MIXED MEDIA 156 Days of Business We Appreciate Your Business from page 103 Daily Homestyle Soups Salads Roll-Ups Tuna & Turkey Chicago Style Vienna Hot Dogs Scrumptous Desserts Regular & Low-cal plus...Fresh Beverly Baker Foundation in Memory of Morris Baker. "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. Join The LUNCH BUNCH and enjoy good food with friendly faces! Carry Out - r $100 Off r I with coupon only $5.95 VALUE Lunchtime Only with coupon only JAVA MASTER JAVA MASTER EXPIRES 5/30/98 JAVA MASTER EXPIRES 5/30/98 a I. 20% Off ALL r BUY ONE CHICAGO STYLE VIENNA HOT DOG & GET 2ND ONE AT BUY ONE MUFFIN-GET ONE SMALL COFFEE JAVA MASTER EXPIRES 5/30/98 HOT OR COLD JAVA MASTER DRINKS 50% Off with coupon only FREE with coupon only I. `CREATE-A-SANDWICH' with coupon only EXPIRES 5/30/98 r r Off ANY Buy one Bagel, Lox & Cream Cheese and Get One FREE ANY 1 LB. OF COFFEE r with coupon only JAVA JAVA MASTER EXPIRES 5/30/98 16 I. MASTER EXPIRES 5/30/98 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 03 fi •Dining Room ; 9 8) s 3o • Carry-Out After Theater ■ Kiddie Menu Lincoln Shopping Center • 10-1/2 Mile Road & Greenfield • Breakfast ■ Lunch ■ Dinner ■ 0 0,.. - 00