The Royal Hanneford Circus, featur-
ing a collection of international perform-
ers and animals, will thrill audiences of
all ages during eight performances
Thursday-Saturday, April 8-11, at the
Palace of Auburn Hills. $5-$12, except
opening night, when all tickets are $4.
Call for show times. (248) 645-6666.

The Art Scene

The Woods Gallery presents the
work of artist Freda Kroll in an exhi-
bition titled "La Dolce Vita," high-
lighting her painting of the same
name, April 3-May 29 at the gallery,
located in the lower level of the
Huntington Woods Library. There will
be a meet-the-artist reception 7-9 p.m.
Thursday, April 15. (248) 543-9720.
An exhibition of "New Watercolor
Paintings" by Darcy Scott opens
with a reception 6-8 p.m. Saturday,
April 3, at Cary Gallery, 226 Walnut
Blvd., in Rochester. Through May 1.
(248) 651-3656.
A teacher of color theory and paint-
ing at the Birmingham Bloomfield Art
Center for 30 years, Leslie Masters
enjoys a one-woman show, "Peep
Show: Color Collections," April 6-May
1 at the newly opened Washington
Street Gallery, 215 E. Washington St.,
Ann Arbor. Featuring her assemblage
boxes, each on its own colorful stand,
and a collection of zingy new paintings,
an opening reception takes place 7-9
p.m. Friday, April 9. (734) 761-2287.
Fruits & Vegetables: Life's Simple
Pleasures, a colorful show representing
eight painters, a photographer and a
bronze sculptor, runs April 7-May 8 at
Creative Resource Gallery, 162 N.
Old Woodward, Birmingham. The
opening reception is 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Friday, April 9. (248) 647-3688.

Whatnot

Baseball fans in metro Detroit can
view the classic photos and memorabilia
of Negro Leagues Baseball and vote for
the next star to be inducted into the
Hall of Fame. It's all part of the traveling
exhibit Discover Greatness! An
Illustrated History of Negro Leagues
Baseball to be exhibited at the Charles
H. Wright Museum of African
American History from April 3-May 16.
315 E. Warren Ave, Detroit. $5
adults/$3 children. For a complete list of
events taking place in conjunction with
the exhibit, call (313) 494-5800.

ictor Borge, who mixes
classical music and humor,
is still going strong at age
90. When he performs
with the Detroit Symphony
Orchestra April 8-11, he will do
some conducting and some piano
playing, sprinkling comedy into
selections by Strauss, Puccini,
Rose, Mendelssohn, Sibelius,
Lumbye and Rachmaninoff.
Each season the entertainer,
known as "The Great Dane"
because of his Danish roots,
performs with great orchestras
around the world. He recently
appeared with the Los Angeles
Philharmonic to commemorate
the 75th anniversary of the
Hollywood Bowl. He also con-
ducted five performances of
Mozart's The Magic Flute for
the Cleveland Opera.
"Victor Borge: Then & Now,"
a program taped in Detroit, was
featured as a PBS fund-raiser spe-
cial. He's also been in films and
on radio.
In a conversation about his life,
The Jewish News tried to coax him
into revealing his secrets for suc-
cess and longevity, and here's what
he had to say:

JN: How do you go about plan-
ning your concerts?
VB: I have so much experience I
can intermix whatever I feel like. I
can play, and I can talk. There are
certain routines that are generally
accepted by audiences so I use
them and choose which one I feel
like at the moment. I have enough
material to do a show for a week.

JN: Do you have any secrets for the
rest of us so we might be as active
and vital at 90?
VB: You can eat all you want. You
can sleep as late or as early as you
want. You can do anything you want
to do. If you reach 95, you have

JN: Have any of your children cho-
sen musical careers?
VB: I have five, but none is in
music. One son is my concert man-
ager and travels with me. Another is
a movie director. One of my daugh-
ters raises horses. I have nine grand-
children, and two are getting
married this summer.

ictor/
ictorious

Meiji-yea,

--c0 , 414,

Victor Borg-e continue.,
to charm audience.

Photo by Rob Klein

Family Fun

JN: Are there any pieces that
you especially like to perfo
VB: No, I just love to play
with the orchestras. I love to
be with musicians, and it's
always fun for people in the
auditorium to watch musicians
having a good time.

JN: Has humor gotten you
through the tough times in
your life?
VB:I don't know if it has gotten
me through, but it has helped me
an awful lot. It's a medium you
can use for many things. That's
why entertainment is important.
You activate parts of your body,
soul and mind that otherwise
would not be active.

JN: If you could start out again,
is there anything you'd do differ-
ently in your career?
VB: I would pay more attention to
conducting — you can't play
wrong notes when you conduct. I
love to conduct opera. I like the
moment — after the light dims
and the audience is hushed —
when the conductor comes in, and
with the sign from him, all the
activities start— the great music,
the great singers, the great stories.

Victor Borge. The Great Dane

JN: How did you start injecting
humor into your concerts?
VB: It was a natural reaction to life
and to circumstances. Humor is a
travesty of happenings in life. Every
situation has a moment of humor if
you can see it, and whatever I see I
bring to the fore.

done the right thing. I don't know
how else to say it because I have not
taken any particular precautions. I
just did what came naturally. I can
only advise people to be decent and
behave nicely. Beyond that, I think
you have to be an individual.

JN: About how many concerts do
you perform each year?
VB: In the past year, I've done between
90 and 100. I've cut down drastically
because my wife is not too well, and I
stay home more than I used to. Travel
in itself has become a chore, and I
think my age requires a slowdown.

JN: How has Judaism played a part
in your life?
VB: If I weren't Jewish, I probably
wouldn't be an American. I was a
refugee from Hitler and came here
when I was past 30. I take pride in
being Jewish and respect my forefa-
thers more than anything for all they
survived.

JN: What's the most important
lesson you've learned in your career?
VB: Everything's important. It's like
a snowman where every flake repre-
sents something, and when they
come together in a snowman, it is
hard to point out which is most
important. fi

Suzanne
Chessler

Victor Borge performs with the
Detroit Symphony Orchestra at
8 p.m. Thursday, April 8; 8:30
p.m. Friday, April 9; 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 10; and 3 p.m.
Sunday, April 11, at Orchestra
Hall. $13-$45. (313) 576-5111.

4/2
1999

Detroit Jewish News

71