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Michael Boriskin
Pianist

'Diary of Anne Frank'

MICHAEL H. MARGOLIN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

I

Yet, there are spellbinding two pillars. Otto Frank, wise, gen-
here is a scene early in Act
II of Jewish Ensemble The- things to watch — for one, Robert tle, compassionate, a leader (even
atre's (JET) Diary of Anne Grossman's painfully gross Van though a flawed husband); and
Frank when Anne Frank Daan who steals preciously hoard- Anne, the poetic, contradictory
and another character are in her ed food at night. As a father and youngster who echoes the play's
theme: "I still believe people are
bedroom talking; in the half
good." She says this just before
light, Anne's mother, Mrs.
she's captured, interned and,
Frank, sits at the small table
subsequently, dies.
in the central room of the
Robert Starko as Mr. Frank
cramped attic that houses the
conveys warmth and love, but
victims of Nazi oppression.
he does not inspire. His char-
As the written scene pro-
acter may have inner strength,
gresses, Mrs. Frank, in silence,
but Starko's line readings are
stares at her husband who per-
flaccid.
ceives his daughter Anne with
Julie Van Dusen's Anne is
wonder and joy but is blind to
wonderfully wrought, but she
his wife's sadness. Mrs.
is too canny — where is the
Frank's face caves in as she
spiritual innocence? Not in this
sinks deeper into despair, fi-
Jewish Valley Girl who would
nally collapsing in tears as her
Van Dusen and Robert Starko as Anne and
be happier in a tri-level in Baja.
older daughter Margot rushes Julie
her father.
Not that Van Dusen's isn't a
to her. It is a telling, wonder-
winning performance. Oh it is,
ful moment and it is one of di-
rector Pat Ansuini's strengths — husband, Van Daan is the epito- it is; but too slick by half.
The physical production is en-
to encourage characters to behave me of self-centeredness.
Evelyn Orbach, who drays with hanced by the good period cos-
in natural, lifelike ways.
It is also the major deficit in the best of them, is his suffering tumes by Edith Leavis Bookstein,
JETs production. Although many wife, fine in forlornness; their son though lapses in shoes and stock-
ings betray feet of clay; the
of the characters are superbly Peter is played with just the
play's structure de-
carved out, the play does not grow right note of adolescent
mands a set of certain
THEATER
angst by Daniel Kahn.
into a cohesive whole.
specifications to enclose
Maureen Dorrington's
With her penchant for natu-
ralistic direction, Ansuini has un- portrayal of Mrs. Frank, whose the action. The designer M. Reid
dercut the essential melodramatic tears transform into a fit of right- Downey has not been able to
writing and structure of Frances eous anger upon discovering Van achieve much of that; we are
Goodrich and Albert Hackett's fa- Daan's pilfering, is quite wonder- asked to trust in the ideas as sug-
mous play set in an Amsterdam ful. Dorrington is a splendid re- gested rather than seen.
What we have here is jigsaw
attic during the last two years of active and physical actress --
watch her listening to see what I puzzle, with the border and many
World War II.
mean. Her older daughter (Mar- pieces in place, but the overall pic-
got) is nicely played by Cassandra ture still unrevealed. Many love-
Michael H. Margolin reports on the
ly things to see, admire, even
arts. He's worked in radio,
McCarthy.
The central core around which praise, but, finally, unrewarding.
television and community
the play revolves is comprised of 2 1/2 bagels
theater.

'Money Train'

"a pianist with the Midas touch"
The New York Tines
"extraordinary in every respect"
Die Welt
"a gifted and sensitive pianist"
The New Yorker

—

—

Vki \me S4ate Unfversty

Cohn-Haddow
Center for Judaic Studies

& Department of Music

. with the generous support of the

DeRoy Testamentary Foundation
Arts and Cultural Fund
of the United Jewish Foundation

8f

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twist considering the obvious The battle between the brothers
racial difference. Charlie is the to win a fellow cop's love, for ex-
esley Snipes and Woody amiable loser with a gambling ample, is a movie cliche that grows
Harrelson. You know fetish who has a plethora of shady tiresome.
As actors, Snipes and
them as b-ball court characters on his back.
Harrelson
provide sharp,
hustlers from White John is the more success-
MOVIES
snappy dialogue and
Men Can't Jump, a film that uti- ful half of the duo, con-
amiable characters. But
lized character chemistry and a stantly bailing his "brother"
clever concept to make it a success. out of trouble. But when Charlie for most of Money Train, they are
Unfortunately, in the latest loses 15 grand to the goons and stranded on an island by the film's
Woody/Wesley film, Money Train, can't foot the bill, even John's help writers and forced to rely on their
jive-talking talents, rather than a
director Joseph Ruben figured he isn't enough.
So Charlie sets his sights on the plot, to provide the viewers with
could bypass elements like plot
and purpose and construct a movie money train, a heavily guarded ar- any kind of bang for their buck.
The audience might have loved
mored subway car hauling up to
based on chemistry alone.
Likable characters make the $4 million a day. Subway boss the frenzy generated by cops gone
first 15 minutes of the film enjoy- Donald Patterson (Robert Blake), wrong in pursuit of the riches con-
able, and hair-raising, subway- dedicated to his trains but antag- tained in a fast-moving, money-
crashing excitement makes the onistic toward the cops who police laden subway train. Money Train
tantalizes by promising this sen-
last half hour a thrill. But the mid- them, only fuels Charlie's fire.
But rather than focusing on the sory spectacle, but like many
dle hour of this film is a tangle of
conflict between the brothers and trains, the action arrives too late.
aimless character development.
,Woody, (Charlie) and Wesley Patterson or on the development 1 112 bagels out of 4
(John) are New York transit cops of Claariie:s awclacious scheme,
—Dan Ziinine1-inai7
d StlY flb-anders.
and foster brothers, an interesting Alohey• Trdi

Rated R

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