Red Sky was recorded in five days.
Each day Was would assemble a differ-
ent group of musicians and Dylan
would spring his songs on them.
Day 3 was "all Jews day," with Dylan,
Was, Waddy Wachtel, Kenny Aronoff
and Al Kooper. Even the engineers were
Jewish. Not only was it a bit of fun, but
Was remembers it was a great day musi-
cally, producing three songs on the
album including the title track.
"It was a great experience; he is a
great, cool guy. Of all the artists I've
ever worked with, he's the only one
who will call up not wanting some-
thing, but just to check in and usually
at some very bizarre time with some
advice that he couldn't possibly know
that I was in need of. It's remarkable."
Was lives in suburban Los Angeles
with his wife and their two young
sons. Tony Fagenson, an older son by
a previous marriage, provides percus-
sion and vocals for the rock trio Eve 6.
The former Detroiter made a rare
return to his hometown this past win-
ter for the bar mitzvah of Eddie Rubin,
the son of his first cousin Edie Rubin.
And Was fondly remembers his last
profile in the Jewish News — he was in
third grade and made it into Danny
Raskin's column. ❑
Hear some tunes from the latest
Don Was-produced album,
Lions, when the Black Crowes
perform 6:30 p.m. Saturday,
June 2, at DTE Energy Music
Theatre. Also on the bill are
British band Oasis and Spacehog.
$21.50-$42.50 (248) 645-6666.
we were almost through with the movie."
Rubin — who attended
Congregations Shaarey Zedek and
Beth Achim, and celebrated his bar
mitzvah at Temple Israel — returned
to Detroit to promote the movie.
Upcoming projects include a film
titled Longshot, in which Rubin plays a
basketball coach. It was a part that was
initially offered to Sinbad.
The film, which features Paul
Sorvino, Hunter Tylo, Britney Spears
and Antonio Sabato Jr., is expected to
hit theaters this summer. ❑
Nikita Blues, rated PG-13, is slat-
ed to continue its run at the
Phoenix Theatres, located on
Eight Mile Road, east of Van
Dyke, in Detroit. Call (313)
438-3494 for show times.
Blitzing Broadway
Will a musical with "Springtime for Hitler" as its
centerpiece make Tony Awards history? Tune in Sunday.
ALICE BURDICK SCHWEIGER
Special to the Jewish. News
T
hanks to Broadway's new
mega-hit The Producers,
this year's Tony Awards are
expected to draw more
attention than usual.
That seemed to be the consensus at
the elaborate Tony Nominees Brunch
at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New
York City on May 16, where the con-
tenders were presented nomination
certificates.
"The Producers is a phenomenon,
and because of it I think the Tonys
will generate more interest than in
recent years," says Jed Bernstein, exec-
utive director of the League of
American Theatres and Producers,
which presents the Tony Awards along
with the American Theatre Wing.
The 55th Annual Tony Awards will be
telecast 8-9 p.m. Sunday, June 3, on
PBS, followed by an additional two
hours of awards from 9-11 p.m. on CBS.
Roger Bart, one of three co-stars
from The Producers nominated for
Best Performance by a Featured Actor
in a Musical, agrees that Mel Brooks'
show has created a lot of enthusiasm.
"We have had an amazing amount
of publicity and have broken- so many
records this year in sales," says Bart.
"Mel Brooks is such a beloved charac-
ter in our culture. There is so much
affection for Nathan Lane and
Matthew Broderick [the nominated
lead actors] and the incredible team
including [director/choreographer]
Susan Stroman.
"It's like all the elements have come
together at once. And, we received 15
Tony nominations — the most for any
show in Broadway history."
But, says Bernstein, "only fools and
naives think that things are 100 per-
cent in life, and nobody should count
on anything until the awards are given
out. I think The Producers will do very
well, but there are other outstanding
shows, too."
Other productions that nabbed mul-
tiple nominations include The Full
Monty (10), an American musical ver-
sion of the British movie of the same
name; 42nd Street (9), the acclaimed
Broadway musical revival; A Class Act
(5), a musical biography of the late
songwriter Ed Kleban; Proof(6), a
drama about a mathematical proof;
Jane Eyre (5), a musical based on
Charlotte Bronte's novel; The
Invention of Love (5), Tom Stoppard's
play about English poet A.E.
Houseman; and The Tale of the
Allergist's Wife (3), a comedy that gar-
nered nominations for Jewish actresses
Linda Lavin and Michele Lee.
While the honorees at the annual
Tony Awards brunch were mingling
with the press and munching on eggs
benedict, waffles, smoked salmon and
pastries, the Jewish News was able to
ask some of,them how it feels to be
recognized.
"I never imagined I would be up for
best play," says Charles Busch, the
Jewish playwright who penned The
Tale of the Allergist's Wife.
"I was content in my little niche
Off-Broadway and my goal has always
been to earn a living. I never allowed
myself to dream that one day my play
would make it to Broadway and I
would be up for a Tony. So for me, it's
•
an absolute honor."
Ben Shenkman, the Jewish co-star of
Proof nominated for Best Performance
by a Featured Actor in a Play, says the
whole experience feels surreal.
"This is all so new and exciting for
me and is just so magical," he says.
"But you have to keep doing the show
night after night and make sure it's
still good. It helps to keep Your feet on
the ground, and you want to live up
to the expectations."
Randy Skinner, nominated for best
choreography for : 42nd Street, smiles
about the show's nine nominations.
"We thought people would like it,
but they are overwhelmed by it. I am
getting so many calls and letters. It's
great to have the audience go our on
such as high — they literally leave the
theater dancing. What else could we
ask for?"
"Everyone kept telling me I would
be nominated, but I thought it was
bad luck to talk about it," says Randy
Graff, star of A Class Act and nominat-
ed for Best Performance by a Leading
Actress in a Musical. "So when I
learned the news, I celebrated."
Not surprisingly, however, much of
the buzz at the brunch centered on
The Producers. Kathleen Freeman,
nominated for featured actress for The
Full Monty, was asked about the com-
petition.
"We have a great show, and earned
10 nominations," she says. "I have
been around for a long, long time, and
know what an honor it is to be nomi-
nated. Yes, The Producers is getting a
lot of attention, but we don't let it get
in the way of what we are doing."
Despite the hype, massive attention
and glowing reviews that The
Producers is receiving, there has been
some concern from a few Jewish
groups about the show's theme.
Based on the film of the same name,
The Producers is the story of a down-
on-his-luck theatrical producer Max
Bialystock (Nathan Lane) and nerdy
accountant Leo Bloom (Matthew
Broderick), who together scheme to
raise more money than they need for a
sure-fire Broadway flop; they hope to
pocket the difference.
The name of their hoped-for flop?
Springtime for Hitler.
Like the motion picture, the musical
is politically incorrect, with the poten-
tial to offend Jews and gays, among
others.
"We have heard from a couple of
Jewish people, apparently offended by
a few things with the Nazis in the
play," says Bart, the non-Jewish actor
who plays the role of the director's
assistant in The Producers.
"But we spend a lot of time in the
show telling people how offensive
Hitler and the Nazis were.
"Nobody cares more passionately
about what has happened to the
Jewish people than Mel Brooks. He
has spent a career ridiculing Hitler,
out of respect for what happened to
his people. As for those who get
bummed out, it's so rare; so many oth-
ers are having a ball."
In the meantime, nominee Thomas
Meehan, who co-authored the book
with Brooks, told USA Today that
'Broadway has been waiting for a
show like The Producers for a long
time. It's old-fashioned ancl lust for
fun, with no darkness or seriousness.
It's like going to a parry' .
Until the evening of June 3, howev-
er, when the Tony Awards are handed
out, nobody will know for sure if The
Producers makes Broadway history. ❑
The 55th Annual The Tony Awards
airs on PBS 8-9 p.m. S'unday,
June 3, followed on CBS from 9-
11 p.m. Check your local listings.
6/1
2001
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