p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and 10 a.m.-2
p.m. Fridays. Admission is free. For
information, call (212) 678-8975.

Of Note ... New On CD

Adam Sandler has experienced suc-
cess as an actor, stand-up comic, writer
and producer, and now, with his latest
CD, he focuses on his singing and
songwriting skills in an all-music for-
mat. What's Your Name (Warner Bros.)
features fourteen new Sandler comedy
originals.
I've always enjoyed Sandler's perfor-
mances. He remains one of my
"Saturday Night Live" all-time
favorites, and I'd recommend his
movies, like Billy Madison and Happy
Gilmore. Who, for that matter, didn't
get a kick out of Sandler's musical for-
ays as "Opera Man"?
All that said, I have five words for
Adam Sandler regarding his new
release: Stick with "The Chanukah
Song."
Don't get me wrong. Sandler doesn't
have a bad set of pipes; he sings in a 7-
year-old's whiny voice in only a few of
the numbers on this CD (which, by
the way, comes with a parental advisory
for explicit content).
And while I prefer his stand-up rou-
tines on They're All Gonna Laugh at
You! and What the Hell Happened to
Me?, his special brand of musical satire
shines through on "The Lonesome
Kicker," about a football player who
gets no respect, and "The Goat Song,"
about the life of a goat (inspired by
"SNL's" Goat Boy?) who spends 51
years in the back of his abusive master's
pickup truck.
For most people, it would be hard to
sit through an hour of mostly idiotic
songs. So I'll recommend What's Your
Name only to die-hard Sandler fans.
Just don't blame me if you — to use
the Sandler vernacular — think it
sucks.

—

Reviewed by Julie Zimmerman

The University of Michigan's
University Activities Center pre-
sents "An Evening with Adam
Sandler" 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25,
at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor.
Tickets are $15. Cali (248) 645-
6666.

Hanging Around

If you appreciate nostalgic artwork,
and a trip to the Big Apple is on the
horizon, here's an exhibit to add to
your sightseeing list.
The Jewish Theological Seminary
(JTS) in New York, through Dec. 30, is
showing 200 turn-of-the-century post-

10/24
1997

122

— Suzanne Chessler

Focus On Film

Want the opportunity to witness the
magic of Harry Houdini? The late,
great escape artist will be portrayed by
actor Harvey Keitel in a movie opening
today.
—,
Fairy Tale is drawn from actual
events written up by Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle (of Sherlock Holmes fame)
about two young cousins who claimed
to have seen and photographed fairies
living in a garden. The film is set in
World War I-era England, when the
belief in spiritualism ran high.
The story weaves in the lively battle
between Doyle (portrayed by Peter
O'Toole), the man of deduction and n
reason who strongly believed in the
paranormal; and Houdini, the master
magician and illusionist who tried to
contact his beloved mother after her
death, but as the victim of corrupt and
deceitful mediums, sought to unmask
their fraud and deception.
Houdini (born Erik Weisz, the son
of a rabbi), despite his penchant for
exposing hoaxes, always maintained th'e-
possibility of belief in the paranormal.
On his death he vowed that if it was
possible to communicate with the liv-
ing, he would achieve it — his greatest
escape. However, despite an annual
seance conducted by his wife Bess, in
the years after his death, no contact was
made.

L

Adam Sandler: A
new CD and an
Ann Arbor gig.

ent and irreverent, playful and serious,
secular and religious.
A group of cards celebrates America's
growing love affair with transportation,
with women in airplanes, couples in
canoes and children on trains, all wish-
ing "Shanah Tovah."
Postcards of American and
European synagogues, some no
longer standing, are featured in
a tribute to an age gone by.
Two of the cards have been
reproduced and packaged for
sale as new year's cards that fold.
Each packet contains 10
cards and envelopes, five of each
design. The cost is $12 per
rtse
tz.ni "s1:7
packet, including shipping and
,T!!?, 4/
thwz:
-74,4
handling.
7r.47.1
r.,* •
The JTS, the spiritual and
academic center of Conservative
Judaism founded in 1886, is
Children get ready for Simchat Torah in this
early 20th century postcard, which was sent as a
located at 3080 Broadway.
Exhibition hours are 10 a.m.-5
new years greeting.

cards with ethnic themes ranging from
the mythical to the whimsical. Some
were used as Jewish new year cards.
"Past Perfect: Jewish Experience in
Early 20th Century Postcards" shows
selections from the permanent collec-
tion of the JTS Library. They are rever-

Magician Harry Houdini (Harvey
Keitel) chats with Elsie Wright (Florence (
Hoath) in Fairy Tale: A True Story.

Fairy Tale, Rated PG, is produced by
Wendy Finerman, who won an
Academy Award as the producer of
Forrest Gump. Film highlights include a
re-enactment of Houdini's
"Metamorphosis" and "Chinese Water
Torture Tank" tricks.

— Gail Zimmerman