137 Park St., Chelsea. (734) 475-
7902.
Scott Joplin, a musical play about
the "King of Ragtime," opens 8:30
p.m. Thursday, April 2, at Detroit
Repertory Theatre, 13103 Woodrow
Wilson, Detroit. Performances contin-
ue through May 24. $15. (313) 868-
1347.
David Mamet reveals the sinister
side of the Hollywood movie industry
in Speed-the-Plow, at the WSU Stu-
dio Theatre. 8 p.m. Thursday-Satur-
day, April 2-4 and 9-11. 2 p.m. Sun-
day, April 5. Downstairs at the Hilber-
ry Theatre, Corner of Cass and Han-
cock, Detroit. $5-$7. (313) 577-2972.
Dance Fever
The Eisenhower Dance Ensemble
presents its season finale 8 p.m. Friday
and Saturday, March 27-28, at the
Macomb Center for the Performing
Arts. Titled Other Voices: Power and
Passion, it's a mixture of repertory
,2,-) from internationally known choreog-
raphers. $16/adults, $14/students and
seniors. 44575 Garfield Road, Clinton
Township. (810) 286-2222.
Michael Flatley's Lord of the
Dance explodes on the Fox Theatre
stage 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 31, with
performances continuing through
April 5. $10-$60. 2211 Woodward,
Detroit. (248) 433-1515.
Laugh Lines
Catch Maryellen Hooper, just
named Funniest Female Stand-Up
Comic at the 1998 American Comedy
Awards, in her refreshingly hysterical
stand-up comedy act 8:30 p.m. Thurs-
day, April 2; 8:15 p.m and 10:45 p.m.
Friday and Saturday,.April 3-4, at
Joey's Comedy Club, 5070 Schaefer
Road, Dearborn. $10-$12. (313) 584-
8885.
The Art Scene
Award-winning photographer
Marji Silk shares "The Magic of
Night Photography" in a clinic 2 p.m.
Sunday, March 29, at Border's Books
& Music, 34300 Woodward Ave.,
Birmingham. (248) 203-0005.
The Oak Park Arts and Cultural
Commission features its Glass '98
exhibition of stained glass and art glass
at the Oak Park Public Library April
1-May 16. Prize juror Ellen Mandel-
baum of New York will lecture at an
artists reception 5:30-8 p.m. Saturday,
May 16. 14200 Oak Park Blvd., Oak
Park. (248) 691-7480.
The Detroit Institute of Arts cele-
brates its nine newly renovated 18th-
century French galleries, and the first
permanent installation of the Firestone
Silver Collection, on Wednesday, April
1. Rosalind Savill, director of the Wal-
lace Collection, London, presents a
lecture titled Fit for Kings and Col-
lectors: 18th- Century French Art 2
p.m. Saturday, April 4, in the DIA
Lecture Hall. Free with museum
admission. 5200 Woodward Ave.,
Detroit. (313) 833-7900.
"New Works/Oil," a series of semi-
abstracted oil on paper landscapes, by
Fran Wolok, will be exhibited at the
Lawrence Street Gallery April 1-25.
Opening reception 7-10 p.m. Satur-
day, April 4. 6 N. Saginaw, Pontiac.
(248) 334-6716.
The DIA celebrates the opening of its
newly renovated 18th-century French
galleries and the first permanent instal-
lation of the Firestone Silver Collection.
The Southfield Centre for the Arts
exhibits works by Birmingham artist
Bertha Cohen April 1-30. The show
features portraits and landscapes in
oils. 24350 Southfield Road. (248)
424-9022.
Whatnot
The DIA Volunteer Committee is
conducting its semi-annual Volunteer
Orientation 12:30 p.m. Sunday,
March 29, in the DIA Lecture Hall.
5200 Woodward Ave., Detroit. (313)
833-0247.
Mid-Michigan Cat Fanciers present
their Winter Wonder Cat Show 9
a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday,
March 28-29, at the Novi Expo Center.
$7/adults, $5/seniors, $4/ages 5-12. I-
96 and Novi Road. (734) 654-2302.
Speaking Of Music nu
Gurt, who has performed with Nagel
in the festival's piano quartet, calls
with notes and footnotes, facts and
the instrumentalist-professor a
fancies about the classical composers
"thinking man's pianist, always with
whose works take shape through his
interesting ideas."
playing.
Nagel began studying keyboard as
Maybe that's because the role of
a high school student in Kentuc
college professor at the University of
He moved on to the Juilliard
Michigan never really submerges
School
in New York, where he
very deep beneath the surface, even
earned three degrees. A summer
when he travels to concert halls as
study program brought him to
Oakland University, and he took
lessons from Vladimir Ashke-
nazy.
Nagel's faculty work at the
University of Michigan, where
he teaches piano performance,
began in 1969: This assignment
has allowed him to keep up with
his own performance career.
Sometime back, he used to
play piano duets with his wife,
Julie Jaffee Nagel, also a former
Juilliard student. She has since
become a psychologist, whose
specialties include the treatment
of stage fright.
Nagel, who has taught at
Interlochen and adjudicated
many competitive piano events,
recently performed two concerts
Louis Nagel: 'Thinking mans' pianist."
with the Budapest Philharmonic.
Besides winning prestigious
awards such as those conferred by
distant as Jerusalem or Sydney.
the Geneva International Competi-
Nagel brings his talents and tales
tion and the National Federation of
to the Birmingham Temple Vivace
Music Clubs, he has been featured
Series with a program called "Speak-
on radio and television.
Mg of Music" 3:30 p.m. Sunday,
Although Nagel's career has intro-
March 29, when he will play pieces
duced.
him to a great diversity of
by Bach, Debussy and Schumann.
musical opportunities, his work with
"I love the music, and I like to
the LCE takes him into another new
talk about the music," said Nagel,
dimension.
who this season became artistic
"I'm planning for next year and I'm
director of the Lyric Chamber
interested in presenting top-of-the-line
Ensemble (LCE), replacing Israel-
chamber music," said Nagel E
bound Fedora Horowitz.
Although Nagel has not per-
--- Suzanne Chessler
formed.at the Birmingham Temple
before, his background holds family
commitments to temple. In 1850,
his grandmother was a founding
Louis Nagel performs 3:30 p.m.
member of the Reform congregation
Sunday, March 29, at the Birm-
in Louisville, Ky., and today, he is
ingham Temple, 28611 W. 12
active with Temple Beth Emeth in
Mile, Farmington Hills, where
Ann Arbor.
there will be an afterglow. $15
"I like to make music user-friend-
general admission/$14 seniors
ly," said Nagel, who recently per-
and students. (248) 788-9338
formed at Orchestra Hall in the
or (248) 288-3953.
annual LCE piano festival. Michael
Louis Nagel fills his piano concerts