Now Playingln Ann Arbor
Festival
Schedule
Summer Festival presents its 19th season of song; dance and drama,
with a soupcon of magic thrown in.
All the programs listed
below start at 8 p.m.
except for Ira Glass, who
begins at 4 p.m., and
Capitol Steps.; which pres-
ents shows at both 5 and
8 p.m. All shows take
place at the Power Center,
except where noted. An
(F) denotes a "Family
Friendly" performance.
SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to the Jewish News
humorous look at the Bible,
a tribute to one of
Broadway's most acclaimed
Jewish composers and a per-
sonal recounting of a Jewish lesbian
wedding are among the 22 different pro-
grams coming to this year's Ann Arbor
Summer Festival.
The entertainment series, in its 19th
year, runs June 14-July 7 at the Power
Center and the Mendelssohn Theatre.
While the acts are going on inside the
buildings, regional bands as well as clas-
sic and contemporary movies will be fea-
tured in free performances at Top of the
Park, atop the U-M Fletcher Street park-
ing structure.
The Bible: The Complete Word of God
... Abridged, staged by the Reduced
Shakespeare Company, gives some off-
beat takes on the best-known Bible sto-
ries and was developed at the suggestion
of a Jerusalem audience after seeing
another repertory piece.
Mostly Sondheim, performed by
Broadway star Barbara Cook, vocalizes
award-winning songs by Stephen
Sondheim and composers he admires.
Sara Felder's June Bride, describing her
experiences related to religious weddings
in the gay community, uses juggling as a
metaphor for what she has encountered.
"What I've tried to do in Ann Arbor is
mix the best I could," says Evy
Warshawski, in her third year as execu-
tive director of the festival. "Every artist
I present resonates with me, and I hope
they will do the same for the audience."
The artists - launching the summer
season mix juggling and joking and
include at least two Jewish performers.
The Flying Karamazov Brothers,
familiar to the Pest, . bring a new show,
Catch, which allows members of the
audience to try their own talents. The
antics begin 8 p.m. Saturday, June 15,
when adventurous viewers can request
objects to juggle or bring their own.
"Our show just premiered in
January and includes a compilation of
what we've done," says Paul Magid, a
founding member of the Karamazov
troupe 30 years ago. "We want the
audience to be prepared to get
involved and have fun."
Magid, who does some special jug-
gling for his daughters' classmates at
their Jewish day school, enjoys the
variety of objects people are invited to
offer for their daring balancing act.
Other Jewish artists with
unique shows are Max
Maven, a mind reader
who uses psychology to
obtain information
from his volunteer
subjects, and Ira
Glass, producer and
host of radio verite
with This American
Life. In addition, sev-
eral of the humorists
who parody the
political scene in
the Capitol Steps
are Jewish.
,
ANN ARBOR
on page 72
The Flying
Karamazov
Brothers offer a
new show, "Catch,"
which allows
members of the
audience to try
their own talents,
says founding
member Paul Magid.
6/14
2002
70
June 15: The Flying
Karamazov Brothers
in Catch
June 16: Del McCoury
Band & Saline Fiddlers
Philharmonic (F)
June 17: Max Maven
(Mendelssohn Theatre) (F)
June 18: River City Brass
Band (F)
June 19: Reduced
Shakespeare Company in
The Bible ... Abridged
June 20: Rhythm in Shoes
(F)
June 21: Barbara Cook in
Mostly Sondheim
June 22: Bonnie Rideout
Scottish Trio & City of
Washington Pipe Band (F)
June 23: Rockapella (F)
June 25: An Evening
with Sharon Isbin
June 26: Steven Berkoff in
Shakespeare's Villains
June 27: Manhattan
Transfer
June 28: Nnenna Freelon
Sings Tales of Wonder
June 29: Kronos Quartet
June 30: Marc Smith and
The Pone-, Jam Slam
(Mendelssohn Theatre)
June 30: Lies, Sissies d
Fiascoes: An Afternoon with
Ira Glass
July 1: Sara Felder in June
Bride (Mendelssohn
Theatre)
July 2: Peter Spading in
Bodytalk
July 3: Harly Chapin: A
Celebration in Song, (F)
July 4: Capitol Steps
, July 5: Ahmad Jamal
July 6: Rennie Harris
Puremovement — Legends
of Hip-Hop (F)