Photo by Stephen Sp inella
creative ideas. I was a teacher in a
summer program for academically
gifted middle and high school stu-
dents from all over the state, and
Tony not only was a graduate of this
program, he came back from New
York's Columbia University during
two college summers as a teacher and
counselor and to direct the annual
summer productions.
One year he wrote an original play,
and another year he directed The
Tempest and starred as Prospero. He
was always writing and designing and
illustrating. Yes, he's an artist, too.
I have saved an entire collection of
his original greeting cards, and our
temple social hall is brightened by his
Chagall-like watercolors depicting his
interpretation of the High Holidays
and major festivals.
Tony designed a "spook house" for
our town's Episcopal Day School
when he was around 10, and wrote
award-winning plays in Latin for his
high school Latin club conventions.
Naturally, they won the state champi-
onship.
Always knowledgeable, with an
instinctive understanding of complex
ideas and the amazing ability to
explain these same complexities with-
out oversimplifying or patronizing,
Tony was from the very beginning a
great natural teacher.
I have a friend who just retired
after many years of teaching in a gift-
ed program, and she admitted proud-
ly that she used Tony's 15-year-old
lesson plans for Oedipus Rex up until
her very last day.
Currently, Tony is working with
musician Bobbie McFerrin on an
opera based upon the legend of St.
Cecelia, the patroness of music who
refused to worship the Roman gods
and was beheaded and subsequently
martyred. He is also in the throws of
another epic opus, this one about the
life of the legendary escaped slave
Henry "Box" Brown. Quite a depar-
ture from Angels, but a testament to
his diversity.
Tony has been generous to his old
friends ... with his time, his fame and
his talents. And he hasn't changed
one iota. He is still the loving heimish
kinder he always was. He seems to
have gotten more Jewish as he has
grown. older.
By this I mean he is involved in
many projects with Jewish themes.
One of his recent projects involved
the adaptation and translation of
Ansky's The Dybbuk, with a poster
illustration by his friend Maurice
Sendak. The Dybbuk will open on
Broadway in early November, starring
Ron Liebman and the klezmer music
of the Klezmatics.
Of course, Tony's conversations are
full of Yiddishisms, and to me, his
compassion, wit and in some ways,
even his talent, all have roots in his
Jewishness.
Somewhere in the Pirke Avot, the
Ethics of Our Fathers, it is written:
"What are the good things that we
should seek?" A kindly eye? A good
friend? A good neighbor? Foresight?
A good heart? Tony has shown us all
of these ... and so much more. We
are fortunate.
Mary-Brennan Bachrack, Harold Bachrack and Tony KUshner during a su-miner
visit to New York.
A scene from Tony Kushner's Angels In America.
Tony Kushner, winner of a Pulitzer Prize arm to Tony Awards for hi
two-part, seven-hour Broadway 0 roductioh of Angels m America: <4 Gay
,Fantasia 0i National Themes, wiC1 speak at the University of'Michigan's
P0,.,ver Center on Sunday, Sept. 28,, at 7:30 p.m.
Sponsored by the University's Hillel, his appearance is pa.r -E of the
C t leb raui on of Jewish Life/Great Writers series. His appearance is co-
sponsored by li-Nrs Office of Lesbian Gay Bisexual 'llansgender
Affairs.
ictish ner-s p rcs,-.,ni.atiori wilt be about art and culture as they relate
to politics and Judaism. "NNThat 1.1.e,-1 to be catied liberal is now called
insaJle, what us,:d
radical, what used to i--)e called radical is no ,,v•
arai what used to he
to be called reactionary is now cai
.:„; the play-
called insane is no-C called solid
wright.
Tickets can be purchased at Hillel and all TicketmasteT outlets:
$815 students. Call (111) -769-O5OO for more in
9/19
1997
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