tic director Judith Jamison, present a
diverse repertoire celebrating black
America 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday,
March 19-20; and 4 p.m. Sunday,
March 21, at Ann Arbor's Power
Center. $18-$38. Jamison will speak
and present excerpts from Cry 2 p.m.
Saturday, March 20, at the Museum of
African American History in Detroit,
free with museum admission.

Laugh Lines

Resi'nt director for the Second City
International since 1980, Michael
Gellman returns to Detroit to direct the
Second City-Detroit's newest "Bill-ing,"
Impeachment and Cream. The troupe's
15th revue opens 8 p.m. Wednesday,
March 17. Show times are 8 p.m.
Wednesdays-Sundays, with additional
shows on Fridays and Saturdays at 10:30
p.m. $10-$19.50. (313) 965-2222.

The Big Screen

The Detroit Film Theatre this week-
end screens Vittorio De Sica's master-
piece, The Bicycle Thief. The 1948
film tells the story of an impoverished
man who lands a job putting up movie
posters around Rome. When his bicycle
is stolen, he and his young son embark
on a desperate search through the city.
1949's Best Foreign Film can be seen
for the first time in decades in a stun-
ning new 35 mm print at 7 and 9:30
p.m. Friday and Saturday, March 12-
13; and 4 and 7 p.m. Sunday, March
14, at the DIA. $5.50. (313) 833-2323.

The Small Screen

Though George Gershwin died
before his 40th birthday, his 20 years of
composing produced some of the most
important and vibrant music of the
century. In October 1998, an interna-
tional cast of performers gathered at the

London Palladium to celebrate the
100th anniversary of his birth. Talents
including Broadway star Maureen
McGovern and violinist Joshua Bell
joined with the London Gershwin
Orchestra to perform in a program
called George Gershwin — 'S
Wonderful. It airs 7 p.m. Sunday,
March 14, on Detroit Public Television-
Channel 56. Check your local listings.
Having trouble communicating
with a pre-teen? Acclaimed parent
educator Michael Brandwein uses
humor and storytelling to present tips
for better communication between
parents and their 9-13-year-olds in
Parenting Puzzle: The Middle Years,
airing 9:30 a.m. Sundays, March 21,
28 and April 4, also on Channel 56.

Family Fun

The 91st annual Shrine Circus
comes to the Michigan State Fair
Coliseum March 12-28. The Moslem
Temple Shriners established the circus
in Detroit in 1906. For discount tick-
ets, call (248) 353-9777.

The Art Scene

Bloomfield Hills artist Marcia
Freedman's paintings employ an "inves-
tigative process using organic form as a
metaphor for internal landscapes and
external perceptions." An exhibit of her
work, titled "New Works — Recent
Paintings," is on display at the Cary
Gallery, 226 Walnut Blvd., in Rochester,
through March 27. (248) 651-3656.
An exhibition of paintings by
Farmington Hills resident Leon
Shoichit is on display at the Southfield
Center for the Arts through March 26.
Prism Contemporary Glass holds its
inaugural exhibition, John Miller — A
Survey of New Work, through March
27. The new gallery, a sister to Gallery:
FunctionArt, will focus on established
artists whose work is priced for the
beginning collector, as well as emerg-
ing artists whose works exemplify mas-
tery of the craft and of the material. 19
N. Saginaw, Pontiac. (248) 333-0333.

mances. Auditions will be held begin-
ning 4:30 p.m. Monday, March 22, at
the theater. Candidates must be boys
and girls ages 8-14, or little people no
taller than 4-feet-10-inches. For more
information and to make an appoint-
ment, call (313) 596-3288. In more
Oz news, Michigan-born Jessica Grove
is stepping down from the role of

Dorothy, and the production also
is seeking an actress to wear those
ruby-red slippers on tour. Auditions
for the role of Dorothy will be held
4:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 6, at the
Second City-Detroit. For more
information, call (313) 596-3288,
(888) 7-4-DOROTHY or visit the
Web site at www.ozontour.com .

Celebrate The Oscars In Style

T

inseltown glam
and Motown giv-
ing mix Sunday,
March 21, as two
groups benefit from Oscar
night parties.
The Hollywood-style
home of Rose Ann and
Bernard Rosenthal will be the
setting for the Reach for the
Stars Academy Awards Night
Celebration raising funds for
Harriet Jacobson
the Organization for
and
Cindy Franklin
Rehabilitation Through
co-chair
the ORT
Training (ORT), while Second
Reach
for
the Stars
City and Risata restaurant form
Academy
Awards
the backdrop for Oscar Night
Night Celebration.
America, a gala supporting the
Detroit Film Theatre (DFT) at
Oscar winner Sue
the Detroit Institute of Arts
Marx is one of the
(DIA). That event will be pre-
co-chairs of the DFT's
sented by the DINs Cinematic
Oscar Night America.
Arts Council with sponsorship
by General Motors.
"[At Reach for the Stars],
everyone will be treated like a celebrity," says Harriet Jacobson, OR _ T co-
chair with Cindy Franklin. "There will be a red carpet for arriving guests,
creative black tie outfits, entertainment by a musician and magician, rich
desserts and movie star games — all as TV sets placed throughout the
home broadcast this season's award winners."
At the restaurant, where DIA film curator Elliot Wilhelm and local
Oscar-winning filmmaker Sue Marx are among Oscar Night America's
honorary chairpersons, there will be entertainment by Second City cast
members, a champagne reception, buffet dinner and large-screen projec-
tions of the ABC telecast. Last year's event raised nearly $65,000 for the
DFT and the DIA's Department of Film and Video.
Movie-theme gifts and surprises enhance both events.
ORT supports a network of schools and educational programs around
the world. The DFT showcases foreign and independent films. ❑

— Suzanne Chesskr

Auditions

Marcia Freedman: "Pod Series,"
oil on canvas, at the Cary Gallery.

Radio City Entertainment's The
Wizard of Oz is looking for a few
good Munchkins to appear in Detroit
performances March 31-April 11 at
the Fox Theatre. Six selected
Munchkins will be awarded the
opportunity of appearing in walk-on
roles in one of three designated perfor-

The ORT event, one of 20 around the country, is open to first-time
donors of $100 or more or people who upgrade last year's contributions
by at least $25. Ticket information is available by calling (248) 855-9820.

Tickets for the DFT party, the only one in Michigan officially sanc-
tioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, are avail-
able at $125 each by calling (313) 833-0247.

3/12
1999

Detroit Jewish News

83