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riff

Paris by Cole Porter, Jerome Kern,
Stephen Sondheim, Dave Frishberg,
Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel and more.
415 N. Fourth Ave., Ann Arbor. $10-
$25. (734) 769-2999.

On The
Stage

11

)

The Small Screen

He was a song and dance man
before he was "Seinfeld's" George
Costanza. Jason Alexander and the
Boston Pops Orchestra pay tribute to
Broadway choreographer Jerome
Robbins as well as big band leg-
end Glenn Miller 7 p.m. Satur-
day, Sept. 19, on Detroit Public
Television, WTVS-Channel 56.
"ER" fans have been enjoying
watching the show in syndication
7 p.m. weekdays on TNT since
early September. Go behind the
scenes on the Warner Bros.
Steve Lawrence and soundstage with the cast in a live
Eydie Gorme

Utilizing the
rhythms and energies
of tap dance to cele-
brate the history of the
beat, Bring In 'Da
Noise, Bring In Da
Funk returns to
Detroit Tuesday-Sun-
day, Sept. 22-27. Call for show
times. Masonic Temple Theatre,
500 Temple, Detroit. $22.50-
539.50. (248) 645-6666.
Avenue X, directed by Darryl V.
Jones with musical direction by
Ben Cohen, is an a capella musical
mixing Doo-wop and black Gospel
and Soul to create a new harmony,
but with undertones of racial con-
flict. 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays
and 2 and 7 p.m. Sundays, Sept.
24-Oct. 18, at Performance Net-
Wendy Jacobs: "The Squeeze Chair Project."
work, 408 W. Washington, in Ann
Arbor. $15/$12 students and
seniors/pay what you can Thurs-
days. (734) 663-0681.
Plymouth Theatre Guild's produc-
tion of The Nerd, directed by Sandy
he national touring com-
Rosenberger and featuring Daniel
pany of the smash Broad-
Berryman, is the story of an Indiana
way hit Chicago — The
architect visited by the Vietnam hero
Musical is headed to the
"nerd" who saved his life. It takes the
Motor City for a three-week engage-
stage at the Water Tower Theatre 8
ment, and not long after the musical
p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday,
ends its run in
Sept. 25-26, Oct. 1-3; and 6
Detroit, the
p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27 and Oct.
show's award-
4. 41001 W. Seven Mile,
winning song-
Northville. $9. (248) 349-7110.
writing team,
John Kander
and Fred Ebb,
will be in Wash-
Clockwatcher, Jill Sprecher's
ington to receive
1998 stinging comedy about the
new recognition.
surreal, often humiliating lives of
The John F.
temporary office workers, fea-
Kennedy Center
tures a great ensemble cast
for the Perform-
including Toni Colette, Lisa
ing Arts hsas
Kudrow, Alanna Urbach and
announced the
John Kander, com-
Parker Posey. See it this weekend at
selection of the
poser, and Fred
the Detroit Film Theatre. $5.50. Call
Broadway duo
Ebb, lyricist and
for show times. (313) 833-2323.
and
four others
co-book writer, of
as
recipients
of
"Chicago."

special, as CNN's Larry King Meets
ER. 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept., 19, on
TNT.

The Art Scene

The Cranbrook Museum of Art
opens two exhibits on Saturday,
Sept. 19. The Squeeze Chair Project
by artist Wendy Jacob, known for
her works which investigate aspects
of physical presence and touch,
showcases two living-room style
upholstered squeeze chairs which, by
the action of foot pumps, mechani-
cally embrace whomever is seated in
them. Through Nov. 1. Somewhere
by Carla Preiss combines the
Venezuelan-born artist's lush
paintings with mirrored plex-
iglass to create an installation
that explores paranoia, sci-
ence fiction and voyeurism.
Through Jan. 3. Preiss offers
a gallery talk at noon on
Sept. 19; Jacob delivers a lec-
ture at 2 p.m. 1221 N.
Woodward Ave., Bloomfield
Hills. $5 adults/$3 students,
children, seniors/7 and under
free. (248) 645-3323.
Stroll through the streets of

downtown Royal Oak during the city's
fall gallery walk 5-9 p.m. Wednesday,
Sept. 16. $3 admission includes
refreshments.

Whatnot

Former guru to the stars and cur-
rent spiritual leader of Warren's
Church of Today, Marianne
Williamson discusses her new book,
The Healing of America,7 p.m. Tues-
day, Sept. 22, at Borders, 34300
Woodward, in Birmingham. (248)
203-0005.
Looking to join a book club? Bor-
der's Jewish Authors Book Group
holds an informal meeting to discuss
topics of interest and peruse new titles
on mysticism 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept.
22. 30995 Orchard Lake Road, Farm-
ington Hills. (248) 737-0110.
The Greektown Harvest Festival
features live entertainment and a food
and wine tasting from 6-10 p.m. Fri-
day, Sept. 25, along Monroe St. to
benefit the Ginopolis-Karmanos Pedi-
atric Cancer Research Endowment
Fund at Children's Hospital. For more
information and tickets, call (877)
473-3586.

`Chicago' Moves To Detroit

T

The Big Screen

the Kennedy Center Honors of 1998
at the 21st annual national celebra-
tion of the arts.
The Jewish songwriting partners
— whose showstoppers "All That
Jazz," "Razzle Dazzle" and "Mr. Cel-
lophane" will ring out Sept. 22-Oct.
11 in Detroit — will be celebrated at
several Washington events, including
a visit to the White House.
"I'd like people to think of me as
a good carpenter," Kander, 71, the
music writer, told the The New York
Times. "Being a good craftsman
means more to me than anything
else. I take that very seriously."
Ebb, 63, teamed with Kander in
1965, and their professional partner-
ship became the longest-running in
Broadway musical history. Besides
writing the lyrics for Chicago, Ebb
worked on the script with the late
director-choreographer Bob Fosse.
The show, based on actual events,
follows Roxie Hart, a nightclub
dancer who shoots her lover and

winds up a celebrity with the help of
a conniving lawyer. For the Detroit
run, Belle Calaway plays the part of
Roxie and Alan Thicke takes the role
of her lawyer.
Kander and Ebb — whose Chica-
lost
out to A Chorus. Line in 1976
go
but won six 1997 Tony Awards in its
revival on Broadway — had their
first success in 1965 with-Flora, The
Red Menace starring Liza Minnelli.
She went on to star in their next
show, Cabaret, in 1966.
Other award-winning Kander-
Ebb musicals include Zorba, Woman
of the Year and Kiss of the Spider
Woman.

— Suzanne Chessler

Chicago runs Sept. 22-Oct. 11 at
the Fisher Theatre. Performances
are at 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays;
7:30 p.m. Sundays; and 2 p.m.
Saturdays and Sundays. $35-$62.
(313) 872-1000.

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Detroit Jewish News

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