Film historians, critics and cineastes have heralded 1939 as the greatest year for Hollywood films. It was the year that saw the release of such classics as “Gone with the Wind,” “Stagecoach,” “Love Affair,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “Young Mr. Lincoln” and “Wuthering Heights.” That’s just the tip of the iceberg
But what about Broadway? A case can be made for 1964, which saw the debuts of three musicals that became classics: “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Funny Girl” and “Hello, Dolly!”
Broadway was changing in the 1960s. Oscar Hammerstein II died in 1960; Irving Berlin’s last show was the disappointing 1962 “Mr. President”; and Cole Porter, who died in 1964, hadn’t had a musical on Broadway since the 1950s. Sixty years ago, a group of young talented composers and lyricists were the toast of the Great White Way.
Like Jerry Herman. He was all of 30 when “Milk...
But what about Broadway? A case can be made for 1964, which saw the debuts of three musicals that became classics: “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Funny Girl” and “Hello, Dolly!”
Broadway was changing in the 1960s. Oscar Hammerstein II died in 1960; Irving Berlin’s last show was the disappointing 1962 “Mr. President”; and Cole Porter, who died in 1964, hadn’t had a musical on Broadway since the 1950s. Sixty years ago, a group of young talented composers and lyricists were the toast of the Great White Way.
Like Jerry Herman. He was all of 30 when “Milk...
- 2/1/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Ruth Seymour, the longtime leader of Santa Monica-based public radio station Kcrw died Friday, station president Jennifer Ferro confirmed to Deadline. She was 88.
Seymour was at the from station 1977 to 2010. In that time she transformed it from a quality radio outlet run out of a junior high school classroom to one of the most influential NPR stations in the country produced in a state of the art studio at Santa Monica College.
Seymour initially came on as a consultant and became General Manager in 1978. Her ascension to a management role roughly coincided with the station moving to a powerful new transmitter, which greatly expanded its reach.
At about the same time, National Public Radio launched Morning Edition. Seymour decided to make a morning block of the 2-hour show, running it three times 3 a.m. to 9 a.m. The move helped Kcrw become a mainstay in many Angelenos’ lives.
“That way...
Seymour was at the from station 1977 to 2010. In that time she transformed it from a quality radio outlet run out of a junior high school classroom to one of the most influential NPR stations in the country produced in a state of the art studio at Santa Monica College.
Seymour initially came on as a consultant and became General Manager in 1978. Her ascension to a management role roughly coincided with the station moving to a powerful new transmitter, which greatly expanded its reach.
At about the same time, National Public Radio launched Morning Edition. Seymour decided to make a morning block of the 2-hour show, running it three times 3 a.m. to 9 a.m. The move helped Kcrw become a mainstay in many Angelenos’ lives.
“That way...
- 12/22/2023
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Sheldon Harnick, the nimble lyricist who partnered with composer Jerry Bock to create the songs for some of Broadway’s greatest musicals, including Fiddler on the Roof, Fiorello! and She Loves Me, has died Friday. He was 99.
Harnick died of natural causes at his apartment overlooking Central Park on the Upper West Side, spokesperson Sean Katz told The Hollywood Reporter.
Harnick, who credited actress Charlotte Rae for inspiring him to become a Broadway lyricist, had an uncanny knack of making it sound as if the singer were having a conversation with the audience. His lyrics for such tunes as “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “She Loves Me” and “Little Tin Box” were simple and straightforward yet deeply moving at the same time.
“A theater lyricist is a playwright who writes short plays in verse that have to be set to music,” Harnick said in a 2016 interview with the Los Angeles Times.
Harnick died of natural causes at his apartment overlooking Central Park on the Upper West Side, spokesperson Sean Katz told The Hollywood Reporter.
Harnick, who credited actress Charlotte Rae for inspiring him to become a Broadway lyricist, had an uncanny knack of making it sound as if the singer were having a conversation with the audience. His lyrics for such tunes as “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” “She Loves Me” and “Little Tin Box” were simple and straightforward yet deeply moving at the same time.
“A theater lyricist is a playwright who writes short plays in verse that have to be set to music,” Harnick said in a 2016 interview with the Los Angeles Times.
- 6/23/2023
- by Chris Koseluk
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Growing up, my parents never shielded me from the horrors of antisemitism. I suspect a lot of it was my dad's doing. He would often tell us about his childhood in New Jersey, where many of his fellow students (including his first girlfriend) were Jewish and a number of his teachers were actual Holocaust survivors (as you could tell from the numbers tattooed on their forearms). As such, my siblings and I wound up seeing "Schindler's List" pretty much as soon as it became available on VHS. Mind you, as young as we all were at the time, my parents didn't throw us in the deep end of the pool right away. We had seen the "Indiana Jones" movies many times by then and watched films like "An American Tail," so the concept of antisemitism had, in ways obviously more accessible to kids, already been drilled into our heads.
I...
I...
- 3/9/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Chaim Topol, the spirited Israeli actor and singer who, one season following another, portrayed Tevye the milkman in Fiddler on the Roof on stages all around the world and in an Oscar-nominated turn in Norman Jewison’s 1971 film adaptation, has died. He was 87.
Topol died Thursday in Tel Aviv after a long illness, his rep, Jean Diamond, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Israel’s first international movie star, Topol also played famed Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in Galileo (1975); an American scientist, Dr. Hans Zarkov, in the cult sci-fi classic Flash Gordon (1980); and Milos Columbo, a Greek smuggler and ally of Roger Moore’s James Bond, in For Your Eyes Only (1981).
As Polish family man Berel Jastrow, he was central to the plot of two acclaimed 1980s ABC miniseries, The Winds of War and War and Remembrance, both based on Herman Wouk novels.
In a pairing that a matchmaker would surely appreciate,...
Topol died Thursday in Tel Aviv after a long illness, his rep, Jean Diamond, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Israel’s first international movie star, Topol also played famed Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei in Galileo (1975); an American scientist, Dr. Hans Zarkov, in the cult sci-fi classic Flash Gordon (1980); and Milos Columbo, a Greek smuggler and ally of Roger Moore’s James Bond, in For Your Eyes Only (1981).
As Polish family man Berel Jastrow, he was central to the plot of two acclaimed 1980s ABC miniseries, The Winds of War and War and Remembrance, both based on Herman Wouk novels.
In a pairing that a matchmaker would surely appreciate,...
- 3/9/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
Whoopi Goldberg says she never meant for her recent interview comments about Jewish identity and the Holocaust — which were criticized by Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt — to appear as if she was “doubling down” on previous “hurtful” comments that resulted in her temporary suspension from her role as moderator on ABC’s The View.
In a statement sent Tuesday to The Hollywood Reporter, Goldberg noted that her recent comments, made while doing press in London, were an attempt to “convey to the reporter what I had said and why and attempted to recount that time.” However, she said, “It was never my intention to appear as if I was doubling down on hurtful comments,” especially after “talking with and hearing people like rabbis and old and new friends weighing in.”
“I’m still learning a lot and believe me, I heard everything everyone said to me.
Whoopi Goldberg says she never meant for her recent interview comments about Jewish identity and the Holocaust — which were criticized by Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt — to appear as if she was “doubling down” on previous “hurtful” comments that resulted in her temporary suspension from her role as moderator on ABC’s The View.
In a statement sent Tuesday to The Hollywood Reporter, Goldberg noted that her recent comments, made while doing press in London, were an attempt to “convey to the reporter what I had said and why and attempted to recount that time.” However, she said, “It was never my intention to appear as if I was doubling down on hurtful comments,” especially after “talking with and hearing people like rabbis and old and new friends weighing in.”
“I’m still learning a lot and believe me, I heard everything everyone said to me.
- 12/27/2022
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Few American actors have stayed in their lane as consistently as Seth Rogen, whose raspy stoner chuckle radiates with what-see-is-what-you-get conviction. “An American Pickle” turns that archetype inside out: Playing both an Eastern European Jew tossed into modern-day Manhattan through the magic of the brining process, as well as that same character’s bumbling modern-day great-grandchild, Rogen’s bizarre dual performance explores the roots of the slacker archetype in Jewish guilt.
It’s a total one-note joke — Tevye the Milkman meets “Encino Man” — and Rogen runs with it as far as he can, while the movie struggles to keep pace. Pitched somewhere between outrageous satire and sincerity, the movie has a tough time finding its priorities, but it’s endearing to watch it try. After all, that’s the same conundrum facing Ben Greenbaum, the modern-day New Yorker tasked with orienting Herschel Greenbaum to 21st century life even as the...
It’s a total one-note joke — Tevye the Milkman meets “Encino Man” — and Rogen runs with it as far as he can, while the movie struggles to keep pace. Pitched somewhere between outrageous satire and sincerity, the movie has a tough time finding its priorities, but it’s endearing to watch it try. After all, that’s the same conundrum facing Ben Greenbaum, the modern-day New Yorker tasked with orienting Herschel Greenbaum to 21st century life even as the...
- 8/3/2020
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Eight Crazy Nights: The Best Movies for ChanukkahEight Crazy Nights: The Best Movies for ChanukkahJason Gorber12/22/2016 9:50:00 Am
It’s fair to say that Channukah doesn’t exactly engender the same kind of cinematic outpouring of love as other December-ish holidays do.
Unfortunately we’re waiting for that Maccabee epic that’s never been – our money’s on Spielberg to knock that one out of the park. While other festivities like Passover have obvious crossover potential (here’s looking at you, Charlton Heston) the festival of lights hasn’t quite caught the movie world on fire.
That said, this time for family fun gathering around a flickering flame might be the perfect time to have a little bit of your own film festival, Jew or Gentile alike taking time to celebrate the miracle of cinema. Here’s eight nights of watching to get you in the Channukah mood:...
It’s fair to say that Channukah doesn’t exactly engender the same kind of cinematic outpouring of love as other December-ish holidays do.
Unfortunately we’re waiting for that Maccabee epic that’s never been – our money’s on Spielberg to knock that one out of the park. While other festivities like Passover have obvious crossover potential (here’s looking at you, Charlton Heston) the festival of lights hasn’t quite caught the movie world on fire.
That said, this time for family fun gathering around a flickering flame might be the perfect time to have a little bit of your own film festival, Jew or Gentile alike taking time to celebrate the miracle of cinema. Here’s eight nights of watching to get you in the Channukah mood:...
- 12/22/2016
- by Jason Gorber
- Cineplex
“Fiddler on the Roof” reaped three Tony Awards nominations, including a bid for Best Musical Revival. It is the fifth return engagement for the 1964 Tony winner for Best Musical, which was the first Broadway show to run for more than 3,000 performances. Lovingly adapted by Joseph Stein from Sholem Aleichem‘s folk story “Tevye and his Daughters” […]...
- 6/13/2016
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Today in 2004, Fiddler on the Roof opened at the Minskoff Theatre, where it ran for 781 performances. Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters or Tevye the Milkman and Other Tales by Sholem Aleichem. The story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family and Jewish religious traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives. The original Broadway production of the show, which opened in 1964, had the first musical theatre run in history to surpass 3,000 performances.
- 2/26/2016
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
★★★☆☆ An elegy for both the lost world of the Jewish shtetl and the fanciful idylls of childhood, the exquisitely lensed Song of Songs (2015) is the new film from award-winning Ukrainian director Eva Neymann. With a narrative constructed of elements plucked from across the work of Yiddish author Sholem Aleichem, it charts the burgeoning feelings between a young boy and girl growing up in close proximity in a traditional Hasidic community in the early 20th century. If a little fleeting and slightly evasive, this perfectly captures the ephemeral nature of their pre-adolescent romance and Rimvydas Leipus' stunning cinematography makes up for any possible shortcomings.
Though nothing like it in terms of form, the compositions remind in some ways of Dietrich
Brüggemann's Stations of the Cross; they resemble slowly moving tableaux somewhere between a book of fairytale illustrations and the paintings of someone like Pieter de Hooch, albeit bathed in the...
Though nothing like it in terms of form, the compositions remind in some ways of Dietrich
Brüggemann's Stations of the Cross; they resemble slowly moving tableaux somewhere between a book of fairytale illustrations and the paintings of someone like Pieter de Hooch, albeit bathed in the...
- 9/10/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Spiro chief Eitan Mansuri will be in Toronto with final draft of Lavie’s The Current Love Of My Life.
Talya Lavie’s second feature The Current Love Of My Life, a New York-set comedy in which secular and orthodox worlds collide, is moving towards a 2016 shoot, according to producer Eitan Mansuri of Tel Aviv’s Spiro Films.
Lavie’s debut Zero Motivation, which captured the ennui of a group of female army recruits, became the best-performing Israeli film at the local box office when it was released last year.
“It’s got the backing of the Israel Film Fund and now we’re trying to figure out whether it makes sense to go with North American partners for the financing or build a European co-production,” Mansuri said of Lavie’s new project.
He plans to attend Toronto and the project forum of the Independent Filmmaker Project in New York in September as part of the decision-making...
Talya Lavie’s second feature The Current Love Of My Life, a New York-set comedy in which secular and orthodox worlds collide, is moving towards a 2016 shoot, according to producer Eitan Mansuri of Tel Aviv’s Spiro Films.
Lavie’s debut Zero Motivation, which captured the ennui of a group of female army recruits, became the best-performing Israeli film at the local box office when it was released last year.
“It’s got the backing of the Israel Film Fund and now we’re trying to figure out whether it makes sense to go with North American partners for the financing or build a European co-production,” Mansuri said of Lavie’s new project.
He plans to attend Toronto and the project forum of the Independent Filmmaker Project in New York in September as part of the decision-making...
- 7/13/2015
- ScreenDaily
Anti-Nazi satire from Stations of the Cross director Dietrich Bruggemann and a new documentary from Mark Cousins among titles.Scroll down for competition line-ups
The 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 3-11) has unveiled the competition titles in its Official Selection, East of the West, Forum of Independents and Documentary sections.
The main competition will comprise seven world premieres and six international premieres, including the new film from Stations of the Cross director Dietrich Brüggemann, Heil, a satirical comedy centred on neo-Nazis.
Polish documentary director Marcin Koszałkaʼs will present his feature debut, The Red Spider, a psychological thriller inspired by true events from the 1950s that delves into the mechanisms that give rise to a mass murderer.
Danish documentary maker Daniel Dencik will present his first feature, Gold Coast, about a young anti-colonial idealist who sets out for Danish Guinea to set up a coffee plantation - but not everything goes to plan. The music is...
The 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 3-11) has unveiled the competition titles in its Official Selection, East of the West, Forum of Independents and Documentary sections.
The main competition will comprise seven world premieres and six international premieres, including the new film from Stations of the Cross director Dietrich Brüggemann, Heil, a satirical comedy centred on neo-Nazis.
Polish documentary director Marcin Koszałkaʼs will present his feature debut, The Red Spider, a psychological thriller inspired by true events from the 1950s that delves into the mechanisms that give rise to a mass murderer.
Danish documentary maker Daniel Dencik will present his first feature, Gold Coast, about a young anti-colonial idealist who sets out for Danish Guinea to set up a coffee plantation - but not everything goes to plan. The music is...
- 6/2/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Today in 2004, Fiddler on the Roof opened at the Minskoff Theatre, where it ran for 781 performances. Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters or Tevye the Milkman and Other Tales by Sholem Aleichem. The story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family and Jewish religious traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives. The original Broadway production of the show, which opened in 1964, had the first musical theatre run in history to surpass 3,000 performances.
- 2/26/2015
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
The Washington Jewish Film Festival (Wjff) celebrates its 25th year with 11 days of dynamic film programming – accompanied by cultural and educational events – exploring the best of international cinema through a distinctly Jewish lens. February 19 through March 1, audiences will be treated to more than 100 screenings and related events across the Washington area. Hosted by the Washington Dcjcc, this year’s milestone festival features world, East Coast and mid-Atlantic premieres, an exciting roster of filmmaker and cast appearances, and an exquisitely curated line-up of screenings, festivities and other programs including 12 Wjff retrospective film screenings curated by former festival directors in honor of the 25th year.
“For 25 years, this festival has celebrated international cinema in building the single largest Jewish cultural event in Washington,” said Ilya Tovbis, Washington Jewish Film Festival director. “With our most ambitious festival to date, the 25th Wjff will honor a quarter-century of exhibiting the full diversity of the Jewish experience.”
A full festival schedule can be found at www.wjff.org. Highlights are included below.
Among the programs scheduled to take the festival beyond the screen are the 5th Annual Community Education Day on Arab Citizens of Israel, a day of in-depth exploration of the daily lives and challenges of Israel’s Arab population through a keynote address by the president of Al-Qasemi College of Engineering and Science, a panel discussion among Middle East experts, and the D.C. premiere of the film, Dancing Arabs, with its filmmaker Eran Riklis (Sunday, February 22, from 1:30-5 p.m. at the Dcjcc); a state of the cinema address on Israeli documentary film (Tuesday, February 24, at 7 p.m. at the Dcjcc); a pre-festival workshop led by leading Washington and New York film critics for a small group of Washington students; a short film student competition; and the third iteration of Two Jews Walk into a Bar, a cinematic bar event (Sunday, February 8, at 5 p.m.)
Opening Night Film: "Magic Men"
Opening Night will feature "Magic Men," in which a 78-year-old Greek-born atheist (Makram Khouri, Ophir-winner for Best Actor) and his estranged Hasidic rapper son travel from Israel to Greece searching for the magician who saved the father’s life during World War II. Their Adriatic road trip erupts into constant bickering but also has moments of affection, humor, and good will, as father and son reconnect during their adventure. The film is the latest feature from the directors of "Mabul," "A Matter of Size," and "Strangers." Opening Night will be held Thursday, February 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, and The Opening Night Party with Director Guy Nattiv will be held at the Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza immediately following the screening.
Centerpiece Evening: "Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem"
Wjff’s Centerpiece Evening will take place at the AFI Silver Theatre on Saturday, February 21, at 7 p.m. and feature an extended Q&A session with Theodore Bikel, the unstoppable performer whose career spans more than 150 screen roles (including an Oscar-nominated turn in The Defiant Ones) and countless stage and musical productions. In "Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem," portraits of two beloved icons—Sholom Aleichem and Theodore Bikel—are woven together in an enchanting new documentary. The two men have much in common: wit, wisdom and talent, filled with deep humanity and Yiddishkeit. Theodore Bikel, now 90, Bikel has played Tevye the Milkman on stage more than 2,000 times, and has animated Aleichem's work through his two celebrated musical plays about the great Russian author. An additional screening will take place Monday, February 23, at 8:45 p.m. at the Washington Dcjcc.
Wjff Visionary Award: "Hester Street"
The Annual Wjff Visionary Award recognizes creativity and insight in presenting the full diversity of the Jewish experience through the moving image. The 2015 honorees are Carol Kane and Joan Micklin Silver. Carol Kane will be present at a screening of her Oscar-nominated performance in Silver’s humorous and poignant movie, "Hester Street," about a traditional Jewish woman (Carol Kane) who arrives with her son to America in the 1890s, only to discover that her cheating husband has assimilated and resents his wife’s old-fashioned ways. The Wjff Visionary Award will be presented Tuesday, February 24, at 7:15 p.m. at the AFI Silver Theatre.
Spotlight Evening: "East Jerusalem, West Jerusalem"
Israeli-Palestinian singer Mira Awad and songwriter Steve Earle will join legendary singer-songwriter David Broza for a 45-minute musical set and Q&A following a screening of "East Jerusalem, West Jerusalem" on Thursday, February 26, at 7 p.m. at Sidney Harman Hall of the Shakespeare Theater Company. In the film, Broza journeys to East Jerusalem to record his latest album with Israeli, Palestinian and American musicians.
Closing Night: "Mr. Kaplan"
The 25th Wjff will come to a close at the Dcjcc on March 1, at 7:30 p.m. with a screening of Uruguay’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, "Mr. Kaplan." In Uruguayan director Alvaro Brechner’s 2014 feature film, 76-year-old Jacob Kaplan, fed up with his community and his family’s lack of interest in its own heritage, becomes convinced that his German neighbor is a runaway Nazi and secretly takes on the role of a spy, but he is no match for the forces of age. This heartwarming comedy tells the truth of life that transcends time and ideology. The Closing Night Reception and Audience Award announcements follow the screening.
Additional Films of Note
Nominated for this year’s Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film, the 2014 Israeli film "Gett, the Trial of Viviane Amsalem," will be screened Wednesday, February 25, at 8:45 p.m. at the Avalon Theatre. Director Ronit Elkabetz tells the story of Amsalem, who is seeking a Jewish divorce from her estranged husband, who repeatedly refuses over the course of several years, leaving Amsalem locked in a seemingly unending battle created by the rules of Orthodox marriage in Israel. The film is Israel’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award and was the Israeli Film Academy’s 2014 Best Film.
The Hebrew language "The Farewell Party" is a dark comedy about a group of friends at a Jerusalem retirement home who build a machine for self-euthanasia to help a terminally ill friend – and then requests start coming in from more and more fellow retirement home residents interested in such a service. To be screened Saturday, February 28 at 7 p.m. at AFI Silver Theatre, and then again on Sunday, March 1, at 5:15 p.m. at the Dcjcc, the film won 2015 Ophir Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Actor.
"Next to Her," also in Hebrew with English subtitles, tells the arresting story of Chelli and her mentally disabled sister, whom she is raising by herself until required by a social worker to place her in a day-care center, only to then meet a man who leads to a relationship triangle between the three. The film was a critically acclaimed selection for the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. It will be screened Monday, February 23 at 7:15 p.m. at AFI Silver Theatre; Thursday, February 26 at 8:30 p.m. at the Katzen Arts Center at American University; and Saturday, February 28 at 6:45 p.m. at the Jcc of Greater Washington in Rockville.
Silent Films with Live Original Music: "Breaking Home Ties" and "The Golem"
On Monday, February 23, Wjff will screen the first of two silent films with live original music accompaniment. At 6:30 p.m. at the Dcjcc, pianist Donald Sosin and violinist Joseph Morag will accompany the 1922 silent film, "Breaking Home Ties." Then on Thursday, February 26 at 7:15 p.m. at the AFI Silver Theatre, Grammy-nominated Gary Lucas will present a reprisal of one of his most beloved original scores, the 1920 German silent horror-fantasy-expressionist film "The Golem," the tale of a 16th-century rabbi who made a man out of clay to save the Jewish community of Prague from annihilation.
Films with Local Ties/Themes
"The Rosenwald Schools"
On Wednesday, February 25, at 6:30 p.m., local filmmaker and former Washington Film Festival Director Aviva Kempner will be present for the world premiere of her new documentary at the Avalon Theater. The film tells the incredible story of how businessman and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald joined with African-American communities in the South to build schools for the black community during the early part of the 20th century.
"My Favorite Neoconservative"
Raised in the Washington suburbs, the film’s director, Yael Luttwak watched inside the Beltway bigwigs walk the halls of her childhood home; her father, Edward Luttwak, is a prominent conservative military strategist who was the architect of the air campaign of the first Iraq war. The documentary reveals the personalities behind the headlines and tells a father-daughter story with a sardonic political twist. The film will be screened Sunday, March 1, at 3:15 p.m. at the Dcjcc.
Ticket Information
Patrons are encouraged to purchase tickets online. In addition to $12 single tickets, Wjff will be offering full festival passes for $125 and All Access VIP Passes for $225. More information is available at www.wjff.org and by calling 1-888-718-4253.
About the Washington Jewish Film Festival
The Washington Jewish Film Festival (Wjff) is the centerpiece of the Washington Dcjcc’s comprehensive year-round film program. One of the largest and most respected Jewish film festivals in North America, Wjff is an international exhibition of cinema that celebrates the diversity of Jewish history, culture and experience through the moving image.
The Wjff serves over 15,000 people annually through 80+ screenings, nearly all of which are world, U.S. or regional premieres.
Follow the Washington Jewish Film Festival on Twitter ( @wjff ) for updates with the latest information about the festival and filmmakers who will participate in the Wjff Lounge. Join the conversation using #wjff2015 on social media.
About the Washington Dcjcc
The Washington Dcjcc works to preserve and strengthen Jewish identity, heritage, tradition and values through a wide variety of social, cultural, recreational and educational programs and services. The Dcjcc is committed to welcoming everyone in the community; membership and all activities are open to all. The Dcjcc is a partner agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and a designated agency of the United Way. Follow on Twitter ( @16thstreetj ), like on Facebook , and find more information online at www.washingtondcjcc.org .
The Morris Cafritz Center for the Arts at the Dcjcc, of which the Wjff and the year-round film series are a part, presents fresh, pertinent and provocative Jewish voices that address issues both contemporary and universal. The Center is supported by a grant from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
“For 25 years, this festival has celebrated international cinema in building the single largest Jewish cultural event in Washington,” said Ilya Tovbis, Washington Jewish Film Festival director. “With our most ambitious festival to date, the 25th Wjff will honor a quarter-century of exhibiting the full diversity of the Jewish experience.”
A full festival schedule can be found at www.wjff.org. Highlights are included below.
Among the programs scheduled to take the festival beyond the screen are the 5th Annual Community Education Day on Arab Citizens of Israel, a day of in-depth exploration of the daily lives and challenges of Israel’s Arab population through a keynote address by the president of Al-Qasemi College of Engineering and Science, a panel discussion among Middle East experts, and the D.C. premiere of the film, Dancing Arabs, with its filmmaker Eran Riklis (Sunday, February 22, from 1:30-5 p.m. at the Dcjcc); a state of the cinema address on Israeli documentary film (Tuesday, February 24, at 7 p.m. at the Dcjcc); a pre-festival workshop led by leading Washington and New York film critics for a small group of Washington students; a short film student competition; and the third iteration of Two Jews Walk into a Bar, a cinematic bar event (Sunday, February 8, at 5 p.m.)
Opening Night Film: "Magic Men"
Opening Night will feature "Magic Men," in which a 78-year-old Greek-born atheist (Makram Khouri, Ophir-winner for Best Actor) and his estranged Hasidic rapper son travel from Israel to Greece searching for the magician who saved the father’s life during World War II. Their Adriatic road trip erupts into constant bickering but also has moments of affection, humor, and good will, as father and son reconnect during their adventure. The film is the latest feature from the directors of "Mabul," "A Matter of Size," and "Strangers." Opening Night will be held Thursday, February 19, at 6:30 p.m. at the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, and The Opening Night Party with Director Guy Nattiv will be held at the Silver Spring Civic Building at Veterans Plaza immediately following the screening.
Centerpiece Evening: "Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem"
Wjff’s Centerpiece Evening will take place at the AFI Silver Theatre on Saturday, February 21, at 7 p.m. and feature an extended Q&A session with Theodore Bikel, the unstoppable performer whose career spans more than 150 screen roles (including an Oscar-nominated turn in The Defiant Ones) and countless stage and musical productions. In "Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem," portraits of two beloved icons—Sholom Aleichem and Theodore Bikel—are woven together in an enchanting new documentary. The two men have much in common: wit, wisdom and talent, filled with deep humanity and Yiddishkeit. Theodore Bikel, now 90, Bikel has played Tevye the Milkman on stage more than 2,000 times, and has animated Aleichem's work through his two celebrated musical plays about the great Russian author. An additional screening will take place Monday, February 23, at 8:45 p.m. at the Washington Dcjcc.
Wjff Visionary Award: "Hester Street"
The Annual Wjff Visionary Award recognizes creativity and insight in presenting the full diversity of the Jewish experience through the moving image. The 2015 honorees are Carol Kane and Joan Micklin Silver. Carol Kane will be present at a screening of her Oscar-nominated performance in Silver’s humorous and poignant movie, "Hester Street," about a traditional Jewish woman (Carol Kane) who arrives with her son to America in the 1890s, only to discover that her cheating husband has assimilated and resents his wife’s old-fashioned ways. The Wjff Visionary Award will be presented Tuesday, February 24, at 7:15 p.m. at the AFI Silver Theatre.
Spotlight Evening: "East Jerusalem, West Jerusalem"
Israeli-Palestinian singer Mira Awad and songwriter Steve Earle will join legendary singer-songwriter David Broza for a 45-minute musical set and Q&A following a screening of "East Jerusalem, West Jerusalem" on Thursday, February 26, at 7 p.m. at Sidney Harman Hall of the Shakespeare Theater Company. In the film, Broza journeys to East Jerusalem to record his latest album with Israeli, Palestinian and American musicians.
Closing Night: "Mr. Kaplan"
The 25th Wjff will come to a close at the Dcjcc on March 1, at 7:30 p.m. with a screening of Uruguay’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, "Mr. Kaplan." In Uruguayan director Alvaro Brechner’s 2014 feature film, 76-year-old Jacob Kaplan, fed up with his community and his family’s lack of interest in its own heritage, becomes convinced that his German neighbor is a runaway Nazi and secretly takes on the role of a spy, but he is no match for the forces of age. This heartwarming comedy tells the truth of life that transcends time and ideology. The Closing Night Reception and Audience Award announcements follow the screening.
Additional Films of Note
Nominated for this year’s Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film, the 2014 Israeli film "Gett, the Trial of Viviane Amsalem," will be screened Wednesday, February 25, at 8:45 p.m. at the Avalon Theatre. Director Ronit Elkabetz tells the story of Amsalem, who is seeking a Jewish divorce from her estranged husband, who repeatedly refuses over the course of several years, leaving Amsalem locked in a seemingly unending battle created by the rules of Orthodox marriage in Israel. The film is Israel’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award and was the Israeli Film Academy’s 2014 Best Film.
The Hebrew language "The Farewell Party" is a dark comedy about a group of friends at a Jerusalem retirement home who build a machine for self-euthanasia to help a terminally ill friend – and then requests start coming in from more and more fellow retirement home residents interested in such a service. To be screened Saturday, February 28 at 7 p.m. at AFI Silver Theatre, and then again on Sunday, March 1, at 5:15 p.m. at the Dcjcc, the film won 2015 Ophir Awards for Best Cinematography and Best Actor.
"Next to Her," also in Hebrew with English subtitles, tells the arresting story of Chelli and her mentally disabled sister, whom she is raising by herself until required by a social worker to place her in a day-care center, only to then meet a man who leads to a relationship triangle between the three. The film was a critically acclaimed selection for the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. It will be screened Monday, February 23 at 7:15 p.m. at AFI Silver Theatre; Thursday, February 26 at 8:30 p.m. at the Katzen Arts Center at American University; and Saturday, February 28 at 6:45 p.m. at the Jcc of Greater Washington in Rockville.
Silent Films with Live Original Music: "Breaking Home Ties" and "The Golem"
On Monday, February 23, Wjff will screen the first of two silent films with live original music accompaniment. At 6:30 p.m. at the Dcjcc, pianist Donald Sosin and violinist Joseph Morag will accompany the 1922 silent film, "Breaking Home Ties." Then on Thursday, February 26 at 7:15 p.m. at the AFI Silver Theatre, Grammy-nominated Gary Lucas will present a reprisal of one of his most beloved original scores, the 1920 German silent horror-fantasy-expressionist film "The Golem," the tale of a 16th-century rabbi who made a man out of clay to save the Jewish community of Prague from annihilation.
Films with Local Ties/Themes
"The Rosenwald Schools"
On Wednesday, February 25, at 6:30 p.m., local filmmaker and former Washington Film Festival Director Aviva Kempner will be present for the world premiere of her new documentary at the Avalon Theater. The film tells the incredible story of how businessman and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald joined with African-American communities in the South to build schools for the black community during the early part of the 20th century.
"My Favorite Neoconservative"
Raised in the Washington suburbs, the film’s director, Yael Luttwak watched inside the Beltway bigwigs walk the halls of her childhood home; her father, Edward Luttwak, is a prominent conservative military strategist who was the architect of the air campaign of the first Iraq war. The documentary reveals the personalities behind the headlines and tells a father-daughter story with a sardonic political twist. The film will be screened Sunday, March 1, at 3:15 p.m. at the Dcjcc.
Ticket Information
Patrons are encouraged to purchase tickets online. In addition to $12 single tickets, Wjff will be offering full festival passes for $125 and All Access VIP Passes for $225. More information is available at www.wjff.org and by calling 1-888-718-4253.
About the Washington Jewish Film Festival
The Washington Jewish Film Festival (Wjff) is the centerpiece of the Washington Dcjcc’s comprehensive year-round film program. One of the largest and most respected Jewish film festivals in North America, Wjff is an international exhibition of cinema that celebrates the diversity of Jewish history, culture and experience through the moving image.
The Wjff serves over 15,000 people annually through 80+ screenings, nearly all of which are world, U.S. or regional premieres.
Follow the Washington Jewish Film Festival on Twitter ( @wjff ) for updates with the latest information about the festival and filmmakers who will participate in the Wjff Lounge. Join the conversation using #wjff2015 on social media.
About the Washington Dcjcc
The Washington Dcjcc works to preserve and strengthen Jewish identity, heritage, tradition and values through a wide variety of social, cultural, recreational and educational programs and services. The Dcjcc is committed to welcoming everyone in the community; membership and all activities are open to all. The Dcjcc is a partner agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and a designated agency of the United Way. Follow on Twitter ( @16thstreetj ), like on Facebook , and find more information online at www.washingtondcjcc.org .
The Morris Cafritz Center for the Arts at the Dcjcc, of which the Wjff and the year-round film series are a part, presents fresh, pertinent and provocative Jewish voices that address issues both contemporary and universal. The Center is supported by a grant from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.
- 1/24/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Broadway production this fall, Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater mounts a new staging of Fiddler on the Roof, the iconic musical that has captured the hearts of audiences worldwide. Helmed by Artistic Director Molly Smith, the production features choreography by Arena favorite Parker Esse, who adapts the original Jerome Robbins choreography for an in-the-round staging, and a 10-piece orchestra led by Musical Director Paul Sportelli Arena's My Fair Lady, Light in the Piazza. The theatrical masterpiece, which garnered nine Tony Awards for its 1964 debut, weaves together a portrait of family, community and life's unexpected miracles, large and small, and showcases a jubilant and beloved score, including 'If I Were a Rich Man,' 'Sunrise, Sunset,' 'Matchmaker, Matchmaker' and 'Tradition.' Featuring a book by Joseph Stein, music by Jerry Bock and lyrics by Sheldon Harnick and based on Sholem Aleichem stories,...
- 10/31/2014
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Zero Motivation director planning Brooklyn-set comedy.
Talya Lavie, director of local box office hit Zero Motivation, is developing a comedy about an illegal Israeli immigrant musician in New York working a Hebrew teacher with a wealthy, Brooklyn, ultra-orthodox Jewish family.
Entitled The Current Love of My Life, it is a contemporary adaptation of a story by 19th century author Sholem Aleichem, whose work also inspired Fiddler on the Roof.
Lavie unveiled the film at the final pitching session of the script development Jerusalem Film Lab on Friday.
In her contemporary re-telling, penniless Israeli musician Bini, who is living in New York illegally, is hired by a wealthy ultra-orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn to teach their youngest son Hebrew on the eve of his marriage to a girl from an important religious family in Jerusalem.
Too lazy to study the language or reply to his future wife’s Hebrew emails, the son asks Bini to keep up the...
Talya Lavie, director of local box office hit Zero Motivation, is developing a comedy about an illegal Israeli immigrant musician in New York working a Hebrew teacher with a wealthy, Brooklyn, ultra-orthodox Jewish family.
Entitled The Current Love of My Life, it is a contemporary adaptation of a story by 19th century author Sholem Aleichem, whose work also inspired Fiddler on the Roof.
Lavie unveiled the film at the final pitching session of the script development Jerusalem Film Lab on Friday.
In her contemporary re-telling, penniless Israeli musician Bini, who is living in New York illegally, is hired by a wealthy ultra-orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn to teach their youngest son Hebrew on the eve of his marriage to a girl from an important religious family in Jerusalem.
Too lazy to study the language or reply to his future wife’s Hebrew emails, the son asks Bini to keep up the...
- 7/14/2014
- ScreenDaily
Zero Motivation director planning Brooklyn-set comedy.
Talya Lavie, director of local box office hit Zero Motivation, is developing a comedy about an illegal Israeli immigrant musician in New York working a Hebrew teacher with a wealthy, Brooklyn, ultra-orthodox Jewish family.
Entitled The Current Love of My Life, it is a contemporary adaptation of a story by 19th century author Sholem Aleichem, whose work also inspired Fiddler on the Roof.
Lavie unveiled the film at the final pitching session of the script development Jerusalem Film Lab on Friday.
In her contemporary re-telling, penniless Israeli musician Bini, who is living in New York illegally, is hired by a wealthy ultra-orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn to teach their youngest son Hebrew on the eve of his marriage to a girl from an important religious family in Jerusalem.
Too lazy to study the language or reply to his future wife’s Hebrew emails, the son asks Bini to keep up the...
Talya Lavie, director of local box office hit Zero Motivation, is developing a comedy about an illegal Israeli immigrant musician in New York working a Hebrew teacher with a wealthy, Brooklyn, ultra-orthodox Jewish family.
Entitled The Current Love of My Life, it is a contemporary adaptation of a story by 19th century author Sholem Aleichem, whose work also inspired Fiddler on the Roof.
Lavie unveiled the film at the final pitching session of the script development Jerusalem Film Lab on Friday.
In her contemporary re-telling, penniless Israeli musician Bini, who is living in New York illegally, is hired by a wealthy ultra-orthodox Jewish family in Brooklyn to teach their youngest son Hebrew on the eve of his marriage to a girl from an important religious family in Jerusalem.
Too lazy to study the language or reply to his future wife’s Hebrew emails, the son asks Bini to keep up the...
- 7/14/2014
- ScreenDaily
'The Dark Knight' actor released an apology to the Anti-Defamation League, and also apologized on 'Kimmel.'
After a controversial interview with Playboy magazine, Gary Oldman not only released an apology to the Anti-Defamation League for his comments on Wednesday, he also spoke about it on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
"I am deeply remorseful that comments I recently made in the Playboy interview were offensive to many Jewish people," Oldman wrote in his apology to the Adl and the Simon Weisenthal Center.
Related: Gary Oldman Defends Mel Gibson, Alec Baldwin: 'Take a F*cking Joke'
In the article, which Oldman gave to promote his new film Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, the 56-year-old Oscar-nominee made a number of comments that have come under fire for being disparaging to the Jewish community.
Goldman had defended actors Mel Gibson and Alec Baldwin for their infamous outbursts, saying that people...
After a controversial interview with Playboy magazine, Gary Oldman not only released an apology to the Anti-Defamation League for his comments on Wednesday, he also spoke about it on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
"I am deeply remorseful that comments I recently made in the Playboy interview were offensive to many Jewish people," Oldman wrote in his apology to the Adl and the Simon Weisenthal Center.
Related: Gary Oldman Defends Mel Gibson, Alec Baldwin: 'Take a F*cking Joke'
In the article, which Oldman gave to promote his new film Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes, the 56-year-old Oscar-nominee made a number of comments that have come under fire for being disparaging to the Jewish community.
Goldman had defended actors Mel Gibson and Alec Baldwin for their infamous outbursts, saying that people...
- 6/26/2014
- Entertainment Tonight
Update: Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League (Adl), has declared Gary Oldman's "apology" insufficient saying, "We have just begun a conversation with his managing producer. At this point, we are not satisfied with what we have received. His apology is insufficient and not satisfactory." Original post follows... Gary Oldman has issued an apology for his comments in a recent "Playboy" interview he gave while on his Dawn of the Planet of the Apes PR tour. Comments, of which, made waves all over the Internet yesterday. The apology is aimed directly at the Anti-Defamation League (Adl) who came out yesterday afternoon saying Oldman "should know better than to repeat tired anti-Semitic tropes about Jewish control of Hollywood." The chief comment, I assume, that got him into the most trouble in this instance was in his defense of Mel Gibson when he said, "Mel Gibson is...
- 6/25/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The media cycle continues.
Gary Oldman has released a statement following the publication of a Playboy interview where he said a bunch of things about political correctness, Jewish people, and seemed to defend Mel Gibson’s anti-Semitic tirade.
Following a statement earlier today by the Anti-Defamation League, Oldman has released his own statement, where he says, in part, “Upon reading my comments in print—I see how insensitive they may be, and how they may indeed contribute to the furtherance of a false stereotype.”
Read the full statement from Oldman, courtesy of Deadline, below:
Dear Gentlemen of the Adl:
I...
Gary Oldman has released a statement following the publication of a Playboy interview where he said a bunch of things about political correctness, Jewish people, and seemed to defend Mel Gibson’s anti-Semitic tirade.
Following a statement earlier today by the Anti-Defamation League, Oldman has released his own statement, where he says, in part, “Upon reading my comments in print—I see how insensitive they may be, and how they may indeed contribute to the furtherance of a false stereotype.”
Read the full statement from Oldman, courtesy of Deadline, below:
Dear Gentlemen of the Adl:
I...
- 6/25/2014
- by Erin Strecker
- EW.com - PopWatch
Update: The Hollywood Reporter obtained a statement from Adl national director Abraham Foxman, who said, "We have just began a conversation with his managing producer. At this point, we are not satisfied with what we received. His apology is insufficient and not satisfactory."
Gary Oldman has issued his inevitable apology for (some of) the controversial statements he made in a candid Playboy interview posted on Tuesday. In a statement obtained by Deadline, the actor reaches out to the Anti-Defamation League, expressing remorse for perpetuating stereotypes about Jews in Hollywood.
Gary Oldman has issued his inevitable apology for (some of) the controversial statements he made in a candid Playboy interview posted on Tuesday. In a statement obtained by Deadline, the actor reaches out to the Anti-Defamation League, expressing remorse for perpetuating stereotypes about Jews in Hollywood.
- 6/25/2014
- Rollingstone.com
Gary Oldman recently sat down for an interview with Playboy to promote his upcoming "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes." It is in this interview that the actor decided to defend Mel Gibson and reveal his own racist and anti-Semitic views. As a reminder, when Gibson was arrested, he was heard saying: "F*cking Jews. The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world." Oldman feels there's nothing wrong with these comments, mostly because he uses language like that himself. "[Mel] got drunk and said a few things, but we've all said those things. We're all f*cking hypocrites," Oldman told the magazine. "The policeman who arrested him has never used the word n*gger or that f*cking Jew? It's the hypocrisy of it that drives me crazy. I don't blame him. Mel Gibson is in a town that's run by Jews and he said the wrong...
- 6/25/2014
- WorstPreviews.com
Gary Oldman has apologised for offending the Jewish community in a controversial interview with Playboy, saying he has an "enormous personal affinity for the Jewish people".
The actor, who gave the interview to promote Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, was accused by the Anti-Defamation League of spreading anti-Semitic stereotypes.
Oldman appeared to defend Mel Gibson in the article and suggested that Gibson was unfairly punished for making anti-Semitic remarks as he lived in "a town that's run by Jews".
8 most explosive comments from Gary Oldman's Playboy interview
Oldman has now released an apology to the Anti-Defamation League and the Simon Weisenthal Centre:
"Dear Gentlemen of the Adl:
"I am deeply remorseful that comments I recently made in the Playboy Interview were offensive to many Jewish people. Upon reading my comments in print - I see how insensitive they may be, and how they may indeed...
The actor, who gave the interview to promote Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, was accused by the Anti-Defamation League of spreading anti-Semitic stereotypes.
Oldman appeared to defend Mel Gibson in the article and suggested that Gibson was unfairly punished for making anti-Semitic remarks as he lived in "a town that's run by Jews".
8 most explosive comments from Gary Oldman's Playboy interview
Oldman has now released an apology to the Anti-Defamation League and the Simon Weisenthal Centre:
"Dear Gentlemen of the Adl:
"I am deeply remorseful that comments I recently made in the Playboy Interview were offensive to many Jewish people. Upon reading my comments in print - I see how insensitive they may be, and how they may indeed...
- 6/25/2014
- Digital Spy
I miss bookstores. Being able to walk up and down the aisles, pulling out a title that sounds intriguing, perusing the dust jacket flap, sometimes sitting down on the floor and reading the first couple of pages…just killing a couple of hours lost in a bibliophile’s heaven.
Okay, bookstores aren’t entirely gone, but they are, as everyone knows, on the endangered list. My own first hint of this came about 15 years ago when the Borders in the Short Hills Mall closed up. It was astonishing—this was a bookstore that was always mobbed, no matter the time of day. Many, many people objected to the closing, and many, many people let the mall’s management know it; the customer service desk clerk told me, as I filled out the complaint form, that there were over 3,000 signatures in the first week alone protesting the shutdown, and demanding, if not the return of Borders,...
Okay, bookstores aren’t entirely gone, but they are, as everyone knows, on the endangered list. My own first hint of this came about 15 years ago when the Borders in the Short Hills Mall closed up. It was astonishing—this was a bookstore that was always mobbed, no matter the time of day. Many, many people objected to the closing, and many, many people let the mall’s management know it; the customer service desk clerk told me, as I filled out the complaint form, that there were over 3,000 signatures in the first week alone protesting the shutdown, and demanding, if not the return of Borders,...
- 3/17/2014
- by Mindy Newell
- Comicmix.com
Today in 2004, Fiddler on the Roof opened at the Minskoff Theatre, where it ran for 781 performances. Fiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters or Tevye the Milkman and Other Tales by Sholem Aleichem. The story centers on Tevye, the father of five daughters, and his attempts to maintain his family and Jewish religious traditions while outside influences encroach upon their lives. The original Broadway production of the show, which opened in 1964, had the first musical theatre run in history to surpass 3,000 performances.
- 2/26/2014
- by Stage Tube
- BroadwayWorld.com
Most Americans have probably never heard of Kiyoshi Atsumi, the late Japanese actor who starred in all 48 Tora-san movies before his death in 1996. But the films are now available on DVDs, with subtitles -- and director Yoji Yamada is still alive and kicking in Tokyo. Here are the opening scenes and theme song: The series, perhaps the longest movie series ever, started out with the working title of "It's Not Easy Being a Man," and if Yamada was not the Sholom Aleichem of Japan, he came pretty close to being an epic storyteller. Atsumi played a character named...
- 7/29/2011
- by Dan Bloom
- The Wrap
New York – Jerry Bock, who composed the music to some of the most memorable shows in Broadway history, including the melodies for "Fiorello!" and "Fiddler on the Roof," has died. He was 81.Richard M. Ticktin, Bock's attorney and family friend, said the composer died Wednesday morning at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco, N.Y., of heart failure.Together with lyricist Sheldon Harnick, Bock wrote the powerful score to "Fiddler on the Roof," one of the most successful productions in the history of the American musical theater, having an initial run of eight years. It earned the two men Tony Awards in 1965."He was wonderful to work with," said Harnick, who collaborated with Bock for 13 years. "I think in all of the years that we worked together, I only remember one or two arguments — and those were at the beginning of the collaboration when we were still feeling each other out.
- 11/3/2010
- backstage.com
New York, Oct 27 (Dpa) Joseph Stein, the playwright who immortalised Jewish shtetl life in early 20th-century Russia in the classic Broadway musical ‘Fiddler on the Roof’, has died at age 98, the New York Daily News reported.
Stein died Sunday at his New York home after fracturing his skull in a fall. He won a Tony for his seminal work and later wrote the screenplay for its successful movie adaptation.
Based on a series of short stories by revered Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem about a humble Jewish milkman and the challenges facing.
Stein died Sunday at his New York home after fracturing his skull in a fall. He won a Tony for his seminal work and later wrote the screenplay for its successful movie adaptation.
Based on a series of short stories by revered Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem about a humble Jewish milkman and the challenges facing.
- 10/27/2010
- by News
- RealBollywood.com
New York - Joseph Stein, the playwright who immortalized Jewish shtetl life in early 20th-century Russia in the classic Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof, has died at age 98, the New York Daily News reported Tuesday. Stein died Sunday at his New York home after fracturing his skull in a fall. He won a Tony for his seminal work and later wrote the screenplay for its successful movie adaptation. Based on a series of short stories by revered Yiddish writer Sholem Aleichem about a humble Jewish milkman and the challenges facing him and his family in 1905 Russia, the musical won nine Tony awards in 1965 and went on to become Broadway's then-longest running musical. Stein was born...
- 10/26/2010
- Monsters and Critics
Broadway musical theatre writer who wrote the libretto for Fiddler on the Roof and the screenplay for the 1971 film
Joseph Stein, who has died aged 98, was the last of the great Broadway musical theatre writers coming out of New York revue and television comedy after the second world war. Most famously, he wrote the book, or libretto, for Fiddler on the Roof (1964) and Zorba (1968). "There are no limitations to the subject for a musical," Stein once said, "just as there are no limitations to the subject for a play or a novel. The only limitation that I can see is that it has to have an honesty about the relationship of people to each other."
He cast his net wide, shaping not only the Ukrainian shtetl stories of Sholom Aleichem into the tale of Tevye the milkman and his five daughters in Fiddler on the Roof, but also drawing, perhaps surprisingly,...
Joseph Stein, who has died aged 98, was the last of the great Broadway musical theatre writers coming out of New York revue and television comedy after the second world war. Most famously, he wrote the book, or libretto, for Fiddler on the Roof (1964) and Zorba (1968). "There are no limitations to the subject for a musical," Stein once said, "just as there are no limitations to the subject for a play or a novel. The only limitation that I can see is that it has to have an honesty about the relationship of people to each other."
He cast his net wide, shaping not only the Ukrainian shtetl stories of Sholom Aleichem into the tale of Tevye the milkman and his five daughters in Fiddler on the Roof, but also drawing, perhaps surprisingly,...
- 10/26/2010
- by Michael Coveney
- The Guardian - Film News
"Ragtime" and "The Scottsboro Boys" came up big as the nominees for the 55th annual Drama Desk Awards were announced today. The short-lived Broadway revival of the Terrence McNally musical and the new Off-Broadway tuner each received nine nominations, more than any other production.The nominees were announced by actors Brian Stokes Mitchell and Cady Huffman at the Friars Club in New York. It was also announced that Drama Desk members have voted this year to present special ensemble awards to the casts of "Circle Mirror Transformation" and "The Temperamentals." The awards will be presented May 23 in a ceremony hosted by Patti LuPone at the Laguardia Concert Hall at Lincoln Center.The complete list of nominees is below.Outstanding play:Alan Ayckbourn, "My Wonderful Day"Annie Baker, "Circle Mirror Transformation"Lucinda Coxon, "Happy Now?"John Logan, "Red"Geoffrey Nauffts, "Next Fall"Bruce Norris, "Clybourne Park"Outstanding musical:"American Idiot""Everyday...
- 5/3/2010
- backstage.com
Costa Mesa, CA -- Fiddler On The Roof, heralded as one of the great masterpieces in American theater, will visit the Orange County Performing Arts Center August 11 - 23. Based on the Tevye stories of Sholom Aleichem, the classic musical has received a warm welcome on stages around the world since its debut. From Broadway to Finland to Japan to Mexico and South Africa, the lovable, engaging milkman named Tevye has delighted audiences with his comical and wise observations on the family, marriage and traditions.
- 8/10/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
Fiddler On The Roof, heralded as one of the great masterpieces in American Musical Theatre, is currently performing on its National Tour. This landmark production, featuring the star of the original motion picture, Chaim Topol, in his farewell performances, kicked off officially on February 10 at the Providence Performing Arts Center. Based on the stories of Sholom Aleichem, Fiddler On The Roof is a family musical about the bonds that hold husbands and wives and parents and children together in times of hardship and times of joy.
- 2/23/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
Fiddler On The Roof, heralded as one of the great masterpieces in American Musical Theatre, is embarking on its National Tour, which will officially open in Providence. This landmark production, featuring the star of the original motion picture, Chaim Topol, in his farewell performances, will have two preview performances at the Dupont Theatre in Wilmington, Delaware before it begins a multi-city tour that kicks off officially on February 10 at the Providence Performing Arts Center. Based on the stories of Sholom Aleichem, Fiddler On The Roof is a family musical about the bonds that hold husbands and wives and parents and children together in times of hardship and times of joy. In what is a huge theatrical feat, Ppac audiences will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Chaim Topol play Tevye for the last time in his farewell performances of the award-winning role that made him legendary in Fiddler On The Roof.
- 1/23/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
The critically acclaimed Made Me Nuclear, now in its fifth month, is extending for an additional eight weeks. Charlie Lustman's original pop music operetta about surviving cancer is "simply irresistible" says the La Times. This "feel good cancer musical" (Lat) is an "inspiring" tale that will "grab you in a bear hug right away and not let go. "Touching...life-affirming...his songs are pitched in an intimate, jazzy, bluesy style," says the La Weekly. Who: Written and Performed by Singer/Songwriter Charlie Lustman. Lustman grew up in La and is a graduate of Berklee College of Music; he spent ten years touring the world performing and released two studio albums in Denmark: The Golden Road, vol.1 and Shaya. He also wrote and performed live the theme song to the ABC TV program "The Mike and Maty show." He is perhaps best known to Los Angeles audiences for his role in...
- 1/21/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
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