ART LEADitts

Proudly Presents Internationally Known Artist

in person

A

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.:::-...../

Yiddish With
An English Twist

British actor Bernard Mendelovitch
brings the world of Yiddish theater
to Congregation Shaarey Zedek.

Friday, August 20th, 1999 • 6-10 pm

Hors D'oeuvres and Wine will be served
R.S.V.P. (appreciated ) 248-5 39-0262

Saturday, August 21st, 1999 • 1-7 pm

Enjoy a comprehensive exhibition and sale of
Original and Limited Edition artwork, on canvas and paper,
by this extraordinary contemporary artist.

I

SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to the Jewish News

is not necessary to understand
Yiddish to comprehend the per-
formance of Yiddish theater star
Bernard Mendelovitch. And it's
not necessary to understand the essence
of Yiddish theater to appreciate his act,
which draws on that phe-
nomenon of yesteryear.
Mendelovitch tells —
and shows — his audi-
ences all about the Yiddish
stage and its impact by
introducing each scene in
English and by using ges-
tures and expressions that
convey the feelings
described by the words.
His performance piece,

The World of Yiddish
Theatre in Story Song,

e-

"Constellation of Desire" is a Limited Edition Giclee, on 100%
white cotton rag paper, band-signed by the artist and numbered.
Giclee Size 20x40
Original Size 30x60.

33216 W. 14 Mile Rd., West Bloomfield

Corner of 14 Mile Rd. & Farmington Rd.

8/13
1999

82 Detroit Jewish News

Mon.-Sat. 10-7 • Sunday 1.2-5 www.artleaders.com

wedding from long ago and then corn-
pares it to what he considers a typical
Jewish wedding in these times.
"I try to keep up-to-date with what
is happening around me," he says. "I
can't present only what I have done
earlier. Not long ago, I was perform-
ing where the table nearest to me was
occupied by young people in their

"People don't realize how
much [Yiddish] they
understand,
but they
understand
immediately;
otherwise
the laughs
wouldn't
come in the
right places."

combines excerpts from
plays, ethnic music and
comedy routines.
The British actor-
singer, who will perform
at a free concert sponsored
by Congregation Shaarey
Zedek Aug. 24, has been
touring in the United
States only for the past
four years. Even when he
does scenes from Sholom
Aleichem classics, such as
Tevye Der Milchiker, on
which Fiddler on the Roof
is based, he wears no costumes.
"Yiddish is not the richest in vocab-
ulary, but it's very expressive," says
Mendelovitch, whose everyday conver-
sation is laced with a British accent.
"It has its own special charm and is
tinged with nostalgia. People don't
realize how much they understand,
but they understand immediately; oth-
erwise the laughs wouldn't come in
the right places."
Mendelovitch, 70, does not spend
his entire program looking back.
Rather, he takes some of the past and
adds a bit of today. For example, he
does a skit about a traditional Jewish

— Bernard Mendelovitch

20s, and they were particularly atten-
tive. They told me, 'We did not
understand everything you said, but
we understood everything you did."'
Mendelovitch's invitation to
Shaarey Zedek was the idea of Dr.
Murray Levin, who had seen the
entertainer at a North Carolina adult
Yiddish camp he attended with his
wife. Dr. Levin thought fellow congre-
gants would enjoy the show as much
as his group had.
Pianist Carole Lasser, who performs
at most of the wedding ceremonies at
Shaarey Zedek, will be the British
actor's accompanist. Lasser, a graduate