Live In Toronto
It's Yids In The Hall

A

Group Sales Call Nicole
313.962.2913

6u

t Yuk Yuk's Superclub in
Toronto, Nubian Disciples
of Pryor was always selling
out. So Yuk Yuk's owner,
Mark Breslin, and Canadian
comic Lou Eisen thought, "If
there's an all-black comedy show-
case that does that well, why not
a collection of all-Jewish stand-
ups?"
On Oct. 6, Yids in the Hall
made their debut, performing to
a sold-out crowd of 400 — "all
Jewish, except five," says Eisen,
who M.C.s the seven-person show
ofJewish-Canadian-based comics
plus one from L.A. — for good
measure. Their next "Guilt-Free
Night of Jewish Humor" is slat-
ed for Wednesday, Dec. 25, at
Yuk Yuk's on Yonge Street.
"We tossed around 'Yid Pro
Quo' and 'Antic Semites' for
names, but we thought people
would misinterpret that," says
Toronto-born Eisen, who studied
for several years with Second
City. "[Yids in the Hall] is a good
parody on [the Canadian come-
dy group] Kids in the Hall."

with after his mother passed
Wednesday, Dec. 25, at Sper-
away when he was 5.
tus Institute of Jewish Studies,
"You were either a doctor or a
618 S. Michigan Avenue,
lawyer or a bum. 'You don't make
Chicago. Admission is free, and
any money in stand-up,"' Eisen
all kids who attend will receive
remembers his zayde warning
a
prize. For more information,
him. "My father always preached,
call (313) 322-1747.
`Live your life to please yourself,
and not other people."
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW
Eisen includes recollections of A SECRET?
his grandparents in his Yids in
An evening of Family Secrets,
the Hall act. He also features for single and married young
mostly political and topical ma-
adults, will be spon-
terial when he plays to
sored by the Cultural
non-Jewish audiences. In
Awareness Committee
addition, he's a contrib-
of Federation's Young
utor to "The Tonight
Adult Division 7:30
Show" with Jay Leno
p.m. Thursday, Jan. 9.
and wrote local humor
The Jewish Ensem-
for Bette Midler to use in
ble Theatre production
her act when she per-
is a one-woman show
JULIE YOLLES
formed in Toronto.
featuring former De-
Next up, Eisen's work- ENTERT AINMENT troiter Susan Merson
ing on a half-hour sitcom,
WR ITER
in five monologues de-
"Jews Assembling Fur-
picting various mem-
niture."
bers of a family.
"It takes 26 episodes to get it
An afterglow and reception
done, and in the last episode, you with Susan Merson will follow
hire a gentile to come in and do the performance.
it."

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25,1997 6:00 pin,

THE DE TR OIT J EWIS H N EW S

HILL AUDITORIUM

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NANCI GRIFFITH +THE DROP CATS WI MIKE GORDON OF PHISH
LEON REDBONE ♦ DAVID BROMBERG W/ JAY UNGAR & MOLLY MASON
DAN BERN ♦ ALY BAIN & PHIL CUNNINGHAM ♦ MARTIN SEXTON
PATTY GRIFFIN +SUSAN WERNER ♦ LES BARKER

Tickets ON SALE DEC, 2 at the Michigan Union Ticket Office.
Herb David Guitar Studio, Schoolkids Records, and all
TicketMaster Outlets, Charge By Phone at 763 IRIS.

HAWK

,1211

CROWNE PLAZA.

A fundraiser for The Ark

A UM Major Events Division of Student Affairs presentation

ANN A.104

,RV1ti NEWS

Batch the best
Music Reviews in
JN Entertainment

"Yids in the Hall, A
Guilt-Free Night of
Jewish Humor," will be
presented at 8:30 p.m.,
Wednesday, Dec. 25, at
Yuk Yuk's Superclub.
Tickets are $10. 2335
Yonge Street, Toronto.
For reservations, call
(416) 96776425.

INSTEAD OF CHI-
NESE AND A MOVIE
Looking for something
else to do on Wednesday,
Dec. 25, besides Chinese
and a movie? If Yuk
Yuk's in Toronto isn't in
your traffic plans, how
about a road trip to
Canadian comic Lou Eisen is the host of "Yids in
Chicago?
the Hall, A Guilt-Free Night of Jewish Humor" at
Something Else! A
Yuk Yuk's in Toronto.
Jewish Community Fes-
Eisen says that one of their un- tival will be presented 11 a.m.-3
spoken rules is to keep the humor p.m. at Spertus Institute ofJew-
clean and mostly Jewish-related ish Studies. Ongoing perfor-
(at least 40 percent). He's hoping mances and family activities are
to make Yids in the Hall a regu- scheduled throughout the day, in-
lar monthly feature at Yuk Yuk's. cluding music by the a cappella
Ever since Eisen was 7 years singing group LISTEN UP!; Is-
raeli folk dancing; craft activities
old, he wanted to be a comic.
"My father took me to see A in the ARTiFACT Center; a vis-
Night at the Opera with the Marx it from Menschy the clown; sto-
Brothers. Just the way Groucho rytelling for kids; Yiddish
spoke on the screen sort of gal- storytelling for adults; and tours
vanized me," Eisen recalls. "Ever of Spertus Museum.
since then, that's what I wanted
e Something Else! A Jewish
to do."
Community Festival will be
Much to the chagrin of his bub-
held from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
bie and zayde, whom Eisen lived

e Family Secrets will be
sponsored by the Cultural
Awareness Committee of Fed-
eration's Young Adult Division
at the Aaron DeRoy Theater
of the Maple-Drake Jewish
Community Center 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 9. Tickets are
$18; reservations are required
by Dec. 31. Space is limited.
For reservations and infor-
mation, contact Tanya Mazor-
Posner at Federation, (810)
642-4260.

CAN WE TALK?
The Diva of Dish, The Queen
of Schtick, the Fashion Plate of
"E" Channel is coming to Adat
Shalom on March 5. The annu-
al CHOICES luncheon, an Allied
Jewish Campaign community
outreach event and fund-raiser,
is presenting Emmy-award win-
ning comedienne, talk-show
host, actress and writer Joan
Rivers.
Sponsored by the Jewish Fed-
eration Women's Campaign and
Education Department, the
CHOICES event is $20, includ-
ing lunch and a minimum $150
campaign pledge to the Allied
Jewish Campaign. Complimen-
tary babysitting will be available
for children 2 1/2 and older. The
deadline is Feb. 15. For More in-
formation, call the Federation
Women's Campaign and Edu-
cation Department, (810) 642-
4260. El