THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Friday, May 25, 1984 15

too. But mainly it's an evolutionary
process."
What does Bloch see comprising
the key ingredients for a successful
play? He replies, "What you may
sometimes think is great can really
change when the production is
mounted. However, if it's a musical,
then it is a matter of how strong the
music is. In that situation, the book is
not always that important. In the
case of Baby, I heard the music first
and then the book was written. In the
case of The Prince of Central Park, we
have a great book and story and it's
adaptable to music.
"We've also bought the rights to
The Phantom of the Opera and al-
though we are talking to choreog-
rapher Geoffrey Holder (of The Whiz)
about directing it, we really __don't
have any music for it yet and don't
know which way it's going to wind
up.
"But in a play, it's the story line
that counts, just like it would be if
you were reading it as a book. Key
ingredients . . . Well, that's really a
tough thing to explain. Some people
may have a pat answer. I don't."
"Incidentally," Bloch adds, "I
know all the parts in my plays. If
someone couldn't go on stage tonight
in Baby, I could do it."
How does Bloch find all these al-
luring theatrical projects? "I get
scripts from all over the world," he
explains, "and I read everything —
every single play that is sent to me,
although sometimes it's really hard.
Last week I had Neil Simon's new
play — he didn't send it to me as a
producer, but just to read as a friend;
a book from some people in Chicago,
and a movie from California — and I
read them all. I get about four books a
month, maybe ten film scripts, and
about the same amount of plays per
month. But a lot of the scripts are
treatments — different ideas or
readings of the same play."
Most of the material is submit-
ted to Bloch Theatrical Productions,
the New York office Bloch estab-
lished in 1981. "I have a large staff
there," Bloch says, "because for every
show you do, you have about 150

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"I'm involved in Jewish communal affairs
almost as much in New York as 1 am here
but Jewish organizations are very important:
"Somebody who is busy still has to give time
to the important things."

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