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"To my mind, Tevye is still the best
of all Jewish standup comedians," said
Wisse, who teaches Jewish literature in
courses presented in Yiddish and in
English.
'This is a character in a time of very
sharp transition. He was expected and
prepared to behave in a certain way,
but suddenly he is overwhelmed by
rapid and disturbing changes.
"He tells the story of how he han-
dled all the changes, and in talking
about it, he shows how he coped. One
of the ways was through his humor.
"He was able to interpret humilia-
tion in a way that made him look
good. He interpreted law as something
he could turn to his advantage. He
interpreted tragedy as something he
could overcome."
Wisse will explore why Tevye's
comic subjects continue — family and
the generation gap, the impact of
money or lack of it, and adjustments to
uncomfortable situations.
"I think these are the staples of
humor in anybody's book," explained
Wisse, whose lecture is from a chapter
in a book she is writing about modern
Jewish literature.
— Suzanne Chessler
Ruth Wisse will discuss "Tevye th e
Dairyman: The First Jewish
Standup Comedian" at 3 p.m.
Sunday, May 10, at Congregation
Shaarey Zedek. (313) 577-2679,
CURTAIN CALL
Drawn together by circumstance,
The Cemetery Club's membership roster
reads almost like a character treatment
for "The Golden Girl's" pilot, minus
the post-stroke octogenarian who gets
to spew all its tastiest acerbic quips.
Lighthearted and leisurely in pace,
Ivan Menchell's play gingerly touches
upon coping with death and moving
on — from the vantage point of three
women who have loved and, subse-
quently, lost.
The triumvirate is composed of
Doris (Mary Bremer), Ida (Carolyn
Younger) and Lucille (Evelyn Orbach);
their degrees of bereavement fall in
descending order.
But just because Doris has nearly
one Easy Spirit pump in her beloved
Abe's grave or Lucille stands apparently
eager to cha-cha on her philandering
Harry's casket, Menchell's play does not
judge these women in their various
stages of grief. He leaves that wicked
West 14 Mile Road
corner of
Farmington Road
Simsbury Plaza
(248) 626-7393
FAX
(248) 626-7306
Mary Bremer, Carolyn Younger and
Evelyn Orbach star in JET's production
of "The Cemetery Club."
business to the women themselves.
They do a bang-up job of falsely
assessing grief and accusing on their
own, and more than their share of
meddling. For when Sam (a widower
butcher, played by Arthur Beer) enters
the picture and falls for Ida, Doris and
Lillian assess Ida's proper grief has not
yet been fulfilled, and together, they tell
Sam to cool it.
Ah yes, in case we'd forgotten, that is
what friends are for.
With a few added twists and turns,
The Cemetery Club very lightly paints
the notions that grief cannot be shared,
that blame shouldn't be assigned to
those who are ready to move on, that
suffering has no requisite time frame.
Together with Lois Bendier as Mildred,
the cast works with an effortlessness to
create an ensemble in the truest sense
of the word.
Edith Bookstein's costumes give each
actor an appropriate closet for their
character, and sew together a few gen-
uine hoots for Orbach's Lillian. With
help from Lucy Meyo's slide projection,
Monika Essen's set, in its shift from liv-
ing room to cemetery to living room
again, creates the necessary pendulum
swing between the land of the living
and the grave.
Though warranting a bit of quicken-
ing in its pace, Susan Arnold's direction
capably brings to life Menchell's script.
But Menchell's script — there lies
the flaw. While offering some genuine
laughs and heartfelt emotion, sadly, the
piece neither aims to be a raucous corn-
edy nor a loftier morality play. Instead,
it walks a fence that lies between these
two genres.
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NAK A TA
OPEN 7 DAYS • LUNCH & DINNER
featuring
AUTHENTIC JAPANESE CUISINE
AS YOU LIKE IT!
• Elegant Atmosphere •
Gracious Warmth • Reasonable Prices
* Sushi Bar * Private Japanese Rooms
* Cocktails Including - 30 Different Kinds of Sake
Lunch: Mon.-Fri. 11:30-2 p.m. • Dinner: Mon.-Sat. 5:30-10:30 p.m.
Sunday 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
737-7220
737-7223
32443 NORTHWESTERN HWY.
Fax:
Between Middlebelt & 14 Mile
Visit us on the web www.hakatasushi.com
— Reviewed by Susan Zweig
JET's production. of The Cemetery
Club runs through May 24 in the
Aaron DeRoy Theatre at the Kahn
Jewish Community Center. In
honor of Mother's Day, two-for-one
tickets are available far the matinee
and evening performances on
Sunday, May 10. (248) 788-2900.
Tuesday - Sunday • 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m. •
cN
(.1
tliE
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•Dining Room ; 9 8)
s 3o
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After Theater ■ Kiddie Menu
Lincoln Shopping Center • 10-1/2 Mile Road & Greenfield •
Breakfast
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