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November 23, 2001 - Image 105

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 2001-11-23

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

(Formerly The Leather Bottle)

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Weidman to join the project.
Their collaboration led to
two other story lines —
including one that features a
man as uncomfortable with
social dancing as is Weidman
himself.
In 2000, the show received
four Tony Awards. They
included a best choreography
award for Stroman and the
grand prize of all — best
musical of the year.

Finding the
courage to make
contact with
others is essential,
says playwright
John Weidman.

writer's role on a more
conventional musical —
making sure that the
structure is working and
has maximum impact on
the audience.
"In a conventional
musical, the talking reach-
es a point where the talk-
ing is no longer adequate
and people have to burst
into song. Here, instead of
bursting into song, they
burst into dance."

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Three Cases For Contact

Father's Footsteps

Weidman got his inspiration for writ-
"Contact's message is that in order to
feel truly alive, it's essential to find • ing from his father, Jerome Weidman,
whose talents were shown in the
the courage to reach out and make
books for the musicals I Can Get It
contact with another person,"
for You Wholesale and Fiorello!
Weidman says.
Although the senior Weidman used
The show, developed in stages, con-
to joke that he wanted to raise the
sists of three seemingly unrelated stories.
The first is based on a 1787 painting first Jewish president, he only got as
of an elegant woman in a swing, by the far as encouraging completion of law
school at Yale.
French artist Jean-Honore Fragonard.
Before graduation, John Weidman
Unlike the staid painting, however,
had begun writing Pacific Overtures,
Contact's version has a kinky ending.
which later acquired a score by
The second story, set in an Italian
Stephen Sondheim. Another
restaurant in the 1950s, delves into
Weidman-Sondheim collaboration is
the fantasies of an unhappy house-
Assassins.
wife. The third, actually developed
"My dad wrote about being Jewish
first, follows a desperate advertising
his whole life, and all his best work
writer attracted to a woman in a
night spot — the "Girl In The Yellow was anchored in his life as a Jewish
kid, the son of immigrants on the
Dress. "
lower east side of New York," says
Although Contact can be loosely
Weidman, married and the father of
defined as a musical, the actors on
stage do not sing. The decision to use two. "My mom is not Jewish, and I
was raised in a family where religion
recordings instead of live singers
was talked about but not practiced."
emerged as a way of giving emphasis
Weidman is currently writing the
to the choreography.
book for another musical, Wise Guys,
The music that propels the charac-
again with Sondheim. Based on a
ters includes Robert Palmer's "Simply
true story, it's about two brothers
Irresistible," Dean Martin's "You're
who
led enormously complicated
Nobody Til Somebody Loves You,"
lives
pursuing business ventures
the Beach Boys' "Do You Wanna
around the country.
Dance?" and Benny Goodman's "Sing
Although the form of the new work
Sing Sing." There also are classics by
is more conventional than Contact,
Grieg, Tchaikovsky and Bizet.
Weidman says he and Stroman never
The dance play came together with
set out to do something unconven-
the help of a series of workshops that
tional.
included set designer Thomas Lynch.
"We set out to create a show that
"The finished product on stage
told three stories, and we used the
does look very much like we imag-
tools that we felt would be most
ined because it really unfolded step-
effective to tell these particular sto-
by-step-by-step," Weidman says.
ries." 71
"Each song was carefully selected to
be a piece of the puzzle which helps
tell the story."
Contact will be performed Nov.
"Because dance is the primary tool
27-Dec. 23 at the Fisher Theatre.
for storytelling here, the dialogue is
The show starts at 8 p.m.
relatively thin," says Weidman, who
Tuesdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m.
also writes for the PBS children's
Saturdays and Sundays and 7:30
p.m. Sundays. $32.50-$67.50.
show Sesame Street.
"My role as the book writer was
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2001

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