Two-Week Bluster Zale Kessler is laughing through Music Man's 10-day run at the Fisher. SUZANNE CHESSLER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS Zale Kessler is no stranger to Mayor Shinn, below. haracter actor Zale Kessler prefers comedy roles to dra- matic ones, and so he is hap- py to portray Mayor Shinn in the Michigan Opera The- atre (MOT) production of The Music Man. "I'd rather make people laugh than cry," said Mr. Kessler, who is returning for his fourth appearance with MOT. "I think laughter is God's gift." In Detroit since Septem- ber to rehearse for the Meredith Willson musical, Mr. Kessler is performing his role for two weeks, through Oct. 25, at the Fish- er Theatre. The production is being staged specifically for MOT. "Mayor Shinn is a funny and well-written role about a funny character who is very recognizable as some- body we all know," said the visiting actor, who has played the part many times with other groups across the country. "He's blustery and silly, and we all have at least one relative who's something like this." Mr. Kessler — who has stage, TV and film credits — is generally on the road eight to 10 months out of the year. He performs in all types of shows, from opera to straight drama. His love for the entertainment in- dustry began at age 5 and has not waned. "I never really wanted to do anything else," he said. Raised in St. Louis, where his family settled after flee- ing Russia, he made his stage debut as the wizard in Three Pills in a Bottle at the St. Louis Junior Theater, the center of his early train- ing. He studied acting at the University of Iowa, where he experienced first-hand the Iowa setting of The Music Man and the home state of its writer. After moving to New York in search of career opportu- nities, he won a job with a state company that toured through the resorts in the Catskills. They presented mostly serious plays. "We did all the wrong shows," laughed Mr. Kess- ler, who has also performed in Mr. Roberts and Hatful of Rain. The actor developed a sense of humor toward neg- ative reactions from mem- bers of the audience expecting lighter fare. During his years in New York, 1958-72, he performed on Broadway in a variety of productions, including Peter Ustinov's The Unknown Soldier and His Wife. Mr. Kessler moved to Cal- ifornia in 1972, this time seeking movie and TV roles. His film credits include The Producers, History of the World Part I and To Be Or Not To Be. TV fans have seen him in episodes of "Night Court," "Simon & Si- mon" and "Murder, She Wrote". "I worked with Angela Lansbury in Dear World on Broadway, and she's very kind and remembers peo- ple," he said. "I've done three or four appearances on `Murder, She Wrote,' and it's always fun working with her and seeing her again." In his most recent part, he was a building super who gave information to the lit- erary sleuth. Mr. Kessler, who never studied singing formally but who has made it an important part of his career, also does light concerts. He has ap- peared in the MOT produc- TWO WEEK/page 87