Milk And
Honey

The Temple Israel Players
celebrate Israel's 50th with a
musical revival set in the
Promised Land.

SUZANNE CHESSLER

Special To The Jewish News

L

Top: Larry Miller and Randy Topper go
over their lines during practice.

Above: Members of the cast of 'Milk
and Honey" gather 'round the piano,
played by Sharon Thomas. Cast mem-
bers include, left to right, Avivah
Thomas, Robyn Berkowitz, Liz Walters,
Larry Miller, Lucy Simons, Randy
Topper, Suzie Wiener and Jerry Weiner.

On our JNE cover: The cast of 'Milk
and Honey"

3/20
1998

84

arry Miller under-
stands how well art
can imitate life and
life can imitate art.
Some 30 years ago, Miller
was a student traveling
through Israel when he met
his wife, Carole, another
American student on a similar
journey. After a courtship that
traversed the. distance from
New Jersey to Michigan, they
decided to set up their stakes
close to his hometown.
These days, Miller takes to
the stage as a fictional
American Jew traveling to
Israel and finding romance. As
Phil in the 1961 musical Milk
and Honey, he is a widower
visiting his relocated daughter
when he meets Ruth, another
American traveler portrayed
by Liz Walters. The two fall in
love with each other and the land,
where they decide to make a home
together.
The musical, about three women
touring Israel in search of husbands, is
the second project of the Temple
Players, a community theater group
Miller was asked to organize by the
Temple Israel leadership.
After setting up the group's founda-
tion as producer, Miller went to the
auditions as an actor.
"This is the first musical Jerry
Herman wrote, coming before his
many other hits such as Hello, Dolly!
and La Cage Aux Folles," said Miller, a

dentist and Temple Israel board mem-
ber whose participation in community
theater spans eight years.
"Besides a cast of 34, we have a 12-
piece orchestra and 10 talented people
working behind the scenes. The music
is wonderful and reflects the spirit of
Israel."
The play will be the temple's first
activity in a series of events planned to
celebrate Israel's 50th anniversary.
It will open Thursday, March 26, as
the entertainment for the temple's
annual fund-raising Patrons Dinner
and then have two more performances
on Sunday, March 29.
Proceeds from the Patrons Dinner
support the temple's social action pro-
grams offered free to the community.
These programs range from interfaith
dialogues to illness support groups.
Miller, who has worked with the
Bloomfield Players and Avon Players,
produced his first temple program in
1996, Our Loss Is Our Gain, a tribute
to Rabbi Harold Loss on his 25th
anniversary with the congregation.
"That 45-minute musical produc-
tion took me six months and included
the writing," Miller said. "We've been
working on Milk and Honey, for a
year.
The current production te m
includes director Rob Leider, head of
the West Bloomfield High School the-
ater department. Carole Miller, who
teaches in the temple preschool and
shares her husband's stage interests,
prefers working behind the scenes and
is assistant director.
Valerie Mould has stepped in as
choreographer, and Sharon Thomas
has tuned in as musical director.

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