters, whether in the uniformed Orchestra which aspires to some sort of regimental air, or the casual look of the inhabitants of Bet Hatikvah.
The sound of the Orchestra and of the other performers is quite natural thanks to Mr. Kai Harada’s subtle sound designs which even allow for a sense of direction onstage.
While it may not overwhelm with flash and glamour, THE BAND’S VISIT should please anybody looking for incredible storytelling with excellent music and truly brilliant performances.

The Ethel Barrymore Theatre
243 W 47th Street (between Broadway & 8th Avenue)

To Buy by Phone:
Call Telecharge 212-239-6200

Running time:
90 minutes (no intermission)

Audience:

Ages 12+;
Children under 4 are not
permitted in the theatre.

Tickets

Tickets Starting at $49 – Orchestra Seats from $99

Box Office Hours:

Monday – Saturday
10:00am – 8:30pm
Sunday
12:00pm – 6:00pm
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRaHXBNn8FM

About the reviewer:

MOSHE BLOXENHEIM
I am a computer programmer, wannabe writer who loves theater and just got into the habit of inflicting my theatrical opinions.
I live in New York. Moshe can be reached at MB1224@aol.com

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An interview with comedian Ashely Blaker

Broadway Kingdom was fortunate to be able to sit down with Ashely and talk about things – and talk we did for almost an hour!

At first glance, one might think Ashley Blaker is just an Orthodox Jewish Nerd but then, he begins to speak and the comic gems that flow out are pure genius – and you, my amazing viewers and readers, all know how much I admire genius.

Ashley Blaker Strictly Unorthodox is 90+ minutes of “things about Observant Jewish life and practices you might have thought of but never dared to speak out loud” – so Ashley will say them for you and with a ‘plotz in your seat’ take to boot!

Appropriate for all ages, genders, religious affiliation, or no affiliation at all. Jew, Gentile et al, Ashley will have you in stitches.

So sit down, relax, and enjoy our longest video interview to date… then go see the show!

Ashley Blaker Strictly Unorthodox
May 27th – June 28
Off-Broadway at the
Jerry Orbach Theater
1627 Broadway @ 50th Street.
For tickets phone the box office 212 921 7862
or click here
(tix are cheaper by phone than thru Ticketmaster)
Running Time: 90+ minutes
(Minchah or Maariv may follow the show)
Appropriate for all ages.
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Ashley Blaker is “the UK’s only Orthodox stand-up comedian”. Blaker is a writer for TV and radio and was producer of Little Britain. Mr. Blaker is an alumnus of The Haberdashers’ Aske’s Boys’ School where he was a contemporary of Sacha Baron Cohen and friend of Matt Lucas, with whom he went on to create Little Britain and The Matt Lucas Awards. In 2017, he was commissioned by the BBC to create a show called “Ashley Blaker’s Goyish Guide To Judaism”, described as “an insider’s view of his religion” Ashley will next be see at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in “Ashley Blaker Observant Jew” at 3pm Sunday-Friday.

For more info on Ashley: CLICK HERE

Ashley Blaker’s Goyish Guide To Judaism on the BBC Radio 4 – stand-up from Ashley Blaker 1 episode in 2018. Due to be broadcast on Sunday 3rd June on Radio 4 at 7:15pm. The program will be repeated on Radio 4 Extra on Friday 8th June at 7:30am.

PRESS: https://nypost.com/2018/05/25/this-jewish-comedian-has-a-lot-to-kvetch-about

Gemma Blaker (Ashley’s Wife)
https://www.thejc.com/lifestyle/family/pesach-with-six-kids-1.461510
http://3principles6kids.com/

REVIEW: Do I make you randy, baby? A review of ‘Randy Writes A Novel’

“Do I make you randy, baby?”

A review of
‘Randy Writes A Novel’
at the Clurman Theatre/Theatre Row

In the world of puppetry, first there was Punch & Judy, then H.R. Puffinstuff, then the Muppets with many, many more puppets woven in and out, but all those were for the kids (or were they?) Then the Adults got Avenue Q and we howled, on Broadway and Off.

Now there’s RANDY and boy, can he be randy!

Randy has written a novel and he wants to share it with us. So for two months Randy will be looking for approval by putting on a nightly show telling all of New York about his novel – or will he? Tonight Randy will talk on Hemingway, Harper Lee, hoarding, Veganism, Buddhism, the human condition and the challenges of being an artist. It seems Randy likes to talk about anything but his Novel! You see, Randy is having a bit of a crisis – is Art still Art if we don’t like it?

Starting out with warm-up comedian Randy, who, after warming up the audience introduces Headliner Randy, the approximately 75 minutes that follow are basically Puppet Stand-Up comedy delivered by a puppet with skilled timing and obvious improv training. Sitting like a talk show host behind his paper strewn desk, Randy randomly focuses his always open ping-pong ball eyes on several audience members engaging them in dialogue as if he could actually see them. He also touches on many different subjects from current events to history, often using  language that would make a sailor blush! This show is definitely for the kiddies, although the night I was there a 10 year old accompanied by his Father!

Randy Writes A Novel is an odd but enjoyable evening of laughter, and insight into the (puppet) mind of an Artist, although I more than suspect we’re actually getting into the mind of the puppet master himself.

From Randy’s press notes:

Star of Australian stage and television makes his much-anticipated US debut!

Randy, the felt-faced comedian, started doing stand-up comedy in 2005 and has since gone on to headline most of the Theatrical Fringe and Comedy festivals around the world, as well as finding success on television with his own show airing on ABC TV in Australia, Seeso in the US and Netflix in the UK.

Randy has played everywhere from Edinburgh to Hong Kong, Galway, to Singapore to Sydney and anywhere in between. Next stop — New York City, Off-Broadway at the internationally acclaimed Theatre Row on 42nd Street

Randy Writes a Novel

Clurman Theatre/Theatre Row
410 W. 42nd St., NYC View on map
Running time: 1hr 15min. No intermission.
Now Playing Through June 10, 2018
Tickets: https://www.telecharge.com/Off-Broadway/Randy-Writes-a-Novel/

Randy Writes a Novel Creative Team

Author: Randy
Director: Randy
Producer:

Randy Writes a Novel Award Winners/Nominees

– Nominee Best Television Comedy Show – ACCTA 2015
– Nominee Best Comedy Release (with Sammy J) – ARIA 2015
– Winner Best Comedy – Perth Fringeworld 2014
– Nominee Best Comedy Release (with Sammy J) – ARIA 2013
– Winner Barry Award for Most Outstanding Show (with Sammy J) –Melbourne Comedy Festival 2010
– Nominee Golden Gibbo Award – Melbourne Comedy Festival 2009

For More Information On Randy Writes A Novel Click Here

REVIEW: “How to Handle a Woman” A review of Rogers & Hammerstein‘s Carousel at the Imperial Theatre

“How to Handle a Woman”

A review of the revival of
Rogers & Hammerstein‘s “Carousel”
at the
Imperial Theatre

Disclaimer:

I am not particularly fond of Rogers & Hammerstein‘s “Carousel”. 

Even though much of the music is among my favorite in the Rogers & Hammerstein catalogue, save for the Soliloquy which to me is a cringe worthy 6 minutes – I even joked pre-show that Soliloquy was my early intermission bathroom break, to hear a brilliant Rogers & Hammerstein score played by a Broadway orchestra is one of the reasons that I decided to attend this Revival, 

Much to my dismay I did not even get that.

The orchestrations were flat, two dimensional representations, and the sound design by Mr. Scott Lehrer woefully underwhelming. Sitting in the Orchestra I expected the music to be spectacular but I was sadly disappointed – especially after the recent multi-million dollar remodel of the Imperial Theatre.

I also could just not get past “Carousel’s” main character, Billy Bigelow, the dishonest, wife-beating, carnival barker not being portrayed by a white actor.

Go ahead, get it out of your system, start calling me all kinds of names (you’d be totally wrong) but here’s the thing – perhaps it’s conditioning, perhaps it’s purism, I’m not sure, but in my mind the connotations of such a vile character being played by a Black man is just wrong. The thought kept going through my mind, ‘Why would any person of color agree to play this role?” As far as performance goes, Josh Henry nails it, and nails it strong. His smooth, silk like, baritone voice in any other role would, and have, taken me to great heights emotionally.

 Throughout the entire show I felt like I was at a performance of MCC’s Miscast. Great voices cast in the wrong roles.

 Further, while I have always felt that the part of Julie Jordan, played by a delightful, if not completely doe-eyed and confused Ms. Jessie Mueller, is terribly underwritten, there were times Mr. Jack Doyle, the Director seemed to forget Julie/Jesse was even in the show. More disappointment came from Ms. Renée Fleming, whose gorgeous operatic soprano voice is just too prim and proper to be Aunt Nettie.

 Then there’s the casting of a Middle Eastern actor, the talented and graceful ballet dancer, Amar Ramasar, making his Broadway (and possibly acting) debut, to play “Jigger”, another monster of a character. This is yet another dangerous step towards stereotyping. Every time I heard Billy Bigelow call his name I thought he was using the N-word .

 There is some good news. The shining stars of the show were most definitely the lark-voiced Ms. Lindsay Mendez who portrayed Carrie Pipperidge with a delightful and quirky style to her that played extremely well off of Mr. Alexander Gemignani’s playfully-teasing Mr. Enoch Snow. As a matter of fact, Mr. Gemignani’s performance is award worthy in my opinion.

 I must also admit to you that while I tend to tune out the seemingly obligatory ballet sequences of most early 20th century musical theater, Ms. Brittany Pollock and Mr. Andrei Chagas were graceful and visually stunning in the Fairground Ballet sequence – a great tribute to the fabulous Choreography of Mr. Justin Peck.

Santo Loquasto’s scenic design was executed well, although there were too many ‘played in front of the curtain’ scenes while scenery was being noisily shuffled around Backstage. Note to Production: PLEASE Oil the stage right light motors and the sheer curtain pulleys.

Sadly, Ms. Ann Roth’s costumes look like they have been recycled from my high school production of ‘Oklahoma!’ And what’s with those baggy pants that come up to the men’s bellies?

 The lighting design by Brian McDevitt left me squinting many times to see what was happening on stage and again, that was from Orchestra Row M – I can only imagine what it was like up in the oxygen-tank seats.

Speaking of seats, it appears to me that when they remodeled the theater after “The Great Comet“ they added many more seats then there were before. In my cushy (read expensive) Orchestra seat I was sucking on my knees or more annoyingly to her, scraping the back of the chair of the lady in front of me.

All that being said, I haven’t told you the worst part:
I DIDN’T CRY!!!
Me – the person who “cries at everything” – DIDN’T CRY!!!

If you’ll remember, I said up front that I’m not the biggest fan of this show – BUT when I DO see it I always CRY – ALWAYS! This tells me everything I need to know.

All said, the audience seemed to love the show, hooting and hollering along with their thunderous applause, it was a Press Preview, so perhaps you too will enjoy Rodger’s & Hammerstein’s Carousel as much as they did.

Me, I’m still optimistically looking forward to Lincoln Center’s revival of “My Fair Lady”

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Rogers & Hammerstein‘s Carousel

Opens Thursday, April 12th 2018

To order tickets online
https://www.broadwayinbound.com/shows/carousel/ 

To order tickets by phone,
call 212-239-6200

IN PERSON
VISIT THE IMPERIAL THEATRE
249 W 45th St,
between 7th Avenue and 8th Avenue

BOX OFFICE HOURS
Monday–Saturday: 10am–8pm,
Sunday: Closed
(Beginning March 25: Noon–6pm)

PRESS RELEASE:  PRECIOUS Little TALENT

 P R E C I O U S Little T A L E N T

BY ELLA HICKSON
DIRECTED BY GEORGE C. HESLIN

GREG MULLAVEY, CONNOR DELVES & ELIZA SHEA TO STAR IN NY PREMIERE OF “PRECIOUS LITTLE TALENT” DIRECTED BY GEORGE C. HESLIN.

FOLLOWING SUCCESSFUL PRODUCTIONS AT THE EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL AND IN LONDON’S WEST END, WHICH GARNERED FOUR STAR REVIEWS ACROSS THE BOARD, “PRECIOUS LITTLE TALENT” BY ELLA HICKSON IS PRESENTED IN A LIMITED ENGAGEMENT OFF-OFF-BROADWAY RUNNING SEPTEMBER 20-30.

The critically acclaimed British sensation, Precious Little Talent, will make its NY Premiere in a limited two-week engagement, beginning September 20.Award-winning playwright, Ella Hickson (Eight, Boys, Oil) marks herreturns to NYC, with this production directed by Origin Theatre Company’s Artistic Director, George C. Heslin. The play starsAmerican film and TV legend, Greg Mullavey, whose credits include, Rumors (Broadway, with Veronica Hamel), Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman & iCarly.The play also starsConnor Delves(Endangered, Off-Broadway) and British actress, Eliza Shea(Blithe Spirit, Chenango River Theatre).

Taking place in New York City and London, between 2008-11, Precious Little Talent explores the culture clash of American optimism with British cynicism, and how a tangled love story sits somewhere in between. Hicksonpits the struggles of young peoplein the midst of an economic downturn, against those faced by an aging man, desperate to retain his independence whilst suffering from dementia.

 It plays 12 performances at The West End Theatre, 263 W86th St. 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10024, (1 train to 86th St.) from Wednesday September 20-30, with an official opening on Wednesday September 20 at 8pm.

Shea Delves Productions, in association with Co-Producer Joseph Lavezzo, present this NY premiere. The creative team includes Drama Desk Award-Winner,Maruti Evans (Set Design), Michael O’Connor (Lighting Design), Sam LaFrage (Sound Design), Jenny Green (Costume Design). Alaska Caleois the production stage manager. George C. Heslin, is the Artistic Director of Origin Theatre and founder of the 1st Irish Theatre Festival. Having worked extensively on Broadway and in the West End, Heslin was invited to meet President Obama in 2011, for his services to arts and culture.

 Critical acclaim in London includes:

  • ‘A little gem…it bursts with unmistakable freshness’ (The Telegraph, 4 stars)
  • ‘Precious Little Talent’ wins battle for hearts and minds’ (The Daily Mail, 4 stars)
  • ‘Full of spluttering energy and has a real fire in its belly’ (The Guardian, 4 stars)
  • ‘A rising star of British theatre, she has a gorgeous way with words’ (The Independent, 4 stars)

…Precious Little Talent performs at The West End Theatre, 263 W 86th St. 2nd Floor. Performances (12 in total) are Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, Friday at 8pm; Saturday at 2pm & 8pm, and Sunday at 2pm.  

For tickets, which are $30, call 866-811-4111 or visit https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/34943?sitePreference=normal

Please see www.PreciousLittleTalentNYC.com for further information.
(Running time: 80 minutes.)

……Sincerely,
Shea Delves Productions

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Guest Review: A review of INDECENT At the Cort Theatre

“The Play is the Thing”

A review of
INDECENT
At the Cort Theatre
June 20, 2017
by Moshe Bloxenheim 

INDECENT is a biography: The protagonist is born, grows up, has some trouble in adolescence, moves beyond parental control and has many discoveries.

The main character is also a play – THE GOD OF VENGEANCE written by Mr. Sholem Asch in 1907. Created as an indictment of religious hypocrisy and the piety that glosses over terrible actions, THE GOD OF VENGEANCE takes place in the home of Yekel, the owner of a bordello. He and his former prostitute wife Sarah have raised their daughter Rifkele in the strictest respectability, planning for her to marry a Rabbinical Scholar and even commissioning the writing of a Torah Scroll in honor of such a future marriage. Though Rifkele is forbidden to enter the brothel basement of the family home, she has visited there and befriended Manke, one of the women who work for her father. The two girls are drawn together and Rifkele runs away with Manke. When Rifkele is brought back, her enraged father – stripped of his devout pretensions – drags her off to work in his basement.

THE GOD OF VENGEANCE begins its life in the Yiddish Theater as a well-received drama. Once in New York, like many immigrants, it tries to adapt to a more mainstream society only to lose its way and become the subject of an infamous obscenity trial. Abandoning Broadway, THE GOD OF VENGEANCE thrives, lasting beyond the demise of the Yiddish Theater that had nurtured it, and the author who has eventually turned his back on it. Many issues are bought up by the play as it is produced through the years: Idealism that is crushed by reality, a desire for more realistic literature, a need to face unpleasant facts and the fear of trouble that publicizing such truths can cause a people.

Ms. Paula Vogel wrote the play INDECENT, but it is very hard to separate the superb story telling of her script from the inventive direction of Ms. Rebbeca Taichman, which makes it understandable why they are both billed in the Playbill as the creators of INDECENT. With THE GOD OF VENEGANCE as the star, the actors take on their roles as in a traditional Yiddish Repertory: One actor plays all the older gentlemen, another covers the youthful men while a seasoned lady takes on the women of maturity, etc. Performers flow from scenes about Mr. Asch’s play into actual passages of THE GOD OF VENGEANCE as it gets played in one of its many productions. Mr. Asch and other characters are shared out by the actors so a young Sholem Asch and his wife are first introduced by youthful performers and as time passes the more mature players take them over. Traditions of theater are both invoked and turned on their heads. Expositions are acted out most convincingly and projections (brilliantly designed by Mr. Tal Yarden) set the places of the action and of the languages being used in a way that amazed me. INDECENT is true theater of alienation, and it would have made Mr. Bertolt Brecht green with envy.

With the shifting nature of the roles, it is not so easy to give my usual breakdown of actors in the show, but be assured that the troupe of INDECENT is a truly fine one.

Mr. Tom Nellis is memorable as the senior actor covering dignified scholars, noted actors, the older Sholem Asch and leading a delightfully surprising turn as a Berlin cabaret performer. He is a new person in practically every scene, even to the point of being a different actor performing Yekel in THE GOD OF VENGEANCE as it passes through its various presentations.

This is also true of the other members of the cast. Ms. Katrina Lenk fascinates as a flirtatious star in the first staging of THE GOD OF VENGEANCE and takes on other people as INDECENT dictates.

Similarly Mss. Mimi Lieber and Adina Verson suitably play many characters – some of whom have to play the same part in the successive enactments of Mr. Asch’s play – with different accents as needed.

As the young Sholem Asch, Mr. Max Gordon Moore provides the idealistic writer who slowly loses his fervor as he begins to second guess his aspirations and motives for writing THE GOD OF VENGEANCE in the face of the Anti-Semitism, Pogroms and the Holocaust that an enlightened world should have prevented.

Taking on a host of roles, Mr. Steven Rattazzi ranges admirably from annoying intellectuals to eager producers.

Adding to the stage as well are the first-rate instrumental and performing talents of the musicians Ms. Lisa Gutkin and Messrs. Matt Darriau and Uri Sharlin. They play the evocative music composed by Ms. Lisa Gutkin and Mr. Aaron Halva (incidentally, at the performance I attended Mr. Sharlin filled in most admirably for Mr. Halva).

There is one acting part that is constant throughout INDECENT: Lemml, the Stage Manager is in many ways the human representative of THE GOD OF VENGEANCE as it travels the world. First seen as a poor relative invited to Sholem Asch’s first reading of his script, Lemml becomes the play’s biggest champion and the one who feels its triumphs and failures the most – even more than Asch himself. Mr. Richard Topol is truly marvelous as he shows Lemml evolving into the voice of THE GOD OF VENGEANCE and the conscience of the doomed Jewish world that brought the play into being. His is a great performance in a special role.

And how does THE GOD OF VENGEANCE perform? Although THE GOD OF VENGEANCE permeates the very fabric of INDECENT we are repeatedly shown only two scenes of the actual play and it is the Rain Scene that is the pivotal piece: Having slipped out late at night to dance in a rainstorm, Manke and Rifkele enter the silent house and express their love for one another – an action that allows them one moment of true joy and hope outside the harsh realities of their lives. In the various reenactments, this scene becomes an emotional escape for many of the portrayers of Manke and Rifkele, culminating in a ghetto staging in Nazi occupied Poland where starving, fearful actors transcend their own misery when the heroines once again rise beyond their daily despair and capture something wonderful. And we are better for this.

 Mr. Riccardo’s stark scenery is a fitting setting for the actors who must roam the world and time, aided by Mr. Christopher Akerlind’s lighting and Mr. Tal Yarden’s informative and haunting projections. Similarly, Ms. Emily Rebholz has created deceptively simple costumes that allow the players to inhabit literary salons, nightclubs, rehearsal halls, wartime garrets or even the afterlife. All of these elements, together with the wigs and hair design by Messrs. J. Jared Janas and Dave Bova, give a memorable and occasionally unsettling feeling of peering into a series of forgotten old photographs.

The sound system of Mr. Matt Hubbs provides a good impression of natural sound.

From the title, one might think INDECENT is about the outrage of the subject matter of THE GOD OF VENGEANCE or focuses on the first sexual kiss between two women on a public stage, but instead INDECENT is more about how a classic play rises above the real hardships that can make life itself an indecency. It is this story and the thoughtful and innovative way it is told that make INDECENT a true theatrical event about a theatrical event.

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About the reviewer:

MOSHE BLOXENHEIM
I am a computer programmer, wannabe writer who loves theater and just got into the habit of inflicting my theatrical opinions.
I live in New York. Moshe can be reached at MB1224@aol.com

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Guest Review: Scott Sickles’s “COMPOSURE” at the WorkshopTheater

“Offstage Drama”
A review of
COMPOSURE
 At the WorkshopTheater
June 21, 2017
by Moshe Bloxenheim

Mr. Scott Sickles’s thoughtful play COMPOSURE is about people trying to get beyond the past: One year after a broken relationship results in a fatal campus shooting, the local college puts on a student production of ROMEO AND JULIET to commemorate the tragic anniversary. Former alumnus Fletcher is hired to direct this controversial production and after his first rehearsal he meets Jeff, a recently divorced academic who has recently begun to come to terms with his sexuality. Over the six weeks of Fletcher’s stay, the two men find themselves being drawn close to one another, but both men also are forced to come to terms with their earlier lives: Fletcher must resolve his feelings about Tommy, a bullying friend of his teenage years who left young Fletcher with more than a few damaging scars, while Jeff has to clear the air between himself, his ex-wife and the memory of his deceased brother-in-law.

The sounds of the student’s rehearsal of ROMEO AND JULIET provide a surprisingly fitting commentary on the adult’s events onstage as the play’s themes of doomed love, mishandled information, exile, etc., constantly resurface throughout COMPOSURE. In addition, Mr. Sickles’ love of language wittily permeates COMPOSURE, capitalizing on both the modern scenario and the parallel us of Shakespearean text.

 Fletcher is the man around whom all the action of COMPOSURE revolves and Mr. Robert Bruce McIntosh shows the ambivalence and confusion of a person who wants to complete his task and move on but who cannot easily follow the course he had planned out for himself; whether those plans involves directing ROMEO AND JULIET, having a no-strings connection with Jeff or trying to get some sort of undefinable closure with Tommy. Mr. McIntosh’s character is all too human so even if he does not quite follow the story arc of a triumphant hero, Fletcher is likable, understandable and real.

 Mr. C.K. Allen’s Jeff has the wide-eyed aspect of someone who is still new at being himself. We see Jeff’s fear about hurting people and how that complicates his own need for honesty. Jeff still has a lot to discover and Mr. Allen makes us root for him as Jeff allows himself credit as being a man who can feel desire and love.

Jeff’s ex-wife Amanda thought she had Jeff’s devotion but is now forced to confront the realities of their failed marriage and the need to stop looking back. Ms. Susan Izatt gives a fine, incisive performance, making it clear that Amanda is trying very hard not to hate her former husband but she is still not able to make peace with the fact of who he now is. We feel the control Amanda exerts over her feelings and even over Jeff and when things reach a breaking point, Ms. Izatt’s delivery of irony and anger are all the more pointed and yet still sympathetic.

 Another character who still has to learn something about being loved is Beth, Tommy’s worshipful but self-denigrating wife. We might not care for a doormat, but Ms. Christine Verleney makes us care for Beth even though this character does everything she can to keep her belief in the loutish Tommy as the ideal husband. Ms. Verleney makes it pretty apparent that the moment that Beth believes in herself, Tommy will be in trouble.

 Then there is Tommy.

 As I have stated before, Tommy is a bully who must be everybody’s idol. Yet Mr. Rob Ventre presents this self-assured man in a way that makes me think of the sort of jerk who victims claim “…loved me – in his fashion…” Mr. Ventre’s convincing Tommy may very well believe that his brand of love is the best thing to happen to the people around him, but his manipulations and denials make it obvious that deep down he knows how wrong he is.

 Christopher is a brief role, but a very significant one, and Mr. Cliff Miller clearly understands the angst and disbelief of a young man who was not only a victim of the tragedy, but is forced to survive in a story that is different from real situation and an aftermath which he has no idea how to remedy.

 Under Mr. Fritz Brekeller’s direction the characters are all quite real as the people who would be encountered in a college town setting. Even Fletcher – the traveling Director – is a person determined to do the best of a difficult job with his eye already on his next task. Director Brekeller takes full advantage of Ms. Elizabet Puksto’s movable set, Ms. Diana Duecker’s lighting, Mr. Greg Emetaz’s surprising projections and Mr. Ian Wehrle’s sound design to allow the story of COMPOSURE move at its own steady pace. Using these excellent assets, the events and scenes (both contemporary and those related to ROMEO AND JULIET) can easily change and flow into one another in a cinematic way so that the momentum of the play is never lost.

Mr. Anthony Paul-Caveretta’s costumes are suitably day-to-day and give some inkling to the personalities of their wearers (such as Amanda’s more serious clothing: suitable for a divorce, an academic lecture or having an outburst at a gravesite).

With its excellent script, cast and staging, this current production of COMPOSURE offers a lot to enjoy and to think about.

 COMPSURE’S last performance was on June 24, 2017


Scott Sickles

CK Allen
CK Allen

* Appears courtesy of Actors Equity Association

 

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About the reviewer:

MOSHE BLOXENHEIM
I am a computer programmer, wannabe writer who loves theater and just got into the habit of inflicting my theatrical opinions.
I live in New York. Moshe can be reached at MB1224@aol.com

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