JEWISH THEATER NEWS AND REVIEWS SECTION. SEPTEMBER 2005

By Maximillien de Lafayette, Editor-in-Chief of the World Jewish News Agency, Senior Art Critic of the International Herald Daily news http://www.internationalheralddailynews.org and World Art Celebrities Journal http://www.worldartcelebritiesjournal.com

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MAJOR ISRAELI AND JEWISH EVENT IN NEW YORK CITY

HEARING AND SEEING IS BELIEVING:

ISRAELI DEAF-BLIND THEATER GROUP PERFORMS AT LINCOLN CENTER

By David Prince

MAJOR ISRAELI AND JEWISH EVENT IN NEW YORK CITY

HEARING AND SEEING IS BELIEVING:

ISRAELI DEAF-BLIND THEATER GROUP PERFORMS AT LINCOLN CENTER...Read the full article In Internet format

StandWithUs.com & StandWithUsCampus.com "Unable to hear themselves, they sing to us. Unable to see us, they look in our direction and smile. Theirs is a smile of sadness, of determination, of helpless rage, and hope and love." (Amir Orion, Israeli Theater Critic)

Nalaga'at (Do Touch), the only professional deaf-blind theater group in the world, which is based in Israel, will join The 2005 New York Jewish Music & Heritage Festival this month. The group is scheduled to perform its signature production Light is heard in Zig-Zag on Thursday, September 15, 2005 at Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall, 33 West 60^th Street and Broadway, at 8:00 PM. Most of the twelve actors in Nalaga'at suffer from Usher Syndrome, a condition that starts with congenital deafness and degenerates into visual impairment or total blindness. These unique performers have lightened the darkness and silence of their lives, by creating a show based on their memories, dreams and fantasies.

Adina Tal, a director and actress, established Nalaga'at as a non-profit organziation in 2002. The production, hailed by Israeli press as "the most surprising hit of Israeli theatre" developed through a long process involving work on motion skills, sign language and improvisation. The play examines the dreams and hopes of the deaf-blind, which to Tal's surprise, are the dreams and hopes of ordinary people, including falling in love, earning a living and celebrating birthdays. The audience experiences these dreams through short, clip-like passages; some are funny and others sad, but all are moving. Tal, and her co-director, businessman Eran Gur, share a vision that has not only changed the course of their lives, but which has also sparked a kind of social revolution concerning the deaf-blind. "The actors teach audiences about the weakness of the human condition, but also about its strength and determination. Witnessing their hard-earned achievements forces us to question whether we have accomplished all that we can as able-bodied people. They are an inspiring example of triumph over adversity," Tal said

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Innovative Theater Troupe to Appear in NYC for Jewish Music and Heritage Festival.

Photo: Adina Tal.

On September 15th at 8:00 PM, an incredible troupe of 12 deaf-blind actors will take the stage at Lincoln Center/Rose Hall. Their performance showcases talent, imagination, and courage. Audiences will not only lose themselves in the riveting experience, but they will also be moved to tears by the overall vision this group brings to the stage and beyond. For these performers, their world is one of total silence and darkness -- and yet, they've come together under the guidance of a remarkable woman named Adina Tal to create a one-hour show titled Light is Heard in Zig Zag. The actors suffer from Usher Syndrome, which begins with congenital deafness and tunnel vision and develops over the years, progressively restricting the visual field until total blindness occurs. Without sight or hearing, these men and women rely solely on their sense of touch to communicate with one another: hence the name of their non-profit troupe, Nalaga'at, which means "Do Touch" in Hebrew. Adina Tal will be available for interviews beginning September 5th, and the rest of the group arrives on September 10th. Attached, you will find a press release about the performance and a PDF of the event flyer. Photography and DVDs are also available upon request. More information about the troupe can also be found at http://www.nalagaat.org.il/. Contact: Elizabeth Baxter or Liz Lane 212.845.4212 or 212.845.4236 elizabeth.baxter@eurorscg.com or liz.lane@eurorscg.com . To contact the group: info@nalagaat.org.il

Photo: Adina Tal's production.

First and Only Deaf-Blind Theater Troupe from Israel Makes Rare U.S. Appearance

A Theater Performance That Transcends Sight and Sound Will Inspire All To Believe In Their Dreams

How do you communicate with others when you live in a world of complete silence and darkness? You touch. On September 15, 2005, a Lincoln Center audience will experience the extraordinary world of 12 deaf-blind actors who comprise the Nalaga’at (Hebrew for “Do Touch”) Theater Troupe. Their richly emotional production of “Light is Heard in Zig Zag” has enchanted audiences since the first ground-breaking performance in 2003. Fresh off 10 sold-out shows in Switzerland, Nalaga’at is staging a rare U.S. appearance as part of the second annual New York Jewish Music and Heritage Festival. “Light is Heard in Zig Zag” has won acclaim as “the most surprising hit of Israeli theater” and “the most unique social breakthrough in the world.” Each actor is accompanied onstage by an interpreter, who helps with timing and costume changes and taps the actors’ knees to communicate applause. Audiences around the world have been moved to tears. The group met in a drama class, and founder and director Adina Tal “recognized the potential of the group and fell in love with the people.” The production was created through a long process involving work on motion skills and improvisation, allowing the actors to transcend their own limitations. In Israel today, there are more than 1,000 deaf-blind people who live in silence, darkness, and solitude. Most deaf-blind people suffer from Usher Syndrome, which begins with congenital deafness and tunnel vision that develops over the years, progressively restricting the visual field until total blindness takes over. The non-profit organization Nalaga’at, established in December 2002, has raised the curtain for 12 deaf-blind people, allowing them to enjoy the most basic of rights: to give. The 2005 New York Jewish Music and Heritage Festival offers Nalaga’at the unique opportunity to reach a broad audience – young, old, religious, unaffiliated – and will facilitate a shared connection through the universal language of music. The 2005 festival will run for 10 days and includes over 60 concerts in prestigious concert halls, venues, and synagogues.

Nalaga’at Organization Directors: Adina Tal: Born in Switzerland, Adina came to Israel at the age of 20 and for many years has been active in the world of theater as a director and actress. Adina sought a new path to break through human boundaries. Within just a few years she built, together with a group of deaf-blind people, the performance “Light is Heard in Zig Zag.” Since then, her life has changed. Eran Gur: An Israeli-born businessman with some 20 years experience in the security field in Israel and abroad, Eran was invited by Adina to one of the first performances and since then has not been idle. Eran decided to change the course of his life, sold his business, joined Adina, and together, they wove a shared vision.

The Vision of the Organization: To establish an experimental and entertainment Center in Israel, the first of its kind in the world, in which deaf-blind people will be employed in a theater and a restaurant. The Center will offer unique theater productions as well as fine dining in complete darkness. The Center will serve as a model that enables disabled people to function in society while at the same time operate as an entertainment center for the general public, as well as an educational center and experimental meeting place for youngsters together with creative deaf-blind, able to contribute to and become part of society.

About the Downtown Arts Development: Downtown Arts Development, Inc. (D.A.D.), a non-profit organization as recognized by the IRS 501c3, was created in the Fall of 2004 to produce the inaugural New York Jewish Music & Heritage Festival, as part of the 350^th anniversary celebration of the first Jews in America. The festival was a huge success reaching over one million people through strong media impressions and had 25,000 attendees during the 10-day event. This laid the groundwork for creating the organization’s purpose: to create, develop, and produce unique and compelling Jewish artistic programming that appeals to wide demographic audience. By leveraging the universal power of music, the organization is able to reach a large secular Jewish audience who might not otherwise recognize the artistic connection to Jewish culture. D.A.D.’s current strategy is to produce the New York Jewish Music & Heritage Festival and the Downtown Seder as annual events, along with a few ongoing music and art programs.

Details:

New York Jewish Music Festival: “Light is Heard in Zig Zag”. Date: September 15, 2005 at 8:00 PM. Location: Lincoln Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall. Tickets: Phone: Call 212.608.0555 for tickets.

Running time: 75 minutes. Stage production and directions: Adina Tal. Group Manager: Eran Gur. Producer: Michael Dorf. ose Theater: The Rose Theater is located on the 5^th floor of the Time Warner Center at Broadway and 60th Street. Information: The box office is located in The Shops at Columbus Circle inside the Broadway at 60^th Street entrance. Directions: By subway: Take the A, B, C, D, #1 or #9 trains to 59^th Street/Columbus Circle. By bus: The M5, M7, M10, M11 and M104 bus lines all stop within one block of Jazz at Lincoln Center.

Upcoming shows at the Bendheim Performing Arts Center, JCC of Mid-Westchester for September/October 2005

PICON PIE – THE MOLLY PICON MUSICAL. Off Broadway comes to Westchester! Direct from New York, the Bendheim presents a musical biography of Molly Picon, the First Lady of Yiddish Theatre and the Queen of Second Avenue. She brought Yiddish Theatre from the shtetls of Eastern Europe to Broadway, all the way to Hollywood where she was nominated for an Academy Award. Starring as Molly Picon is Tony Award Nominee June Gable who was last seen as Estelle, Joey’s chain-smoking agent on “Friends.” Schedule: Wednesday, September 21 @ 1pm. *Saturday, September 24 @ 8pm. Sunday,. September 25 @ 1pm & 5pm. Tickets: $40/$35 Seniors and JCC Members ; Saturday's performance $50*. *Saturday’s performance will include a Wine & Cheese Q&A with the writer Rose Leiman Goldemberg, author of the drama Letters Home and the film The Burning Bed, and actress June Gable. Pecan pie to be served! . Bendheim Box Office: 472-3300 x403. For more information see [ http://www.thebendheim.org ] www.thebendheim.org.

Getting to Know You - The Lyrics of Oscar Hammerstein. Wednesday, September 28, 2005, 1:00pm. Tickets: $23.00. With a career that spanned almost 50 years, Oscar Hammerstein II’s musicals are among the greatest in the history of the Broadway stage. This performance features pianist Mark Toback, violinist Sandra Schipior, singers Victoria Baker and Jonathan Hare, and narrator Karen Lynn Gorney.

Comedian Steve Solomon in The Man, The Music, The Mishugginah . Saturday, October 1, 2005, 8:00pm. Tickets: $38.00. Comedian, storyteller, pianist extraordinaire, Solomon has dazzled audiences all over Europe and the United States for over twenty years with his hilarious impersonations, crazy characters, astonishing dialects and sound effects.~This hysterical shtick is not to be missed!

An Evening with Livingston Taylor. Saturday, October 22, 2005, 8:00pm. Tickets: $38.00. A devoted fan base has celebrated singer-songwriter Livingston Taylor's career for over thirty years. His prolific writing and performing has produced twelve albums and about 100 songs, as well as propelled him into perpetual tours, solo and with the best of rock n’ roll legends including Linda Ronstadt, Jimmy Buffett, Fleetwood Mac, Jethro Tull and his brother James.

Steven Brinberg is Simply Barbra! Saturday, October 29, 2005, 8:00pm. Tickets: $35.00. Don’t miss a fantastic evening of comedy cabaret starring the premier Barbra Streisand impressionist, Steven Brinberg. Sold-out audiences all over the world have cheered his extraordinary voice, the song, the chit-chat and his incisive comic timing. Close your eyes and you will swear you’re listening to Barbra herself!

Introducing The Bendheim Junior Performance Troupe. This new acting troupe for children in grades 2-12 will be presenting ALADDIN on the Bendheim stage in December 2005. Rehearsals being in November. Open Auditions to be held at the Bendheim Theatre on: Thursday, October 6 from 6-8pm. Sunday, October 9 from 10am - 12pm. For more information, contact Debbi Katz at 472-3300 x302.

Rabin musical premieres in Tel Aviv

An inspirational way to remember and cherish the memory of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin came in a most refreshing way: "HE WHO DREAMED", a MUSICAL to be performed in November 2005 in Tel Aviv. The play rotates around the last 10 memorable years of the Israeli leader and world peace lover who was assassinated in 1995. Gila Almagor, one of the best Israeli artists will play Leah Rabin, while Oded Teomi will portray the late Rabin. It is an all stars production which includes the highly celebrated Israeli singer Shuly Natan. The musical is written and directed by Gadi Inbar, a Los Angeles bases playwright. Gila Almagor, one of Israel`s leading actresses, was born in Eretz Israel in 1939, four months after the death of her father, and grew up in various children`s institutions. She has been a professional actress since the age of 17. At age 25, Almagor went to study in New York. On her return two years later, she started performing in Israel`s top theaters.

Photo: Gila Almagor.

She has also appeared in leading roles in some 40 movies as well as in numerous television programs, and has hosted her own radio show for eight years. Gila Almagor has published four books for children. Her first book, Aviya`s Summer, has been translated into nine languages. The film based on the book received the Berlin Silver Bear Award (1989), the Golden Spike Award at the Spanish Valladolid Festival (1989), and was named Best Foreign Film at the 1989 San Remo Festival. In 2004, Almagor received the Israel Prize for Cinema. She is actively involved in voluntary work with children suffering from cancer.

Photos from L to R: #1 Shuly Natan. # 2 Shuly with first Lady Hilary Clinton.

Since she first electrified Israel with her heartfelt rendition of the then unknown song, Jerusalem of Gold, Shuly Nathan has sung of the hope and the pain of the nation. Ever since that historic performance in 1967, Shuly Nathan has performed for countless audiences, in Israel and worldwide. Her unique voice holds the listeners in its spell, and every performance turns into a spontaneous sing-along. A storyteller, she accompanies her songs with stories in Hebrew, English, French and Spanish. Shuly Nathan accompanies herself on the guitar, as she sings Israeli songs, folk songs from around the world, Hassidic and Yiddish songs and songs of the Oriental Jewish community. Her concerts last one and one-half hours. Her singing can also be incorporated into performances on a larger scale, for both personal and public events with a touch of gold. Shuly Nathan has lived in Israel since she was two years old, when she arrived here with her parents from her native London. Her childhood was an active pursuit of two passions - athletics and music. At age 16 she made the choice to concentrate on music, singing and playing the guitar. In the military, she was a soldier-teacher, bringing literacy skills to new immigrants. As she taught them to read and write in Hebrew, they taught her to sing in their native languages. During that period she also appeared on amateur radio programs. Songwriter and composer Naomi Shemer heard her singing, and asked Shuly Nathan to sing a song she had written "as a vignette," an addition to the Independence Day Song Contest in Jerusalem. The year was 1967, the song was Jerusalem of Gold. It is a song that has stood, stands, and will stand above all competition. At the time Shuly Nathan was still a soldier, and as she traveled along the war zone entertaining the troops with her singing, the song took on a life of its own, turning into a hymn, a prayer for peace. It was sung by worried civilians and by weary soldiers. It was the heartbeat of the nation. The population of Israel was then 2,500,000 - and 300,000 records were sold, a number unheard of in those days. Since then, Jerusalem of Gold has been translated into some forty languages. More songs followed. Part of the prevailing mood of the sixties was the reawakening interest in folksongs, and Shuly Nathan embraced this grassroots form. She collected folksongs as she traveled, and traveled as she sang her songs. She sang songs of Israel and of Jews from around the world, American and Irish folksongs, Hassidic and Ladino songs. Many of these songs are available on CDs. For a decade or so her singing voice was silenced by the clamor of her five children, but as they grew up, she returned to performing and recording. She has toured the United States and Canada, sung in many European cities, and in Australia Japan and South America.

THEATER: STAR OF THE YEAR

INTERVIEW WITH CINDY BENSON, STAR OF "LES MISERABLES"

Her talent shines brighter than the spotlights of the city of New York, the signs of Broadway and the 4^th of July fire work! And her presence on and off stage is larger than life… This is a superb super superstar! She acts, she sings, she dances, she teases, she mesmerizes, she makes you explode in laughter, she makes you cry, she steals the show and she triumphs! She is honored all over the world. Cindy is venerated like a Dream Diva on Broadway, in Paris, at the Sorbonne, on the Champs Elysees and in three quarter of all heavens… There are so many outstanding performers and artists in the world who steal the show, but there are few who steal our hearts, tears and joy and leave a perpetual impact on our psyche, the shadows of light in our eyes, the landscape of our imagination and our burning desires which die and resurrect in the eloquent silence of our wishes, dreams and childish fantasy. And Cindy is one of them. There are four things in life you should see and acknowledge before you drop dead: Venice, your past deeds, the face of your beloved ones and Cindy Benson on stage. The history of drama-melodrama and mime theater witnesses only three immortal geniuses: Two Frenchmen, Marcel Marceau and his teacher Leroux and one American: Cindy Benson. Only these three magicians gave dramatic-melodramatic mime its true human autonomy, the color of its psyche, its transparent vocabulary and philosophy. Leroux called it the “ Dramatic Corporal Mime”, but when you see Cindy on stage, you might decide to call it the ” Melodramatic Verita Humana Mime”. Cindy Benson mastered the secrets and techniques of the tragicomic, the theatrical structure, fabric and the codification of the form, the style and the spirit which transcends, defines and pervades melodrama. Cindy threw herself on stage, sized it up and ran away with it. What an artist and what a comic philosopher. To me, she is a fine cocktail of Bernard Shaw, Victor Hugo, Khalil Jebran, Edith Piaf and the last warm ray of a sun shining over the hills of our childhood and the intimate whisper of a wind telling the story of the first time we fell in love. Cindy is a romantic magician on stage. She brings dignity and warm tears to comedy…and laughter and joy to tragedy. In doing so, Cindy Benson prompts us to laugh at the mockery of destiny, and energizes in us the willingness of accepting the irrevocable with smiles, determination and a laisser faire attitude, for really, we do not know when Cindy is serious in a comedy or comical in a tragedy.

Her talent is overwhelming. Only one thing is mightier than destiny. THE THEATER! Because on stage, there are some performers who can change the entire course of your life, the way you look at your world and sense the place you occupy in the world of humans and Gods. Cindy gives you this sensation and while she is performing, your rare opportunity to grab the whole universe in your hand becomes reality. Theater is where the hidden and the known, the sacred and the damned, the real and the fantastic blend and confuse the hell out of us! And Cindy is good at that! For, this superb singer, dancer, actress and entertainer transcends us to a higher plane of fantasy and reality. She makes you feel good and lift you up to the highest state of ecstasy, high enough to fly and touch the face of God. Comedy was invented for her. Tragedy was created for her. Melodrama in her voice echoes the “tragic”, the “fatal” and the “enchanted”. This woman makes me think! This great woman trapped in a little body is a tempest, a pure theatrical magic. I had to interview Cindy, see and feel for myself how this delightful and superb artist thinks, reacts, shakes up life and throws over it a robe of one thousands rainbows of laughter, irony, smiles, soaring delight and magic.

CANDID INTERVIEW WITH CINDY BENSON

Q-Why tragic-comedia? Cindy: I'm an artist. It's all the same thing! If there isn’t a color of sadness in comedy, it's not real life. And vice-versa. My first formal training was as a mime, first in Boston, MA with, Kenyon Martin & The National Mime Theatre and then in New York with the Claude Kipnis Mime Theatre. With CKMT, the Company performed with major symphony orchestras around the USA, including a PBS Special with Arthur Fiedler & The Boston Pops. I’ve always been drawn to silent expression… both emotional & physical….funny or sad. I adore physical comedy. And to this very day, my mime has continued to be an extension of my performance on stage. Above all, I have to speak from the heart. I find the heart speaks through the eyes.

Q-You are a human drama and a storm on stage. Where this power comes from?

Cindy: Odd, isn't it. I call it a blessing and a curse at the same time. It’s a blessing, of course, because it’s exactly what I should be doing with my life. And it’s a curse because you have to make sacrifices. And I'll tell you a secret--I wouldn't change any of it! (Except of course, for my fee.) Q- Do you stick to the script or do you add and change as you go?

indy: I have a writer/director--David Man--who I've been lucky enough to work with for many years, first as my acting teacher (That's where I learned much of what I know about being truthful with my audience) and then building my show "OUT ON A WHIM." (He also produced my CD. Have you heard it yet? We're very proud of it!) So anyway, since this is my own personal, one woman show script, we can add & change as much as we want. If anything strange happens to either of us or we see something peculiar or funny or infuriating, it's likely to turn into a new piece for my show. As opposed to say, a Broadway show, like Cats or Les Miserables, you’re not allowed to change one word or musical beat in the script. However, there is some freedom to create & develop my characters, physically and emotionally.

Q- What was the best role you have ever played? Cindy: I have to say Agnes Gooch in Jerry Herman’s musical Mame. I finally got the chance to play Gooch for the first time this year, at the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, MA. I actually walked away with the show and got the most amazing review.

Q- And the worst role you accepted to play? Cindy: One day on a soap opera! Q- What do you fear most in life? Cindy: Being alone when I get old. But fortunately, I have a life partner. His name is Bill. We've been together for 9 years now, so he's not going anywhere! Q- What do you talk about in your songs? Cindy: Relationships, love, conflict, hope, faith in the human condition… Q- How well do you do that? Cindy: The best I can. Q- Have you ever written your own lyrics? Cindy: Nope. Q- Why not? Cindy: I have certainly contributed to the writing, but I'm not a lyricist.

Q- What success means to you?

Cindy: Making a living at my craft. And to have the comforts of a happy life.

Q -If you were not a star today, what would you be doing today?

Cindy: In some people’s eyes, I guess I’m considered a star. But I think of myself like everyone else. If I wasn’t pursuing my career as an artist, I would probably work for some humanities group. I think everything I do is about human contact.

Q- While you are performing, do you look at the faces in your audience?

Cindy: Oh yes! If I’m doing my one woman show “Out On A Whim”, it’s so important to connect with the audience. Having that eye contact feeds my performance. If the script or song allows me to make eye contact with the audience than by all means I will. Some scripts are written where there is a fourth wall and so you don't relate directly to the audience. You reach them because they relate to your predicament, your issues.

Q- Which face attracts you most? Faces that catch your attention?

Cindy: Those that make eye contact with me of course and the faces that are connecting with what I’m saying or doing and are right there with me.

Q- And then, what you do?

Cindy: I go for it! It propels me further into the work.

Q- Who approaches you more frequently? Who express more admiration toward you, men or women?

Cindy: I think it's equal. Both men & women.

Q- Why is that?

Cindy: I think the characters and the issues in my show are universal. It's about people, how foolish and how beautiful we all can be. So I think the appeal is shared by both.

Q- Who is your best audience?

Cindy: I find gay audiences to be the absolute best!

Q-Why? Cindy: A lot of what I do is about triumphing over adversity. They just really seem to get me.

Q- What are your best qualities as an artist? Cindy: My sensibilities, my singing voice, my physical comedy, my truth. I seem to connect with audiences, make them laugh and cry.

Q- And as a woman?

Cindy: My sensibilities. And oh yes, I have an extremely nice fibula.

Q- Have you ever had any unpleasant experience on stage? Tell me about.

Cindy: On Broadway, I was playing the 200lb. tap dancing Gumbie Cat, Jennyanydots in Cats and in the middle of my big tap dancing number I broke my foot. I managed to get through the number and hobble off stage and then had to hobble right back on for the next scene. I finally hopped off on one foot and was out of the show for 2 months with a cast on my foot. Plus in my show “Out On A Whim” I had a drunk named Dale in the audience. He kept commenting on everything I was doing and rooting me on. He meant well, but …

Q- How did you deal with it?

Cindy: I squashed him.

Q- Any advice to all those aspiring artists who need a break? Cindy: Patience, patience, patience. It ain’t gonna happen over night. First of all, you need to believe in yourself, then you need to be committed and totally dedicated. And never stop working on your craft!!!!

Q- What they should do when they are rejected?

Cindy: Easy to say but, “don’t take it personally”. It's the arena we've chosen to be in. Make the best of it.

Q- In your opinion, what are the 3 most important qualities in an artist?

Cindy: Talent, skill (talent and skill are two different things, you know.) and enthusiasm.

Q- And the 3 most important strengths?

Cindy: Flexibility, persistence, a sense of humor

Q- Your favorite foreign singers?

Cindy: Vera Lynn, Julliette Greco, Amalia Rodriguez, Piaf, Ute Lemper, Carlo Buti, Aznavour.

Q- And your American favorite torch singers? Cindy: Helen Morgan, Libby Holman, Billie Holiday, Gogi Grant.

Q- Your favorite American stage performers, men and women?

Cindy: Faith Prince, Nathan Lane, Lily Tomlin, Bill Irwin, Kevin Kline, Julie Harris.

Q- Do you get mad sometimes?

Cindy: Yup.

Q- What makes you mad?

Cindy: People who don't keep their agreements. When I'm told what a situation will be and then that's not what it is at all and see I've simply been manipulated. When people expect me to conform to their way of thinking and it’s not my way at all. Dishonesty. Bullshit.

Q- And do you make people mad at You?

Cindy: Sometimes. I tend to try to balance a situation as best as I can. I hate confrontations. But sometimes they are unavoidable.

Q- You have a new CD now. Why so late?

Cindy: As stated earlier, I do have a new CD. You should buy it! Then you can tell me if it was worth the wait!

Q- Do you live your life on stage or do you live your theater character in real life?

Cindy: I certainly don’t live my theatre character in real life. When I’m on stage, I get to be everything I am in real life that people never see. It’s almost like therapy in a way. It’s a wonderful release. Things that you would carry deep inside you in real life, you get to use on stage. It’s cathartic. Like an enema, only better.

Q- What is the difference?

Cindy: Total freedom! Onstage, I’m all the things I am in real life, only a lot more so.

Q- Cindy, why theater is so important to you? Cindy: I get a chance to share myself with people. I see that sometimes I actually make a difference in other people’s lives. I can help people get in touch with their feelings…happy and sad and crazy.

Q- Do you get along all the time with producers and directors?

Cindy: For the most part. When a director is asking me for something and I don’t agree, we’ll talk about it and try to arrive at a point where we’re both happy. Maybe.

Q- If you had to relive your life, what kind of life you wish to create, remember or forget about?

Cindy: If had to relive my life, I wish it wouldn’t take so long to gain the wisdom and inner knowledge that I've finally found. It took all my life to grow and to get where I am now as a human being. It was a struggle sometimes. We make foolish mistakes because we don’t have the wisdom to make the right choices. But in spite of everything, I can’t say I have any regrets. NON, JE NE REGRETTE RIEN! And NOW, you know who Cindy Benson Benson IS ! Yup, on stage, she is all things she is in real life, only a lot more so…

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OUTSIDE THE JEWISH WORLD

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People, countries, extravaganza, events, news, ideas, arts, entertainment, music, stars, celebrities, books, oddities, interviews, in-depth articles, gossips, culture.

TABLE OF CONTENTS OF "OUTSIDE THE JEWISH WORLD. SEPTEMBER 2005"

HAVE YOU READ LATELY" FANCY LIVING MAGAZINE"?

PUBLISHED BY THE WORLD JEWISH NEWS AGENCY.

FANCY LIVING

TÊTE-À-TÊTE WITH DR. ILIL ARBEL, AUTHOR OF "THE LEMON TREE"

AMERICA'S 100 GREATEST & MOST FAMOUS JEWISH WOMEN

THE WORLD'S 25 BEST HOTELS

ARLENE PECK ON THE SOPHISTICATED LIFE OF THE RICH AND THE FAMOUS

IDIOT'S ULTIMATE GUIDE TO ETIQUETTE & GENTLEMAN SHIP. THE DOS AND DON'TS IN DINING WITH A JEWISH PRINCESS. BY MAXIMILLIEN de LAFAYETTE

TIPS FOR DEALING AND SOCIALIZING WITH FOREIGNERS, IRANIANS, GREEKS, JAPANESE, FRENCH, ITALIANS, LEBANESE, MUSLIMS AND ARABS.

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RATING: 5 STARS OUT OF FIVE. TWO THUMBS UP!

Imagine the world of Jewish theater and arts without Modi Sandak's All About Jewish Theatre website! Such a world would not be complete, nor meaningful. In December 2001, thirty Jewish theatre Directors and academics from around the world met in Tel Aviv at a conference "Towards a Vibrant and Coherent Theatre of the Jewish People," hosted by the Jewish Agency's People to People center.

Photo: Modi Sandak, the genius, the patron of the arts and founder and driving force of "All About Jewish Theater".

They concluded with the decision to establish a Jewish Theatre Network on the Web. Pursuant to the conference, the Jewish Agency asked Modi Sandak to plan and design the Jewish World Theatre Website, to be based on his own initiative and ten years of research in Jewish theatre, rare collection of plays and professional articles, connections with leading libraries and databases around the world, and three years of accumulated research in Internet information technology together with European R&D institutions. Sandak's website is especially designed to provide a unifying environment that brings together all available information about the international world of Jewish Theatre and performing arts expertly linked, displayed and easily accessible to anyone. All About Jewish Theatre provides comprehensive and targeted coverage of the international community of Jewish Theatre and is the leading source of industry news in the world. Tens of thousands of professionals, educators, students and enthusiasts stay in touch with All About Jewish Theatre to get the facts, figures & dates of what, when, where and how coverage that they haven't been able to get till now anywhere else. Through All About Jewish Theatre, people worldwide, now have a single source for a vast array of information pertaining to all facets of the Jewish Theater manufacturers to consumers. Modi Sandak told the World Jewish News Agency: " We put the production & research capabilities of The World Jewish Theatre at your fingertips. And our objectives are to provide an easy to use platform for intercultural dialogue between Jewish Communities worldwide and the State of Israel through artistic exploration via the Internet. As well as an interactive network for professionals in The Performing Arts."

"All About Jewish Theatre" Is An International Treasure. A Monumental Accomplishment!

"ALL ABOUT JEWISH THEATER" is an international gem, and a rare treasure. It is abundant with needed information, news, in-depth articles, essays, photos, events calendar, historical biographies, and an international chronicle of Jewish theater and performing arts around the globe. In addition, it covers one million rainbows, aspects and subjects of Jewish culture, heritage, theater development, various Jewish theater genres, including Purimshpil, fists and celebrations-The Meaning of Jewish Holidays within the Cycle of Times, Yiddish Theatre, Holocaust Theatre: Theatre in Camps and Ghettos and ongoing post- Holocaust productions and research projects, Biblical Plays & Opera, Jewish Rituals and Sacred Theatre, Jewish Theatre in Arab Countries, Glodfaden and The American Musicals and Revues, The Renaissance of Hebrew Theatre in The State of Israel. In addition to 45 columns, more than 3000 professional articles and 1000 items in their Resource Center gathering zillions of books, magazines, films, plays, in-depth articles, weblinks and online solo performance catalogue. In short, "ALL ABOUT JEWISH THEATER" is an Internet Encyclopedia of the cosmos of Jewish theater!

The website was carefully and magnificently designed to meet the needs of the theater community, including f Theatre Directors, Playwrights, Actors, Composers, Stage Designers and Architects, Events and Festivals Producers, Professionals from Museums, Libraries & Archives, Historians and Researchers, Cultural heritage Experts , Jewish communities Worldwide, Suppliers and the Media.

AMAZING FEATURES AND PUBLIC SERVICES TO WORLD ART COMMUNITIES

"ALL ABOUT JEWISH THEATER" is more than a website. It is a cosmic library on Jewish showbiz and entertainment. Among the most amazing features of the website are the sections on Grants and Sponsorships. "If your goal is additional funding for a new production, or backing to develop a new play, or a grant or commercial sponsorship for your next festival, then this is the place to find the information you need. If you represent a fund or a corporation interested in sponsoring a theatre festival or other prestigious event, then this is the place to receive international exposure and check out a variety of candidates from around the world who may fit your requirements. ", stated Sandak. Equally fascinating is the section on Competitions and Festivals. The following statement of All About Jewish Theater is self-explanatory: "If you wish to put your latest production in front of a new audience, or to market it in additional areas or countries, then this is the place to find a spectrum of information about upcoming festivals and various competitions that are looking for new ensembles, productions, and troupes. If you are a festival organizer seeking additional productions to fill out your program, or if you are manager/producer of an international competition offering a prize for a new play, then this is the place to publicize your search and receive wide international exposure. ""All About Jewish Theatre" is the World's Best Jewish Theater, Art And Culture Website. RATING: 5 STARS OUT OF FIVE. TWO THUMBS UP!

MAGAZINES PUBLISHED BY THE WORLD JEWISH NEWS AGENCY

CLICK HERE TO REVIEW THE MONTHLY MAGAZINES PUBLISHED BY THE WORLD JEWISH NEWS AGENCIES AND AVAILABLE ONLINE, ON THIS SITE FREE OF CHARGE.

Judaism Equals Theater…

By Tuvia Tenenbom

Photo: Tuvia Tenenbom.

By Judaism’s own definition, Judaism is not a race but a culture. A closer look at this culture will reveal a Theatrical Concept--i.e. a system of ideas, stories and imageries cleverly intertwined to create magical reality…To many people the assertion that “Judaism is a Theatrical Concept” would sound blasphemous or, in the least, pretty bizarre. But the truth is that Judaism shares, conceptually, more with Theater than with anything else. To illustrate this point, let’s first compare Judaism with its two monotheistic sisters/daughters, Christianity and Islam. While the New Testament and the Koran contain chapters-long glorifications of their founders, the Jewish Bible and Talmud tell innumerable stories of the wrongdoing of those in authority. Jealous leaders, oversexed kings, corrupt priests--and just plain old murderers and rapists. It almost seems that in Jewish culture leaders are made for the sole purpose of recording their misdeeds. That includes, interestingly enough, God himself. Jewish theology is filled to the brim with mutual recriminations between God and his ‘Chosen People.’ Just check your Bible… You may ask: If leaders are ridiculed, how will the flock hold together? Well, here comes the concept of Judaism Equals Theater…

Judaism, a culture that delights in contradictions, is a theology that preaches its members to think for themselves. What the Jewish ‘Written Word’ does is merely provide a compass by which one can “finagle” his way in that mysterious maze called Life. To make sure nobody fucks this up and crowns himself a leader one shiny morning, the flame keepers of Jewish thought, those famed Talmudic rabbis, instituted the axiom that every opinion has an equally valid opposite opinion. And just like theater, where characters won’t stay long enough to answer the audience questions, Jews don’t have leaders who will satisfactorily answer their questioning. After all, how can you accept a leader’s verdict when his chief opponent is equally right? But, you might keep asking, if nobody leads the way, how will the flock move? To keep those of us who lack basic sense of directions from ever getting lost, Judaism came up with a perfect leader. His name is Messiah, a.k.a. ‘The Messiah that Never Arrives.’ That Messiah is somewhere out there, but he’ll evaporate in front of your eyes the moment he steps in front of you (try to imagine for a moment Messiah’s arrival in Israel; there won’t be two Jews alive who will accept his authority…). And if you ever wonder, What will I do with a Messiah that never arrives?, think of theater. In theater we have a similar personality; his name is Mr. Character. He’s on the stage, your Character, but he’ll die the second he crosses the Fourth Wall. He can effectively engage you from afar, but let him get near and you’ll lose any interest in him. Just like our Mr. Messiah. Messiah or not, Judaism and Theater share one creature in common, call him the Metaphor. Theatrical Characters and Jewish Law have nothing to do with reality, but the Metaphor created by both reigns supreme; hence their infinite power.

If Judaism equals Theater, what is Jewish Theater ?

For Jewish Theater to exist as such, it must take its cues from ancient Jewish texts. And that includes the notions that no idea should be foreign to such a theater, no question be silenced in it, and no answer ever supplied by it. The life of the theatrical, much like the life of the Jew, is best lived when it’s shrouded by the glory of the unknown and lit by the excitement of the ever-lasting Question Mark. This approach, so clearly alluded to in countless Jewish texts, has never materialized in the world of the so-called “Jewish theater” in America--with the noted exception of this theater. All too often American-Jewish theater presents a nonsensical glorification of the past, coupled with a suffocating absence of self-criticism. In Fiddler on the Roof, a musical that’s shaped the style of the American-Jewish theater for generations, a man suffering devastating poverty and brutally expelled from his country responds to his plight by blessing, singing and dancing. This portrait of Judaism, perpetual schlimazels who answer disaster with song and dance, has so influenced American Jews that to many of them Fiddler IS Judaism. Ask them for anything Jewish, and they will open in a song from Fiddler…For the Jewish Theater of New York, a company of artists who believe in challenges, making Jewish theater means presenting theatrical works that dare to ask, to challenge, to explore and, just like the great thinkers of Biblical times, wash our dirty laundry on the public stage when such laundry exists. Quite simply, we make it a point not to abide by any Stop sign. When we present a character on the stage, be it a Rightist or a Leftist, we’ll present him or her from their point-of-view--without judging. When, at times, we think it necessary to present nudity on the stage, we’ll do it fully and aplenty. When the Arab-Israeli conflict reaches new highs, we’ll get to the bottom of it. When we discover authentic journals of Jewish leaders from the Nazi period that have been kept secret by the powers that be for over sixty years, we make them public at once. When we come upon the story of the assassination of a gay rabbi by fellow Jews, we put the story on our stage with no hesitation. When passionate love letters to Adolf Hitler, written by countless European women, come our way--we put them on our stage despite alarming threats to our theater. When we notice black nannies pushing baby-carriages with white Jewish babies inside on the streets of New York, we make a musical of it. When we wake up in the morning and see Ms. Madonna teaching Judaism to the masses, and realize how religion is being marketed in our day and time, we make a play about it…a Mystical Comedy on the Nature of Religion…Very proudly, no subject or issue is foreign to us: be it the stereotyped JAP or the secretive Suicide Bomber, the common European or the reclusive American, Jewish racists and Jewish self-haters, virgins and pimps, lovers and foes, the righteous and the obnoxious---and anyone in between who’s got a good story to tell. If you ever wondered about the “Jewish” in The Jewish Theater of New York, now you know.

THEATER OF THE MONTH

The Jewish Theater of New York: A major presence and a vibrant jewel of Jewish arts, heritage and performing arts. A world-class establishment and monumental accomplishment at many levels.

Now celebrating its twelfth year, and continuously presenting original work in New York, The Jewish Theater of New York (JTNY) is the only English-speaking Jewish theater company in the tri-state area. The JTNY’s productions have been translated into German, French, Hungarian, Italian and Polish, and successfully presented in the Artheater in Köln, Hamburger Kammerspiele in Germany, the Jewish Theater in Hamburg, and Theatre de Poche in Brussels, Belgium. The Mission of the JTN is to offer thought-provoking, different Jewish voice by presenting high-quality shows, plays and musicals about Jewish culture, identity and history; expose, confront and fight anti-Semitism in the US and abroad and to explore the question whether Judaism is a race, religion, or merely a system of thought. JTNY enjoys international recognition. Le Monde, the venerated French newspaper, declared The Jewish Theater of New York, “A new form of Jewish theater.” Die Zeit, the prestigious German paper, characterized one of our productions as “The best show in America.” Corriere della Sera, Italy’s most important daily paper: “Triumph of theater-making.” And the Swiss newspaper, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, asserted that our theater “does the impossible.” The American critics happily joined their overseas colleagues in writing excellent reviews of our productions. The New York Times: “Irresistibly fascinating, emotionally explosive, seductive and engaging.” The Village Voice: “A company of integrity, inquiry, and chutzpah,” The Jewish Week: “A brilliant theater, proudly, non-neurotically Jewish.” NPR: “A very courageous theater, breaking all taboos.” And the critic for Amsterdam News wrote: “The Most unique theatrical experience I’ve had.”

The Multiple Facets of the JTNY

Although the JTNY is truly a Jewish theater company, informal audience research clearly indicates that its reach is far beyond a Jewish audience. The Jewish Theater of New York does not shy away from hard and controversial topics, indeed it welcomes them. In fact, in the twelve years of their existence they have created, produced and performed 12 original plays. And some of the issues tackled by this theater are for instance: The Middle East peace process from the point of view of mainstream Jews and Muslims, and also from its two extremes of society: Arab suicide bombers and Jewish settlers; German women’s admiration of Hitler during the Third Reich (based on love letters mailed to Hitler from 1938-1945, all found in the Reich Chancellery in 1945 and acquired by the JTNY in 1996); The relations between blacks & Jews in present-day NYC; The true and hereto untold story of the assassination of a gay ultra-Orthodox rabbi, Jacob Israel De Haan, who opposed the establishment of the State of Israel; An in-depth self-portrait examination of American Jews in our time; Islamic, Jewish and Christian theologies as they are examined in the psychologically changed atmospheres of the Post 9/11 USA; The new generation of “Kabbalists” in the USA and Israel; Racist attitudes in the Middle East, both in Palestinian & Israeli societies; The perception of the “Jew” in Modern Day Europe and the resurgent anti-Semitic attitudes in some European countries. Their most recent productions are: Kabbalah and The Last Jew In Europe. Literally ripped out of the headlines, Kabbalah deals with the involvement of major entertainers and pop stars, such as Madonna, Demi Moore and Donna Karen, in the mystical element of Judaism, known as “Kabbalah.” The Last Jew of Europe deals with a young Polish Jew who won’t divulge his Jewish identity to his Catholic bride on their wedding night, for fear that she would change her mind at the last minute…

The Jewish Theater of New York’s 2005/6 Season

The Jewish Theater of New York announces the World Premiere of Kabbalah, a Mystical Comedy on the Nature of Faith, as part of the 2005/6 Season, to open on November 15, 2005 at the Triad Theatre, 158 W. 72 St., NYC. In a time when so many turn into ardent followers of Kabbalah (half a million “actively engaged” in Israel alone, according to Israeli TV), The Jewish Theater of New York is proud to announce the World Premiere of Kabbalah, a Mystical Comedy on the Nature of Faith. Written by Tuvia Tenenbom -- from the family of the famed Polish Kabbalist, der Radziner Rebbe -- Kabbalah examines the claim made by present-day Kabbalists that Kabbalah is a ‘cure-all’ system of belief/behavior.

Set in the Mt. of Olives Cemetery in Jerusalem where, according to tradition, Messiah ben David will resurrect the dead at End of Days, Kabbalah features ‘real-life’ characters of contemporary Kabbalah. They include: The leader of Yeshivat H’Shalom, Israeli Kabbalist David Batsri; American Pop Star, Madonna; the leader of Kabbalah Centre, American Kabbalist P.S. Berg; and the ‘Wandering Soul’ of Hamas founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, as envisioned by Kabbalists. During the one-hour, forty-minute of Kabbalah’s performance, these characters -- working hard to undo each other -- find the exact formula to reinstate Immortality to humans and “Mend the Original Sin.” In spite of the fact that Kabbalah is a ‘farce’ in theatrical terms, Kabbalah intentionally uses authentic Kabbalistic rituals as practiced by believers for the past 2,000 years. Kabbalah, the last in Tenenbom’s trilogy of the “Mt. of Olives” Plays (following the immensely popular One Hundred Gates and the internationally-acclaimed Father of the Angels), is recommended for adults of any religion and/or persuasion, but is not suited for theatergoers under 17.

The Jewish Theater of New York is located at 5 Penn Plaza, #B-53, NYC 10001. Mail: P.O.B. 845, Times Square Station; NY, NY 10108.

REVIEWS New Plays

Ponzi Man: A triumph for the cast , Gary Morgenstein and director Emily Tetzlaff

At The Connelly Theater. New York International Fringe Festival

The entire cast of “Ponzi Man.” Pictured (clockwise from left) are: Jane Purcell Dashow, Steven Savona, Maureen Wallace, Ken Dashow, Ralph Cole Jr., Michael Janove and Ruth Jaffe.

On Saturday 13, August 2005, Emily Tetzlaff at The Connelly Theater, triumphed as a most creative and innovative director. And her sparkling talent shined brighter than the whole damned lights of Times Square. Despite the very low budget production, mama and papa old and cheap furniture set and props, amateurish decor, poor quality lighting, limited resources and tough script material to work with, Tetzlaff made magic that afternoon. Under the umbrella of the New York International Fringe Festival, "Ponzi Man" a play written by Gary Morgenstein, premiered at The Connelly Theater. The play was described by the the author and - probably- by the theater management as well, as a play that explores the explosive issue of white collar crime and its life-altering effects on an upper-class Jewish family in New Jersey.

I saw it differently. "Ponzi Man" is a human chronicle of a dysfunctional Jewish family. A melodramatic depiction of members of a family which consisted of a son who is a wheeler-dealer, a crook who ripped off Mr. A and Mr. B and continued to do so until the authorities learned about his schemes and sent him to jail; a daughter without formal education, degree or any learning experience who became a porno actress; a son-in-law who lost his job, a paranoiac father; a confused but well alert "Jewish Mother", etc...The play has no plots or suspense sequence. Its main strength is derived from the warmth and weakness of the people portrayed on stage. Usually, such a theatrical script is tough to work with, especially, when the set never changes, the curtains never go up or down, the lighting design is minimal, absolute absence of any theatrical effects, musical accompaniment, wardrobe variety, et al. But despite these impoverished theatrical resources and means, Morgenstein as a playwright, Tetzlaff as a director and the cast offered New Yorkers one of the best plays of the season. It is obvious that Tetzlaff is a world-class director.

Playwright Gary Morgenstein, author of "Ponzi Man" excelled in depicting the human melodrama of people we identify with, cherish and wonder about. "Ponzi Man" deserves the respect of the theatre community.

Usually on stage, whether it is a baroque, Rococo, Guy de Maupassant or Charles Dickens genre, A Giuseppe Verdi opera or a Vaudeville burlesque, actors and actresses exit the stage when their lines come to an end, -except of course- if they are part of the scenery as frequently seen in Le Marriage du Figaro, Carmen, Aida, ad infinitum. But in "Ponzi Man", Tetzlaff created an unprecedented COUP DE THEATRE, a stroke of genius: She kept her actors and actresses on stage even after they "had nothing to say". She kept them very cleverly in a "strategically and dramatically" positioned corners of the stage, to add more drama, deeper human substance and human-ecological-psychological effects. And that was brilliant. She kept them on purpose to clutter each other, and in an eloquently dramatic silence, their mute presence on stage deepened the melodrama of their very existence. This was what the pioneers of La Comedie Française and Scalla di Milano call "Un Coup De Maitre", meaning "The Genial Stroke of a Master or a Genius". And Tetzlaff is this kind of a master and a genius.

Jane Purcell Dashow (Alicia Rosen) was superb, magnificent. She gave the performance of her life. Two thumbs up.

Ruth Jaffe (Hillary Rosen, the good Jewish Mother) dominated the stage and took the audience by storm. She delivered a first class performance distinguished by a flair of majestic artistic simplicity and human warmth. Ken Dashow's great talent was obvious. He was convincing, solid, natural and "real". He brought to the stage the inner and deeper colors of the human psyche, struggles and hopes that nourishe the human fabric. His performance is almost perfect. Ralph Cole, Jr. (Richard) stole the show. He was a sweet, funny and tender theatrical explosion; First class. Marlene Wallace had a strong stage presence. She displayed a multidimensional talent blended with vigor, substance and intelligence. Her performance added effervescence, vitality, realism and depth to the mechanism of the play.

Go see "Ponzi Man". You will enjoy it. Four stars out of five. One of the best plays of the seasons.