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Indulge yourself with an exceptional dining
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Cocktail and dinner service available
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Call 559-6500 for
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the
Benchmark
16400 J.L. Hudson Drive, Southfield, Michigan 313/559-6500
60
Friday, January 16, 1987
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Tevye Speaks!
Continued from preceding page
coached.
The father of five and grand-
father of eight got into theater
by doing Guys and Dolls in
summer stock. The theater bug
bit, and he has appeared in
stage productions for the past
28 years. In addition, he has
performed with the Detroit
Symphony Pops at Meadow
Brook, with the New York
Pops, the Florida Orchestra,
Miami Symphony and the Los
Angeles Philharmonic. The
combination of theater and
singing jobs for Carroll has
been, as he says, "a lot of con-
secutive work." He also has a
nightclub act and is currently
writing a one-man show.
Although Tevye is his favo-
rite role, he also enjoyed play-
ing former New York Mayor
Fiorello LaGuardia in Fiorello.
He has also had roles in 1776,
La Cage aux Folles, Shenan-
doah and Paint Your Wagon.
To date, his television credits
include guest appearances on
soap operas such as Texas, An-
other World and All My Chil-
dren. He would like to do a TV
series, because then "problems
in regard to your bank account
are over" and "would love to
get a shot at a good film role."
He'd also like to play the king
in The King and I. "I'd even
shave my head," he joked. Long
Day's Journey Into Night, King
Lear and Othello are other
plays in which he'd like to ap-
pear.
Carroll once came close to
doing The Stranger Returns at
the Yiddish National Theater
in New York, but was unavail-
able for the part.
Although he admits to not
being a practicing Jew, Carroll
is proud of his Jewish heritage,
and adds it's only been a help in
his career. He insists the re-
porter mention it in her story.
"My real name is Mark
Kaufman. Please put that in
the article. What has happened
is that in the days when it was
de rigeur to change your name,
I did. Given the chance again,
I'd never do it." He recalled ap-
pearing in Fiddler in Chicago
when a reviewer said he was
about as Jewish as the late
Mayor Daley. Carroll was in-
censed. "To me that was hys-
terical. And, of course, I never
take the trouble to go contact
anybody to change these
things because if they don't do
their homework, that's their
problem, not mine."
Carroll is critical as well of
directors who do not do their
homework. "I've seen more ac-
tors and more plays and more
musicals — and I've been in
them — destroyed by a director
who didn't do his homework or
thinking he was going to turn
the world upside down by doing
a totally different production of
a show that may be a
classic .. .
"Most of the problems arise
(in a production) with directors
who do not do their homework,
who come in with more of a
spirit of 'I'm going to explode
the theatrical world' than say
to themselves let me see,
what's this play all about . ."
I've seen more good properties
destroyed by well-intended but
amateurish directors."
Carroll himself has directed
a production of Fiddler, and
says he takes the time to
familiarize the cast with the
history behind the play. "I al-
ways take five minutes in front
of the show to give the cast the
background of the play. This is
what the Russians did to the
Jews . . ."
When he's on the road with a
production, Carroll says he
misses his family very much
and proudly explains that his
marriage — his second — as
lasted 32 years despite his fre-
quent absences. "How my mar-
riage lasted I'll never know.
My wife has tremendous
understanding of my business.
She's very supportive."
If being away from home is
the worst part of being an ac-
tor, then rehearsals are the
best, according to Carroll.
"That's the intellectual part of
the job. You pay attention to
the nuances. What is the
author going for? What does he
want?"
Although he has no mentors
in the theater, there are sev-
eral actors he admires, among
them Laurence Olivier, Jack
Lemmon and Spencer Tracy.
Of those with whom he has
worked, Carroll counted the
late Herschel Bernardi as well
as Keene Curtis, Peter Mar-
shall and Loretta Swit. Despite
his criticism of directors, there
were some he admired as well,
including George Abbott, Hal
Prince, Gower Champion and
Gene Sachs.
Character actors are among
his favorites, and he listed
Marlon Brando and Ed Begley
among them. However, he said
he had the greatest respect for
Paul Muni. "He is a prime
example of a wonderful
geshmacht type of actor."
After Detroit, Carroll heads
home to Long Island, N.Y., but
he said, there are plans to keep
the road company he's appear-
ing with now together for an-
other tour. When he does get
back into New York, he plans
to audition for commercials.
In the meantime, we can
watch Carroll as Tevye appeal
to God to make him a wealthy
man!
❑
GOING PLACES
Continued from preceding page
THEATER
ATTIC THEATRE: 7339 Third
Ave. at West Grand Blvd., Ma
Rainey's Black Bottom, now
through Feb. 8, admission,
875-8285.
BIRMINGHAM BLOOMFIELD
ART ASSOCIATION:1516
Cranbrook, Birmingham,
watercolor exhibition now
through Jan. 31, reception; 7 9
p.m. today, free, 352-3973.
-
RIDGEDALE PLAYERS: 205 W.
Long Lake Rd., Troy, Company,
8 p.m. today and Saturday, 7
p.m. Sunday, admission, 644-
8328.
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
SCHOOL OF FINE AND PER-
FORMING ARTS: Community
Arts Gallery Cass Ave. at Kirby,
works of Peter Gilleran, now
through Jan. 31, 577-2985.
PROJECT THEATRE: Lydia
Mendelssohn Theatre, Univer-
sity of Michigan, Ann Arbor,
Richard II, 8 p.m. today and
Saturday, admission, 764-0450.
MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF
CALLIGRAPHERS: Scarab
Club, 217 Farnsworth, Detroit,
Calligraphic Reflections, now
through Jan. 31, 548-2743.
SPORTS
JEWISH COMMUNITY CEN-
TER: 6600 W. Maple, West
Bloomfield, sixth invitational
art show, now through Jan. 25;
free, 661-1000.
DETROIT PISTONS: Pontiac Sil-
verdome, against Houston, 8
p.m. today, against Atlanta, 8
p.m. Monday, admission.
DETROIT RED WINGS: Joe
Louis Arena, against Quebec,
7:30 p.m. Saturday, against
New York Islanders, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, admission, 567-
6000.
ART SHOWS
IS INC. GALLERY: 13 S.
Saginaw, Pontiac, watercolors
by Bruce Thayer, today through
Feb. 5, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. Wednes-
day, Friday and Saturday, 7
p.m.-midnight Sunday, 332-
5780.
PIERCE STREET GALLERY:
217 Pierce St. Birmingham,
photocraft, now through Jan.
24, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday
through Saturday.
-
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
MUSUEM OF ART: 525 State,
Ann Arbor, Modern master
Drawings, now through Feb. 8,
10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through
Friday, 1-5 p.m. Saturday and
Sunday, free.
WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY:
Community Arts Gallery, Cass
and Kirby, works of Peter Gille-
ran, now through Jan. 31, 577-
2150.
THE ART CENTER: 125 Macomb
Place, Mt. Clemens, A Winter's
Moon, now through Feb. 5, 11
a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through
Saturday, 469-8666.
MICHIGAN WATERCOLOR
SOCIETY: Birmingham Bloom-
field Art Association, 1516 South
Cranbrook Rd., Birmingham,
exhibit, now through Jan. 31.
Continued on Page 69