"A delightful tour of Jewish humor, language, and music"
JN Entertainment
- New York Newsday
Congregation Binai Moshe presents
'Trees Lounge'
PHOTO BY NAOMI KALTMAN
Avi Floffrnat‘'s
"TOO
JE KW.
Bill (Bronson Dudley) and Tommy (Steve Buscemi) contemplate life while spending
time in Trees Lounge, the neighborhood bar in Buscemi's bleak comedy of the
same name.
Rated R
n his short but accomplished ca-
reer, actor Steve Buscemi has
had the opportunity to work un-
der the guidance of an elite
group of writers/directors, such
as Martin Scorcese (New York
Stories), Jim Jarmusch (Mystery
Train), Quentin Tarantino (Reser-
voir Dogs) and the Coen brothers
(Barton Fink,
Fargo). With
Trees Lounge,
-
MOVIES
Buscemi has the
opportunity to write, direct and
act for the first time in a full-
length feature. If nothing else, this
film proves that genius isn't con-
tagious.
Set in Valley Hills, N.Y., the
movie studies the interplay of a
swarm of barflies who frequent a
local dive called, naturally, Trees
Lounge. Buscemi plays the cen-
tral figure, Tommy Basilio, a clas-
sic underachiever who can't hold
a job or a girlfriend, but can sure
hold his liquor.
As Basilio goes about his hum-
ble endeavors, we are introduced
to a varied array of characters
that all seem to have something
that he's lacking, be it intangibles
like direction, drive or a sense of
belonging, or more tangible things
like reliable transportation, jobs
and income.
To his credit, Buscemi man-
ages to parade a fairly diverse
slew of role players in and out of
the story as a means of compar-
ing and contrasting Basilio's
predicament. Although many fa-
miliar faces appear, including Ca-
role Kane, Debi Mazar, Anthony
LaPaglia and Samuel Jackson, it
is some of the lesser-known actors
that have a greater impact, espe-
cially Chloe Sevigny, as a 17-year-
old family friend who innocently
leads Basilio into temptation.
Solid performances notwith-
standing, Trees Lounge does not
aspire to great storytelling, seek-
ing instead to succeed as a study
in characters and, therein, lies its
undoing. While Buscemi has as-
Exclusive Detroit performance!
sembled a fairly impressive num-
ber of characters to study, few
seem worthy of our prolonged at-
tention. Yes, many of the charac-
ters feel real; the problem is they
are not real compelling.
Hosted by
Congregation B'nai Moshe
6800 brake Road, West Bloomfield MI 48322
dt
—Richard Halprin
'Below The Belt'
I
n Richard Dresser's viciously
funny play Below the Belt, the
humor is both scathing and
sophomoric, and quite often,
the Theatre Company's produc-
tion, running through Dec. 8,
aims below the belt, and hits the
funny bone.
The characters are checkers,
one boss, two underlings, and
they check the units being pro-
duced by the company. "What are
these units?" the newcomer, Dob-
bit, asks.
And no one answers.
Hanrahan is his
partner, cohabit-
THEATER
ing in a tiny, des-
room.
perate
Their sad reveries about their
wives recounted at a hilarious
holiday party are like Murray
Shisgal's great scene in Luv.
Merkin, the supervisor, is as
mean-spirited a boss as possible,
the Scrooge in this tale. Ryan
Carlson is nastily effective as a
bureaucratic victimizer.
Played by David Ross, Dobbit
is eerily nice and a goody-two-
shoes.
David Regal plays Hanrahan
and as usual has the power to
convince and create some pow-
erful life on stage.
The fourth star of the show is
Melinda Pacha. Her set is like a
character, allowing director Ar-
thur J. Beer to commodiously
shuffle his men on Dresser's an-
guished chessboard.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15 ❖ 7:00 PM
Tickets $20, $15, $10 ❖ Order now!
MasterCard, Visa, and Discover accepted
Phone (810) 788-0600 tIP Fax (810) 788-0604
PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE SHUL
Here's a rare opportunity For Detroit to see an
extraordinary collection of treasured possessions that
immigrants brought from their homelands!
BECOMING AMERICAN WOMEN:
Clothing and the Jewish
Immigrant Experience
1880-1920
This unique exhibition was created in Chicago and
has been seen in only a few cities. This showing in Detroit
is the last of the tour, so don't miss it! There is also a
special section - a collection of photographs or those
who came to Detroit to find a better life:
The Jewish Immigrant
Experience in Michigan
NOW OPEN FOR A LIMITED TIME!
Detroit Historical Museum
5401 Woodward at Kirby
Detroit
For hours and information, call
(313) 833-1805
1D' 112
(1 ) 1- '6 \101
— Michael H. Margolin
Anna Steinberg Prenti.s. circa 1914.