nt

•

SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to The Jewish News

T

he classic tale of
Pinocchio gets
some new music
and a fresh presen,
ration when it comes to the
Birmingham Community
House on Saturday and
Sunday, Nov. 14 and 15. The
musical, performed by chil-
dren in a show considered
family theater, is the eighth
annual full-length work

call notice, has performed with chil-
dren's theater in Milwaukee, where her
grandmother, Deborah Aronson,
directs a program similar to what is
being done in Birmingham. Natasha
had a role there in Family Reunion, a
play based on a children's book writ-
ten by her aunt, Marilyn Singer.
Natasha's family moved to Michigan
when her father, Federation Executive
Vice President Robert Aronson,
brought his family to Detroit.
"I like to be heard," says Natasha,
who studies drama and forensics and
has sung the national anthem before a
Vipers hockey game at the Palace
of Auburn Hills. "I have some
feelings bottled up inside, and I
can project them on stage."
While Natasha's preference
currently is to become an artist,
acting has helped her to become
• a better listener, and preparing
for Pinocchio has strengthened
her voice. She says taking on
new characters just came natural-
ly once she tried it.
They don't play brother and
sister, but siblings Rob and
Sophia Goren both appear in
Pinocchio.
Rob, 12, who attends
Covington School in Birmingham,
is in the chorus, while Sophia, 8,
who goes to the same school, takes
the role of a sprite.
"I think it's fun to be on stage
and in front of all the people,"
says Rob, who has been in other
plays at the Community House and
went to Cranbrook Theatre School for
three summers.
Rob, who attends classes at
Birmingham Temple, believes his the-
ater experiences add to his comfort
level when he is making presentations.
He finds this version of Pinocchio fun
and upbeat.
Sophia, who also studied theater at
Cranbrook, thinks it's fun being with
friends at rehearsal and watching her-
self progress as she takes on new roles.
"I didn't want to be the main char-
acter because that's too much pres-

A new
music al version
of "Pinocchio"
features young
performers at
the Birmingham
Community
House.

planned through Sara Smith
Productions.
"This is not the Disney
version," says Mitch Master,
who directs the musical and
teaches theater classes at the
Birmingham facility. "A cast
of 24 young stars will be
dancing and singing to 14
musical numbers with origi-
nal choreography. The songs
are catchy and clever."
Natasha Aronson, 11, a
sixth-grader at Hillel Day
School, has the title role.
"I like the play because it
shows you're doing some-
thing bad to yourself if you
lie," says Natasha, who
played another male role in a
production of Tom Sawyer at
Interlochen Center for the
Arts. "I think I can be more
of a rascal with male roles,
and I'm a bit of a tomboy."
Natasha, who auditioned
after her mom saw a casting

11R3

1998
104 Detroit Jewish News

Pinocchio will be staged at
11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday,
Nov. 14, and 2 and 6 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 15, at the
Birmingham Community
House, 380 S. Bates. Tickets are
$7 in advance/$9 at the door.
For more information, call
(248) 644-5832.