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"TWO THUMBS UP I!,
Seychel and Hubert
Congregation Beth Achim Club Night presents
THE MICHIGAN OPERA THEATRE PERFORMING
A Broadway composer raises the Titanic.
"From Broadway with Love"
Introductory Performance by Cantor Max Shimansky
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Michigan Opera Theatre's virtuoso performers
will present a fast paced cabaret style musical revue
of hit songs from Broadway and Hollywood.
Don't miss this musical extravaganza!
Sunday, June 8, 7:30 p.m.
Congregation Beth Achim
21100 Twelve Mile I Southfield
Tickets $36.00
Patron $50.00
Call (810) 352-8670 for information
Sumptuous Hors D' Oeuvres
Fantastic Dessert Buffet
PROCEEDS WILL BENEFIT THE BETH ACHIM RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS
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Music Of The Night
THE JEWISH NEWS
ALICE BURDICK SCHWEIGER SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
bum, Goya —A Life in Song, re-
writing the musical score leased by Sony in English and
for Titanic, a new Broad- Spanish and featuring Placido
way show, wasn't going to Domingo and Gloria Estefan.
His song "Till I Loved You" be-
be easy.
came
a top-40 Barbra Streisand
"The Titanic is a big part of
this century's history," says hit.
"My grandfather was a cantor
Yeston, "and I wanted to show
how first-, second- and third-class and my mother was a piano
passengers rubbed elbows, and teacher," he says. "All kinds of mu-
how they had their dreams shat- sic have been an important part
tered when the ship hit an iceberg. of my life."
Equally important were his
There are tales of heroism as well
Jewish
roots, he says. Yeston was
as cowardice."
The idea to write a play about educated at a yeshiva in New
the catastrophe came to Yeston York, solidifying his religious ed-
over a decade ago, but the concept ucation. After high school, he
became a reality in 1989, when he earned an undergraduate degree
met Peter Stone, the author of 12 at Yale, then a fellowship to Cam-
Broadway productions, including bridge University in England. Af-
ter earning a Ph.D. at Yale, he
Will Rogers Follies.
joined
the faculty there, where he
Teter and I were both working
on Grand Hotel, and during a con- became director of undergradu-
ate studies in music.
versation, we discovered that
we had a mutual and pas-
sionate interest about the Ti-
tanic," he recalls. "Shortly
after, we decided to collabo-
rate — he would write the
story and I would do the mu-
sic and lyrics."
While there have been
eyebrows raised about turn-
ing a tragedy into a musical
drama, the composer says it's
been done many times be-
fore. "Look at The King And
I, West Sick Story and Miss
Saigon. These shows cer-
tainly do not have happy
endings," he points out. "Yet,
they are very moving."
In sticking to the facts,
both Yeston and Stone spent
months researching the pas- Maury Yeston translated his passionate
sengers. "I read everything interest in the Titanic into a Broadway score.
that I could," says Yeston,
But it was while he was work-
who went through mountains of
ing at a New York music work-
documents from survivors.
Among the passengers were shop for composers of popular
many Jews, and Yeston and Stone music that he decided to put his
incorporated some of them in the efforts into writing musicals.
For now, Yeston's focus is on Ti-
play. 'This was the height of the
immigrant era and the Titanic tanic, and he hopes that the lav-
was built to accommodate those ish $10-million stage production
at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater in
immigrants," he says.
"Of course, we included the New York, with a cast of 43 indi-
Strauses, one of the most famous vidual characters, is well received.
couples on board. I wrote a song "I tried to be moving and com-
about Ida and Isidor Straus and pelling as a writer," he says, "and
their undying love, and it's sung I hope the public likes it."
Titanic has been nominated for
as Ida is getting out of the lifeboat
Best Musical, Best Original Score
to be with her husband."
Yeston's bio bursts with Broad- (Maury Yeston), Best Book of a
way and off-Broadway hits, in- Musical (Peter Stone), Best Or-
cluding Nine, for which he won a chestrations (Jonathan Tunick)
Tony Award and two Drama and Best Scenic Design (Stewart
Desk awards, and Grand Hotel, Laing). Winners will be an-
for which he was nominated for a nounced June 1.O
Tony.
e Titanic is being performed
Yeston's lyrics and music cov-
at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre
er a wide range of styles, and his
credits include a cello concerto per- in New York City. For infor-
mation, call, (212) 575-9200.
formed by Yo Yo Ma and an al-
M awry Yeston knew that