Tag Archives: Elli

An Interview with: Hal Linden at Café Carlyle

On May 14, 2014 www.BroadwayKingdom.com had the extreme honor to sit down with a living legend – the inspirational HAL LINDEN – Barney Miller!!! Mr. Linden was a fountain of information with stories, anecdotes and behind-the-scenes info on one of the most prolific careers of any star – ever! Please, sit back and enjoy one of our longest and best video interviews! I am proud to present a conversation with HAL LINDEN! Enjoy!

“Hal Linden Live in Concert” at the legendary Café Carlyle at 35 East 76th St. NY, 10075 Tuesday, May 20th through Saturday, May 24th.

**All shows are at 8:45pm with two shows on Saturday, May 24th at 8:45pm and 10:45pm

**For ticket info please visit: http://www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/the-carlyle-new-york/location/things-to-do/events-at-the-carlyle

**Also please visit www.hallinden.net

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Originally opened in 1955, Café Carlyle is New York City’s bastion of classic cabaret entertainment, a place where audiences experience exceptional performers at close range in an exceedingly elegant setting. Since composer Richard Rodgers moved in as The Carlyle’s first tenant, music has been an essential part of The Carlyle experience. Other talents who have made the Café Carlyle their musical home include Woody Allen, who regularly appears to play with the Eddy Davis New Orleans jazz band, and, for three decades, Café Carlyle was synonymous with the legendary Bobby Short, who thrilled sell-out crowds for 36 years. His spirit lives on through the music at Café Carlyle.

Please join us for

PRESS RELEASE: DEMI LOVATO GOES BICOASTAL FOR PRIDE

MULTI-PLATINUM SELLING RECORDING ARTIST
DEMI LOVATO GOES BICOASTAL FOR PRIDE

NEW YORK, NY | LOS ANGELES, CA – Monday, May 5, 2014 – In honor of the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, two of the largest Pride events in the world— LA PRIDE and NYC PRIDE—have joined forces to announce the participation of one of the biggest names in Hollywood in this year’s LGBT Pride celebrations, Demi Lovato. On June 8th, the multi-platinum selling recording artist will join the LA PRIDE Parade as Grand Marshal and her participation will include a special performance. On June 29, Lovato will head east to headline perform at NYC Pride’s legendary Dance on the Pier on Pier 26 in Tribeca.

“It’s such an honor to be a part of both LA and NYC PRIDE celebrations this year,” says Lovato. “I have been an active advocate of the LGBT community and am wholly committed to supporting individuality and being comfortable in one’s own skin. I am thrilled to be a part of both events as they are a wonderful celebration of independence and self-confidence.”

One of the most exhilarating aspects of LA PRIDE’s weekend celebration is that of its annual parade, which brings out hundreds of thousand of participants, spectators and marchers to the streets of West Hollywood. A focal point in the flamboyantly colorful parade, the Grand Marshal represents a person whom has used their celebrity to be an outspoken supporter of the LGBT community.

“Demi Lovato is an amazing role model for today’s youth, both LGBT and non-LGBT, for her activism in the area of equality, positive messaging on body image, and level of openness with her struggles. As a community, we’re fortunate to have an ally like Demi,” said Patti DiLuigi, Co-President of Christopher Street West, producers of LA PRIDE.

Dance on the Pier is NYC Pride’s largest fundraising and community support initiative. The event’s production committee awards over $45,000 in grants to LGBT and LGBT-friendly nonprofits and community organizations each year. The event also supplies NYC Pride with critical operating revenue and pulls in countless visitors, driving attendance to NYC Pride’s other official events as well as various unofficial Pride events throughout the city. The historic event has played host to world-renowned performers, including Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston and most recently Cher.

“We are thrilled to welcome Demi to our stages for this historic celebration. Now in its 28th year, the Dance on the Pier continues a proud tradition of partnering with all-star talent to create a high-quality event that raises funds to support local LGBT non-profits and New York City’s annual Pride festivities,” says Chris Frederick, Managing Director of NYC Pride.

LA PRIDE runs June 6 to 8. Visit lapride.org for more information on LA PRIDE’s Parade and other annual events, including the thrilling Festival, featuring entertainment from Jennifer Hudson, Azealia Banks, The Bangles, Mary Lambert and Betty Who.

NYC Pride runs June 21 to 29. For tickets to Dance on the Pier, visit nycpride.showclix.com. For information on NYC Pride and their full roster of annual Pride events, visit nycpride.org/events.

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About DEMI LOVATO

Demi Lovato is a singer, songwriter, and television star with a fan base that includes over 20 million die-hard Twitter followers and 30 million fans on Facebook. She is a platinum-selling recording artist whose latest album, Demi, hit #1 on iTunes in 50 countries. The lead single—”Heart Attack”— earned Platinum status just 10 weeks after launch. Demi is currently on the road for the NEON LIGHTS TOUR which was named after the third single and “Top 5” radio hit off of her album, Demi. In addition to her musical accomplishments, in 2014, her book, STAYING STRONG: 365 DAYS A YEAR became a New York Times best-seller, she returned to television as a judge and mentor on “The X-Factor” and starred in Fox’s hit series “Glee.” She is an outspoken advocate for young people everywhere. She has become a role model by talking openly about her personal experiences and speaking out against bullying among other issues. She serves as an official Ambassador for We Day and the organization Free the Children. She has recently launched The Lovato Treatment Scholarship Program, which helps people struggling with mental health and/or addiction issues cover the cost of treatment.

About LA PRIDE / CSW

In it’s 44th year, Christopher Street West (CSW) is proud to produce LA PRIDE, a series of events celebrating the accomplishments of the TLGB community and shedding light on its continued march for equality. A year after the modern Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual liberation movement was launched by the mob-led rebellion at the Stonewall Inn on New York’s Christopher Street in June 1969, activists in Los Angeles’ community came together to honor the rebellion with the world’s first PRIDE Parade in Hollywood, CA. Today, the organization continues to promote equality and diversity amongst the TLGB community and its allies with a three-day event held in West Hollywood, CA. The non-profit organization is comprised of an all-volunteer board of directors and professional consultants committed to the goals of human rights, education and outreach.

About NYC PRIDE

NYC Pride strives to empower individuals, groups, and our community as a whole, through the commemoration of our history—in particular the Stonewall Riots of 1969. New York City’s Pride events provide an opportunity to join together to celebrate our lives, take joy in all that we have done, and honor all those who have helped make our progress possible. The events provide a safe and affirming space in New York City while educating those both inside and outside our own community. In creating these Pride events, we reaffirm the self-worth of all Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender people and all those who join in the ongoing struggle for our civil rights.

REVIEW: Encores! Concert Revival of LITTLE ME

On whom the Belle told…
A review of Encores! Concert Revival of

LITTLE ME

At New York City Center

February 9, 2014

A wealthy, well-connected celebrity decides to share “Her Inspiring Life Story” with the world. This is the basis for Patrick Dennis’ classic camp novel LITTLE ME which in turn formed the book for the rollicking vaudeville of a musical with the same title. In bringing LITTLE ME to New York City Center, Encores! has spared nothing in their new concert production: great performers, superb choreography and excellent staging, all of which set off this tuneful and happily silly show to the best advantage.

Mr. Neil Simon was clearly mining comic gold when he adapted LITTLE ME for the stage and Mr. Jack Viertel’s concert version does not tarnish the show one whit. Miss Belle Poitrine has decided to dictate her memoirs to the fascinated author Patrick Dennis and give the world “the Truth” of her start as a dewy, well-proportioned lass from the wrong side of the tracks who, due to heartbreak, rose to prominent wealth, culture and social position on the right side of the tracks. She relates all the people who have helped her along through hardship, war, disaster, Hollywood and Monte Carlo beginning with her one true love and all the other men who happened along the way, bankers, performers, producers, princes and so on…

The company truly romps through the show, most of them even being without the scriptbooks that Encores! had everyone carry onstage as a constant reminder to one and all that this is a “show in concert. Only one script is ever seen and it generates one of the best laughs of the evening.

There are performers who understand the virtue of facing farce with an absolute straight face and Ms. Judy Kaye is certainly adept at this high comic art. She sails serenely through the most outrageous narratives never tipping her hand at the absurdity of a situation (and boy can they be fantastic). As a result, Ms. Kaye creates an unforgettable contemporary Belle Poitrine: a woman with an outrageous – but heroic – past and who clearly not content to rest on her massive pile of laurels. In doing so, Ms. Kaye wins the adoration of the audience and gets some of the best laughs of the evening.

Neck and neck with Ms. Kaye in capturing the admiration of the audience is the young Belle Poitrine (neé Schlumpfert) who bravely climbs her way out of highly emphasized poverty. Ms. Rachel York’s Belle is sincerity personified whether she is taking poise lessons in a hotel room with a rich banker or personally comforting a prince who has the pressures of the kingdom on his frail shoulders. Additionally, Ms. York shows each step of her character’s evolution rising from naïve innocence to sophistication maintaining a blatant nobility and intrusive purity that makes her presence onstage all the funnier and likeable. Musically as well Ms. York can do no wrong and when she and Ms. Kaye join forces in the number “Little Me” they wreak considerable pleasure.

If there is anyone who can truly blight the irrepressible Belle’s life it is Mrs. Eggleston, a wealthy snob of the first rank and the mother of Belle’s one true love. While Mrs. Eggleston’s oedipal control of her son is not complex, Ms. Harriet Harris’ starchily droll demeanor makes her the perfect cartoon villainess to root against.

If Belle cannot achieve her heart’s desire there are many, MANY other men who desire her, starting with Tony Yazbeck who plays the devoted and world-wise George Musgrove. The handsome urbane George may not be the man who can assure “happily ever after” for poor Belle, but the charming Mr. Yazbeck makes it a close thing. His rendition of “I’ve Got Your Number” is both a seductive call and a wink at the real Belle that George can see and still love.

Ah, but then there are a LOT of other men in Belle’s life: The stingy banker Amos Pinchley whom Belle converts to generosity; Monsieur Val Du Val, France’s rude answer to Maurice Chevalier, Deliveryman and Hollywood Director Otto Schnitzler and Princes AND soldiers and, and, and… All of whom are portrayed by Mr. Christian Borle.

This is the gimmick.

And a worthy gimmick it is too, for the dynamic Mr. Borle never holds back on the fun, allowing full lunacy of expression whether he is a man toggling through on-and-off amnesia, a Prince calling on his loving subjects with some rather unfortunate news or the innocent nearsighted doughboy Fred Poitrine who rapidly weds and widows Belle. Not only does Mr. Borle play his goofy roster of characters to the hilt, but he also carries their numbers quite admirably (“Real Live Girl” is a joy) – especially in the role of the ridiculously wealthy, hyper-educated true love of Belle’s life, Noble Eggleston. As Noble, Mr. Borle has gotten the deadpan demeanor down beautifully, whether he is explaining the difference between a gift and charity to young Belle (charity is better) or training a rapidly sinking linerful of people how to swim before the ship goes under. There is no doubt that Noble is something of a wet smack (even before the boat sank) but he is Belle’s drip and he loves her – which makes him kind of endearing. We know he will always be forced to leave, but Noble somehow manages return to Belle. It is commendable when an actor can carry off a constantly varying array of portrayals, but it is really something when he must also perform one consistent role that has to thread its way in between his other characters at the same time. If Mr. Borle does not deliver absolute perfection in such a complicated tangle of personas, he does pretty darned well.

Following Mr. Borle through his ever changing personalities is the worthy Mr. Robert Creighton who capably does his share to shift from role to role, matching the scenes as he ranges from the stingy banker’s craven son to a preacher in World War I to a prince’s aide-de-camp and so on.

Naturally there are a whole host of others who make up Belle’s life: Her mother Momma Schlumpfert, who, in Ms. Gealen Gilliland’s skilled hands, can make even the oldest profession seem naughtily respectable, the Buchsbaum brothers Bernie (Mr. Lee Wilkof) and Bennie (Mr. Lewis J. Stadlen) who memorably launch Belle into show business, Belle’s fascinated ghostwriter Patrick Dennis, played with amusing understatement by Mr. David Garrison and a delightful crew of talented ladies and gentlemen who range from the rag-tag denizens and highfalutin upper crust of Venezuela, Illinois to the various friends who flock around Belle at the close of her recollections.

With the changes in characters and the loosely linked scenes LITTLE ME is strongly reminiscent of the old Broadway review, Director John Rando firmly keeps the narrative focused and the action flowing, yet there is an improvised feel that is well in keeping with the tongue-in-cheek nature of the show.

Dance-wise too there is a sort of “why not?” atmosphere that matches well with the show’s air of intense parody. Choreographer Joshua Bergasse covered a wide range of dance styles and never wastes a movement. He and the cast were clearly having a ball with the material and their enjoyment is happily infectious. Mr. Bergasse’s arrangement of the vaudeville number “Dimples” sung by Belle with her union-suit clad “police” backup was one of those hilariously outrageous moments of theater that will always be stuck in my memory.

This of course leads us to the songs with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh and music by Cy Coleman. How can one fault such an enjoyable score with numbers like “Be a Performer!” and the standard “I’ve Got Your Number,” especially when the music is performed by the Encores! Orchestra conducted by Mr. Rob Berman? Under his baton, Mr. Ralph Burns’ orchestrations sweep over the audience with real energy. Mr. Berman is definitely into “Little Me” and the musicians and singers certainly benefit from his enthusiasm.

The look of the show keeps in with Encores! tendency towards lavish simplicity. Mr. John Lee Beatty is certainly a master at using the outline of a house to indicate a hometown setting or placing a set of tables and some small backdrops to create a busy nightclub scene. His scenic designs for LITTLE ME certainly always highlight the action and never draw the focus away from it even when Mr. Beatty slips in his own small visual wisecracks (such as the Buchsbaum Brothers nameplates “BENNIE”, “& BERNIE”). With all the praise I have been lavishing on LITTLE ME it is downright curmudgeonly to mention a fault now, but I really think that Mr. Beatty ought to remember that the people in the upper gallery cannot fully see the back of the stage; so even if his wonderful gag backdrops get a large laugh from the lower two levels of the theatre, there is an entire third level of spectators that he excludes from the jokes because of he did not consider the sight lines. If this happened once or twice, I might have overlook such a problem, but such joke screens set off each major scene and leave the upper seats feeling somewhat gypped.

Still it is impossible to be resentful when we also have Mr. Ken Billington’s atmospheric lighting and Sound Designer Scott Lehrer efforts adding their own running gag to the evening by visually and audibly expressing – with some frequency – what true love means to Belle and Noble.

Mr. Paul Tazewell adds his own measure of deviltry in his costumes for LITTLE ME. They may echo the periods in which each scene is set, but they are never museum pieces – unless they need to be. Young Belle’s costumes alone are a skillful sartorial map of her advancement in the world and slyly remind us all to what her rise is attributed to.

It is a shame that this past Sunday evening was the final performance because as done at Encores! LITTLE ME clearly deserves further exposure. It is a solid, entertaining show that reminds us how wonderful it is to simply have a good time at the theater and walk out afterwards with a broad grin and a strong desire to buy the show’s album.

About the reviewer:
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

Cast & Credits

Book by Neil Simon
Lyrics by Carolyn Leigh
Music by Cy Coleman
Based on the novel Little Me: The Intimate Memoirs of that Great Star of Stage, Screen
and Television/Belle Poitrine, by Patrick Dennis
Directed by John Rando
Choreography by Joshua Bergasse
Starring Christian Borle, Robert Creighton, David Garrison, Harriet Harris, Judy Kaye, Lewis J. Stadlen, Lee Wilkof, Tony Yazbeck, and Rachel York

With Cameron Adams, Stanley Bahorek, Meggie Cansler, Gaelen Gilliland, Arlo Hill, Reed Kelly, Justin Keyes, Eloise Kropp, Josh Lamon, Jenny Laroche, Samantha Massell, Skye Mattox, Paul McGill, Jason Mills, Vivian Nixon, Lindsay O’Neil, Manuel Stark, Clay Thomson, Kathy Voytko, and Amos Wolff

Want More Encores!?

REVIEW: MURDER FOR TWO at NEW WORLD STAGE

Duet to the Death

A review of
MURDER FOR TWO
At NEW WORLD STAGE

January 11, 2014

MURDER FOR TWO is a cutely tongue-in-cheek musical parody of the classic murder mystery. Marcus, an up-and-coming police officer with a dark past is called to the scene of the crime. A well-known author has been killed and Marcus must deal with the throng of the victim’s loving relatives and friends all of whom have some sinister revelation and all of whom are portrayed by a second actor.

Therein lays the gimmick; the two man play with the cast of thousands!

This is a very self-referential operation that could easily collapse into an uncomfortable mess of rushing actors and weird impersonations – a party piece that goes on too long and wrongly. Happily the authors of MURDER FOR TWO, Messrs. Joe Kinosian and Kellen Blair know how to charge the show with enough irreverence that even apparent weaknesses contribute to the fun and the sometimes groaning laughter of the evening.

The prime driving forces that keep this sustained sketch romping merrily along are the stars Brett Ryback and Jeff Blumentkrantz.
As Marcus, the eager young hero, Mr. Ryback exudes a rampant gee-whiz enthusiasm that makes one wonder if there is a barn somewhere for this attractive young lawman to put on a show in. Of course, his barn is the very home in which this murder most foul has occurred. Mr. Ryback understands that charm and smugness have to be applied with care and he usually knows when to turn them off. Whenever he forgets to, there is always the wonderfully capricious Mr. Jeff Blumenkrantz, who can bring him to total exasperation with a shift of characterization. Indeed, Mr. Jeff Blumenkrantz not only hurls himself into all the other roles, from matron to fireman to small choir boy with a change of prop, voice or demeanor, but he also knows how to deploy each recognizable persona as a comic weapon, whether he is annoying Marcus as a garrulous doctor or refusing to shift into the appropriate suspect at Marcus’ bidding.

Additionally, both Messrs. Blumenkrantz and Ryback perform their songs with flair and abandon. This is considerable achievement when one considers that the two gentlemen form the orchestra as well, using the music as accompaniment, a dramatic device and a way to push each other’s buttons.

Our duo do not, however, take tickets or usher in the audience, though I am sure they would be more than a match for those tasks as well, but even in their current range of duties, they practically crowd the stage with characters to the delight of the audience.

The score of MURDER FOR TWO is pleasant enough. With music by Mr. Joe Kinosian and lyrics by Mr. Kellen Blair, there are enjoyable and funny pieces, but as is often the case these days, very little in the way of memorable tunes to take out of the theater. Then again that seems part and parcel of MURDER FOR TWO’s amusingly tossed-off atmosphere.

If the actors take honors for their diverting performances, it is due to Director Scott Schwartz that the show moves along in a rollicking way. This is a piece that might wilt under too much critical examination and Mr. Schwartz makes sure that the audience is not left alone for a moment to indulge in such a fatal activity. He ensures that the comedy is always there and that the one-upmanship between the two actors keeps us grinning even when things are at their silliest.

While the set might appear to be a bare stage with only the essentials, Mr. Beowulf Boritt has created an ingenious design that, through his props and Mr. Jason Lyons’ creative lighting, supply everything that is needed to create havoc at the old homestead.

Ms. Jill BC Du Boff also contributes mightily with well applied sound effects and recorded musical bits. Still with such a small theater, why did the cast need not only body mikes but external microphones? Are people in the production SO insecure about being audible?

On the other hand, Ms. Andrea Lauer’s costumes seemed like nice enough street clothes but as the show moves forward these garments provide their own plot points and humorous diversions.

In all MURDER FOR TWO is an enjoyable 90 minute comic juggling act that is very much time well wasted.

MURDER FOR TWO is currently playing at
New World Stages / Stage 5
340 West 50th Street
Between 8th and 9th Avenues
New York NY 10019
Running Time: 90 minutes, with no intermission

Tickets are currently on sale through March 16, 2014
Please call Telecharge at (212) 239-6200 or (800) 432-7250 for ticketing assistance.
More info at: http://murderfortwomusical.com/

About the reviewer:
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

PRESS RELEASE: 2014 NIGHTLIFE AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED!

2014 NIGHTLIFE AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED!
DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER, LAURA BENANTI, BEN ALLISON, GINA BRILLON
AMONG THOSE CITED FOR JAZZ, CABARET, AND COMEDY!

ALL-PERFORMANCE AWARD SHOW
TAKES PLACE MONDAY, JAN. 27 AT 7 PM
AT THE TOWN HALL

New York: The winners of the 12^th Annual Nightlife Awards have been announced. This unique awards event, in which the winners do not make acceptance speeches; they perform, instead, to show why they were chosen, will feature an all-star lineup, hand-picked by the press, of the most outstanding performers in jazz, cabaret, and comedy in New York City.

Leading the list of winners is this year’s choice for Nightlife Legend,
DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER!

Jazz winners include (in a tie) BEN ALLISON
and DARCY JAMES ARGUE for Outstanding Jazz Band,

GRETCHEN PARLATO for Outstanding Female Jazz Vocalist,
and WILLIAM BLAKE for Outstanding Male Jazz Vocalist.

In cabaret, LAURA BENANTI has been named Outstanding Major Cabaret Vocalist. The Outstanding Female Cabaret Vocalist is STACY SULLIVAN,
and Outstanding Male Cabaret Vocalist is LIAM FORDE.

In comedy, GINA BRILLON has been named Outstanding Female Standup Comedian and JIMMY FAILLA is the Outstanding Male Standup Comedian.

The 2014 NIGHTLIFE AWARDS will be hosted by 3X Emmy Award winner BRUCE VILANCH, and Special Guest Star Performers and/or Presenters that will include

JASON ROBERT BROWN, BILL IRWIN, NELLIE McKAY,
CAROLE J. BUFFORD, MAXINE LINEHAN, and more!

Tickets to the Nightlife Awards are:
$77 for Orchestra & Loge Boxes
$52 for Front Balcony
$27 for Rear Balcony

Tickets available via Ticketmaster at 800-982-2787
Or online at http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/03004B85E5A1A007

Also at the Town Hall Box Office:
123 W. 43^rd St. from noon to 6 PM every day but Sunday
You can call the box office at 212-840-2824

The Nightlife Awards is a SCOTT SIEGEL Production, sponsored, in part, by ASCAP, Berkshire Theatre Group, Jill & Irwin Cohen, Max Weintraub, Fran Norkin, Robert Aaron & Stuart Bloom: Lightstyles LLC, and more than 100 additional generous donors!

SPECIAL: Steve Cuden Interviews Randy Johnson “A Night with Janis Joplin” on Broadway

Broadwaykingdom.com was asked to film Steve Cuden (interviewed here) interviewing Randy Johnson about his amazing BioMusical “A Night with Janis Joplin”

We hope you enjoy it.

REVIEW: BECOMING DR. RUTH starring Debra Jo Rupp

The Doctor is in.

A review of

at the WestSide Theatre

With all the of persona-driven notoriety that fills the media, Mr. Mark St. Germain’s play BECOMING DR. RUTH is a refreshing reminder of how a celebrity can actually have a real background of work and achievement behind their fame. Indeed, the title character, Dr. Ruth Westheimer has lived and worked eventfully enough to provide for several life stories. This is a real surprise for those people who had perhaps giggled immaturely at Dr. Ruth’s sex advice show (hey, I was in high school and sex was ALWAYS something to snicker at) as well as the newer generations who may recall her quirky grammarian persona – Dr. Ruth “Wordheimer” – on Public Television

Mr. St. Germain’s funny and thoughtful script presents a very matter of fact lady who has seen it all: the rise of the Third Reich, the founding of Israel, student life in Postwar Paris and the challenges of being taken seriously in the academic world as a very petite woman. Fascinating as this all may be, BECOMING DR. RUTH could have easily become one woman-one note biographical lecture. Instead the playwright ingeniously frames the evening as a visit to Dr. Ruth’s apartment at a rather chaotic time in her life: we meet the good Doctor while she prepares to leave her home of thirty years. What with the calls from movers, agents and family and surrounded by boxes and items to be packed, Dr. Ruth is more than happy to be distracted by some company – even a theater full of people. Indeed, the media savvy Dr. Ruth is not above smashing the fourth wall if it will permit her to cut off an annoying phone call, make a point, or simply let her guests feel more at home.

A one person show can be a daunting task for an actor and Ms. Debra Jo Rupp brilliantly meets the challenges of BECOMING DR. RUTH. With never a moment’s respite, Ms. Rupp deftly goes from phone call to packing to recollection, never losing the audience while she spins out the thread of Dr. Ruth’s life touching on: the surprise marriage of her parents, the fears of escaping Nazi Germany on a Kindertransport, being a refugee in pre-Israel Palestine, trying to achieve a doctorate while seeking the right partner AND raising her children. Ms. Rupp truly becomes the survivor and adoring mother and wife who is still surprised that her desire to help people with sex education has led to such great media fame as “Dr. Ruth.” Yet even if Ms. Rupp shows the amazement and the often mischievous delight in the Doctor’s celebrity, she is also the little girl who still expects to return to the family she had lost. Dr. Ruth may not wear her heart on her sleeve, but you knowthat she feels deeply.

It would have been all too easy to fake a tuetonic caricature of Dr. Ruth’s famed accent, but under the dialect coaching of Mr. Stephen Gabis, I think that Ms. Rupp’s enunciation truly adds to the sense of “Ruthfulness” without any sense of parody or stereotype.

Ms. Rupp’s virtuosity also allows Ms. Jennifer Moeller to avoid the shortcut of heavy makeup and chic suit. Instead Ms. Moeller costumes the Doctor within what she probably wears in the confines of her own home: comfortable apparel, yet presentable enough should anyone drop in.

The excellent Ms. Julianne Boyd is the director of this tour-de-force. She truly understands the workings of Mr. St. Germain’s script on both an emotional and technical level and beautifully paces Ms. Rupp’s performance. Never is the fascinating Dr. Ruth anything but perfectly natural and believable even at the play’s more theatrical moments.

Scenic Designer Brian Prather has provided Dr. Ruth with a credibly home-like New York apartment living room that has been furnished with the items that are so essential in triggering each of Dr. Ruth’s memories. Additionally, Mr Daniel Brodie’s impressive projections and Mr. Scott Pinkney’s valuable lighting designs permit the apartment to most effectively assist Dr. Ruth while she entertains her rather large crowd of guests. Ms. Jessica Paz also ensures the intimacy of the visit with vocal levels and musical underscoring that are clear but never overwhelming: After all, in a New York apartment, Dr. Ruth would never risk annoying her neighbors by being too loud.

Not being very much interested in contemporary celebrity histories, I must confess that I did not enter the theater with the greatest of expectations, but minutes into the first act I was delighted and amazed to discover an incredible play that is full of sly humor, surprising laughs and heartfelt emotion. BECOMING DR. RUTH is not simply the story of a famous person, but truly a historical and inspirational life that is opened up for all to see and savor.

About the reviewer:
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

Becoming Dr. Ruth is playing through Jan. 12 at
the Westside Theater, 407 West 43rd Street, NY
Tickets by phoning (212) 239-6200, or at www.telecharge.com
www.becomingdrruth.com
Running time: 90 minutes (no intermission).

Follow the Show here:
@BecomingDrRuth! http://on.fb.me/18WFZLH @DJRupp @AskDrRuth
More about Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Westheimer

Editor’s Note:
I have also seen the show and cannot recommend it enough.
I laughed, I cried and I shared some life changing moments with Debra Jo Rupp as Dr. Ruth.
You will be amazed at how much life this larger than life figure has lived in her 85 years, and hear stories about her life, loves and fears that you never knew. It is truly a worthwhile evening of theater. I suggest you RUN to see it, and take the teens too.
Caution: There is some frank sexual terminology used.
-elli-

View a bit of the show here:

Grenade:Haganah EDIT.mp4 from Ryan Gielen (Believe, LTD) on Vimeo.

PRESS RELEASE: 25th Annual Kosherfest 2013 Encompasses Foods from Throughout the World

For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
Contact: V. Garfinkel. Andover Communications
201-947-4133; vickig@eclipse.net
Photo Library: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kosherfest

25th Annual Kosherfest 2013 Encompasses Foods from Throughout the World;
Kosher Culinary Competition Won by New Jersey Chef;
More than 6,500 Attended Trade Show

SECAUCUS, NJ – The recently completed 25th anniversary edition of Kosherfest, the annual trade show for the kosher food and beverage industry, drew more than 6,500 buyers and industry professionals to the two-day show at the Meadowlands Exposition Center, offering a case in point to just how far the kosher industry has grown in the last quarter century.

“The mark of any trade show is whether people are conducting business on the floor, and the sense from talking to exhibitors and buyers was that millions of dollars’ worth of business was transacted over these two days,” said Menachem Lubinsky, President of Lubicom Marketing Consulting, who co-produces the annual show with Diversified Business Communications, and was the founder of Kosherfest. “Over the years, we’ve come a long way from the traditional concept of kosher. Kosher today has truly become a worldwide phenomenon.”

This year’s show, which included a 28 percent increase in the number of attendees from just a year ago, shows the important role that major retailers play in the kosher market. Those in attendance included high volume kosher buyers from such companies as Jewel Osco, Whole Foods, Winn-Dixie, Kehe Foods, Walgreens, Walmart, Gourmet Glatt, and Evergreen.

Kosherfest 2013 featured 350 booths in a sold out exhibit hall, which included 275 exhibitors from throughout the United States, as well as Israel, Argentina, the UK, the Philippines, Brazil and Canada. Introduced for the first time were many new and creative kosher products, including Single Serve k Cup beverages in three flavors – chai tea, pareve cappuccino and hot chocolate, introduced by Corim Industries of Brick, New Jersey – the winner of “best in show” in this year’s New Products Competition.

The 6th Annual Culinary Competition, featuring an “iron chef-style” competition was won by Chef Casey Colaneri, the executive chef of Sushi Metsuyan Restaurant in Monsey, NY and Teaneck, NJ. Three leading chefs were given 30 minutes to cook one entrée from scratch using only a basket of mystery ingredients representing the kosher market over the last 25 year, and a limited pantry of basic staples. Colaneri received a cash prize of $1,000. The competition was produced in partnership with The Center for Kosher Culinary Arts of Brooklyn.

A number of kosher cookbook authors displayed their latest offerings in kosher cuisine. They included such well-known authors as Susie Fishbein, Joan Nathan, Esther Deutsch and Levana Kirschenbaum.

Industry statistics show that the current kosher customer is 40 and under, and looking for gourmet, upscale and healthy kosher products. According to various sources, the number of kosher consumers in the U.S. tops 12 million, and 21% of Americans who regularly or occasionally purchase kosher products do so because the items are kosher-certified. There are approximately 10,650 kosher producing companies and plants, and 200,000 kosher certified products. Forty percent of kosher sales occur on the eve of Passover, and the dollar value of kosher products produced in the USA is $305 billion.

While many of the exhibitors still featured traditional kosher foods such as pickles, pastrami and knishes, it was the gourmet and upscale features of products that attracted industry professionals from all over the globe.

“Who would have believed that kosher sushi would become a basic staple in restaurants, or that there would be a “fake” bacon sausage product, or for that matter that nearly 20% of the show would tout gluten-free products?” said Lubinsky, who moderated a panel consisting of author and consultant Joan Nathan; Albany Law School professor Timothy Lytton; and KeHE Distributors’ Jacob Rusanov; the panel discussed kosher’s journey over the years of transition, growth and opportunity. “There was somewhat of a vision back then that perhaps kosher could be more than a certification; that it would emerge as a cuisine. Incredibly, kosher has exceeded that level and is still rising.”

According to Bill Springer of Diversified Business Communications, “This year’s buyers were excited to see and taste the latest kosher products and see first-hand the trends taking place in the kosher marketplace. They couldn’t help but see the growing role that kosher certification plays in consumer buying.”

Next year Kosherfest will be held November 11-12, 2014 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center with new events, programs and seminars. Updates are available at www.kosherfest.com

Kosherfest is co-produced by Diversified Business Communications of Portland, ME (www.divbusiness.com) and LUBICOM (www.lubicom.com). Diversified Business Communications, based in Portland, Maine, provides information and market access through face-to-face events, magazine publishing, and online resources on four continents. Diversified serves a number of industries including: seafood, food service, natural and organic, commercial marine, and business management. Diversified operates divisions in Australia, Hong Kong, India, the UK and Canada. For more information, visit: www.divbusiness.com. Menachem Lubinsky is the chairman & CEO of LUBICOM Marketing Consulting, a strategic marketing firm that also markets kosher foods. He is the founder of Kosherfest and a prominent figure in the Orthodox Jewish Community.

PRESS RELEASE: The Inspired Word presents RAIN PRYOR in FRIED CHICKEN & LATKES – Nov 13 & 20

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, PLEASE

56 Seventh Ave. Suite 4E • New York, NY 10011
(212)366-4345/fax-(917)475-1835 • E-mail: MayaPRNY@aol.com
Contact: Penny M. Landau

presents

Wednesdays, November 13 & 30 @ 8pm

RAIN PRYOR stars in this effervescent solo show, which recounts her upbringing in a biracial household (her mother was Jewish) in Beverly Hills, Calif. Ms. Pryor, who sings & portrays a range of characters (including, poignantly, her father Richard in a spot-on impression), will appear in FRIED CHICKEN & LATKES for two performances only, Wednesdays, November 13 & 20 at 8pm. The show, presented by The Inspired Word, will be performed at The Café at Broadway.

RAIN PRYOR is an acclaimed director, actor, stand-up comedian, educator, speaker & mother. She made her television debut in 1989, as a series regular, T.J., on the hit ABC series “Head of the Class,” a character adapted from her own monologues at the request of ABC producers during her second audition. She starred for several years opposite Sherilyn Fenn & Lynn Redgrave, as Jackie, the lipstick lesbian drug addict on the Showtime series “Rude Awakening” & has additionally guest-starred on series such as “The Division” & “Chicago Hope.” She appeared numerous times on Johnny Carson & Jay Leno, as well as on “The Late Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” & with Tavis Smiley. Her stage credits include the title roles in the UK tour of The Billie Holiday Story & as Ella Fitzgerald in the UK premiere of Ella, Meet Marilyn, teamed up with award-winning UK soap actress, Sally Lyndsay. She’s performed in the Los Angeles production of Eve Ensler’s Vagina Monologues, with Nora Dunn of “Saturday Night Live” & Charlene Tilton; Cookin’ With Gas with the Groundlings improvisation troupe; The Exonerated with Aidan Quinn & The Who’s Tommy at the La Jolla Playhouse. Her memoir, Jokes My Father Never Taught Me: Life, Love, and Loss with Richard Pryor, will be re-released by Harper Collins in January.

What the critics say about Rain Pryor & Fried Chicken & Latkes…

“Make no mistake: Rain Pryor, the star of the autobiographical solo show Fried Chicken and Latkes, is not just defined by her father, the comedian Richard Pryor. There are many dimensions to this robust, ebullient performer, all evident in this trim production, which sails by in an effervescent 70 minutes. Her show is a parade of friends, relatives & tormentors, in which she also sings — with impressive power!”
New York Times

“Funny, energetic…Pryor provides plenty of laughs, along with poignant glimpses of what it was like to be a bi-racial child. The show is capped off by Pryor ably impersonating Billie Holiday while singing ‘God Bless the Child,’ an apt song for a woman who needed to figure out who she was & ‘get her own’ identity.”
Associated Press

DATES: Wednesdays, November 13 & 20 @ 8pm
PLACE: The Cafe at Broadway ~ 310-318 West 53^rd Street
TICKETS: $25 cover/1 drink minimum
RESERVATIONS: (212) 757-2323
https://friedchickenandlatkes.eventbrite.com/
www.rainpryor.com

SAVE THE DATES: Elli & Friends Return to the Stage for Chanukah!

Congratulations, #100,000!