tertainment Best Bets

CLASSICAL NOTES

The Chamber Music Society of Detroit hosts
the Miami String Quartet 8 p.m. Saturday, May
18, at Seligman Performing Arts Center in a pro-
gram of works by Haydn, Ginastera and Debussy.
$18-$67/$15 students. (248) 855-6070.
In a Detroit Symphony Orchestra Introduction to
the Classics concert, 3 p.m. Sunday, May 19, at
Orchestra Hall, guest conductor Yakov Kreizberg
leads the DSO in composer Alban Berg's Violin
Concerto and in "Adagietto" from Mahler's Symphony
No. 5. $26. (313) 576-5111.
The Southfield Philharmonic performs works by
Rossini, Copland and Ravel 7 p.m. Sunday, May 19, at
Southfield Centre for the Arts. $3-$5. (248) 569-9420.

Pop/Ro cKIJAzz

Detroit kicks off its summer riverfront festival
series with the Budweiser Downtown Hoedown,
featuring country music stars and the theme
"United We Stand," 4 p.m.-midnight Friday, noon-
midnight Saturday and 1-10 p.m. Sunday, May 17-
19, in Hart Plaza. Free. Hotline: (248) 788-6599.
Guest vocalists join the Detroit Symphony
Orchestra in Pops Goes British: Featuring Music of

Andrew Lloyd Webber, and other British
composers, 1:30 and 8 p.m. Thursday,
8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m.
Sunday, May 23-26, at Orchestra Hall.
$15-$51. (313) 576-5111.
The summer concert season begins
Friday, May 24, as Harry Connick Jr. &
His Big Band perform 8 p.m. at Meadow
Brook Music Festival, $69.50/$26; and
Eddie Money makes his 11th straight
summer appearance 7:30 p.m. at DTE
Energy Music Theatre, $26.50/$16.50.
(248) 645-6666.

Lafayette, in Detroit. Free. (313) 965-
4481.
Stagecrafters presents Singin' in the Rain,
based on the MGM musical written by Betty
Comden and Adolph Green with music and
lyrics by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed,
May 24-June 16 at Royal Oak's Baldwin
Theatre. Call for show times. $14-$16. (248)
541-6430.

GAIL ZIMMERMAN

Arts c!:-. Entertainment
Editor

ON THE STAGE

The U-M Festival of New Works presents
Professor Glenda Dickerson's performance dialogue
exploring global loss in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2
p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 18-19, at the
Trueblood Theater in the Frieze Building, 105 State
St., in Ann Arbor. Free. (734) 763-4087.
One of the longest-running Off-Off Broadway
shows, playwright Israel Horovitz's Line, about wait-
ing in line, takes the stage 8 p.m. Fridays and
Saturdays, May 17-June 1, and 4 p.m. Sunday, April
26, at Greektown's Abreact Playhouse, 442

THE MOTHER TONGUE

Bernard Mencidcivitch feels that
and the rest is history.
modern Jews all carry within
His May 19 appearance will be
them some kernel of Yiddish lan- hosted by the Sholem Aleichem
guage and culture.
Institute of Michigan, which has
offered lectures, cultural events
"I think Yiddish is the most
expressive language, and I've found
and High Holiday assemblies in
that audiences do not
metropolitan Detroit for
more than 60 years.
realize how much of it
they understand," says
Mendelovitch, who
includes some English in
Menclelovitch, 77, who
will present a show of
his Yiddish interpreta-
songs and dramatic
tions, learned both lan-
monologues 3 p.m.
guages simultaneously.
Sunday, May 19, at the
His parents were from
Birmingham Temple in
Poland and retained
Farmington Hills.
their ethnic vocabulary
Bernard
"I like to mix comedy Mendel° vit ch
When he was 8 years
old, a theater scout spot-
and drama and awaken
memories," he adds.
ted him in a synagogue
Mendelovitch owes much of
choir. He received his theatrical
his recent popularity in America
training on the job, thrown in
to Alfred and Lily Blackman, two front of the footlights with
fans of Yiddish Theater who
accomplished performers.
enjoyed many of his performanc-
"I've worked with great
es while they lived in England.
American stars," says the singer-
The couple, now retired in
actor, who has appeared with
Leo Fuchs, Berta Gerstein and
Florida, invited him to perform
for groups near their new home,
Lillian Lux.

.

During one of his many trips to
North America, he was invited to
appear in a Canadian film that fea-
tures different interpretations of
Shakespeare's Merchant ofVenice.
Its a joy to work in America
because there are so many social
and cultural groups that keep
Yiddish going strong," says
Menclelovitch, who has built a
collection of cassette recordings
and photos as remembrances of
his professional experiences.
"I appeared before a very large
group in Michigan a few years ago,
and I'm looking forward to this
return visit. I'm going to include a
couple of Sholem Aleichem stories,
and we'll do some sing-alongs. I'll
also ask for requests."

-- Suzanne Chesskr

Bernard Mendelovitch
appears 3 p.m. Sunday, May
19, at the Birmingham
Temple. No admission fee,
but donations to the Sholem
Aleichem Institute are
encouraged. (248) 423-4406.

MakIESTML.Mkts.

4

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4

THE BIG SCREEN

The mockumentary Laugh, Stop,
Repeat, featuring West Bloomfield native
Eric Weston, goes behind the scenes with a working
improv group, and premieres 8 p.m. Thursday, May
23, at Southfield's Millennium Center. $8/proceeds
benefit internship programs at the Millennium
Center. (248) 552-1225.

THE SMALL SCREEN

Barry Manilow sings his greatest hits 9-10 p.m.
Saturday, May 18, on Ultimate Manilow!, airing
on CBS.
The Sundance Channel debuts Anatomy of a
Scene: The Believer, examining the creation of a
scene from Henry Bean's controversial drama about a
yeshivah student who abandons his heritage to join a
neo-Nazi group, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 19. It repeats
8:30 p.m. May 23 and 11 p.m. May 26. The film
opens in Detroit June 7 at the Maple Art Theatre.

THE ART SCENE

Meet pop artist Charles Fazzino, renowned for his
multi-layered, hand assembled and embellished 3-D
serigraphs, 1-4 p.m. Sunday, May 19, at the Danielle
Peleg Gallery in West Bloomfield. The one-man
exhibit of his work, "Celebration of Life," runs
through June 2. (248) 626-5810.
The Greektown Arts Festival, featuring the work of
125 artists, entertainment and the neighborhood's
famous Greek cuisine, runs 5-10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-
10 p.m. Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday, May 17-19.
Free. (313) 963-3357.

WHATNOT

The Motor City Comic Con takes over the Novi
Expo Center 1-8 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, May 17-19.
Information and tickets: (248) 426-8059.
The Greenfield Village Antiques Show and Sale
takes place 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday,
May 18-19. $10. (313) 982-6120.
Eastern Market hosts its 36th Annual Flower Day
7 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, May 19. (313) 833-1560.
The Ann Arbor Antiquarian Book Fair takes place
11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, May 19, in the Michigan
Union Ballroom. $5. (734) 995-1891.

FYI: For Arts and Entertainment related events that you wish to have considered for Out & About, please send the item, with a detailed description of the event, times, dates, place, ticket prices and publishable phone number,
to: Gail Zimmerman, JN Out & About, The Jewish News, 30301 Northwestern Highway, MI 48334; fax us at (248) 539-3075; or e-mail to gzimmerman@thejewishnews.com Notice must be received at least three weeks before the
scheduled event. Photos are appreciated but cannot be returned. All events and dates listed in the Out & About column are subject to change.

5/17

2002

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