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Gail Zimmerman

Arts Editor

At The Ark

tures a variety of songs with themes
ranging from her being adopted to liv-
Leading up to the Ark's 29th Ann Arbor
ing in New York in a post 9-11 world.
Folk Festival, which runs Friday-
Tickets are $17.50.
Saturday, Jan. 27-28, at Hill
At 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan.
Auditorium in Ann Arbor, the -vener-
21, Yiddishe Cup, the
able folk venue presents more inti:
acclaimed Cleveland-
mate concerts of particular interest
based klezmer band
to Jewish listeners at its 316 S. Main
known for its combina-
St. location.
tion of musical . virtuosity
At 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20, singer-
and wacky humor a la
songwriter Lucy
1950s Borscht Belt,
Yid dishe Cup
Kaplansky, a former
makes an appearance. U-
, clinical psychologist,
M grad Bert Stratton
takes the stage.
(clarinet, alto sax, tenor sax, harmoni-
Kaplansky, who has joked ca), Irwin Weinberger (lead vocals, gui-
about "being a Jewish girl tar, mandolin, flute, alto sax), Steve
from Chicago who likes
Ostrow (trombone, trumpet, violin,
to sing country gospel," is tsimbl, classical guitar), Alan Douglas
widely known for her
Lucy Kaplansky
(keyboards, backup vocals, string bass,
blues- and country-fla-
theremin, cello), Don Friedman (drums,
vored ballads. Her latest
percussion) and shtickmeister Daniel
CD, The Red Thread, fea-
Ducoff (klezmer dancer) comprise the

ensemble. Tickets are $20.
For more information, call the Ark
hotline at (734) 761-1451 or go to
www.theark.org . For tickets, call (734)
763-8587.

Piano Lady

Wendy Rollin is the recipient of two
ASCAP special awards for children's
music. The music director of the Echo
Park preschool in Farmington Hills, she
has performed at venues around town as
well as at the Ark in
Ann Arbor and has put
out three CDs of her
music aimed at chil-
dren and their fami-
lies.
Rollin brings the
Piano Lady Family
Music Show, an ener-

Wendy Rollin

getic, interactive program for all ages, to
the Farmington Hills Main Library
.
Auditorium 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 21. The
library is located at 32737 W. 12 Mile
Road; call (248) 553-0300.
For information about Rollin's CDs and
other performances, go to
www.wendyrollin.corn.

Dysfunctional
Family

Filmmaker Andrew Wagner cast his own
New York Jewish parents and sisters in
The Talent Given Us, a blend of mocku-
mentary, reality TV and narrative film
that premieres 9'.30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 22,
on the Sundance Channel, after a brief
theatrical release.
The story centers on a road trip the
family takes from New York to Los
Angeles in search of an incommunicado

FYI: For Arts and Life 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, 29200 Northwestern Highviay, Suite 110, Southfield, MI 48034; fax us at (248) 304-8885; or e-mail to qzimmerman@thejewishnews.com NotO 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.

w s

an Orthodox Jew. The film's "dealmak-
food.) David subsequently learned
er" worked overtime as a go-between
Yiddish,
became a Chasid, and a talmu-
it
Special to the Jewish News
and David finally signed-off on the film tdic scholar. While he's still Orthodox, he
rights.
is no longer a Chasid.
The brothers' mother, Joy Gresham
David's existence, by the way, comes
'Narnia' Backstory
(1915-60), an American Jew, switched
as a surprise to most people who have
The children's fantasy adventure, The from being a Communist to a Christian seen Shadlowlands, (1993) a critically
Chronicles of Narnia, from
in the 1940s (she seemed to
acclaimed movie about the romance of
(11 C.S. Lewis' famous novels, is a
like belief-systems with "all the Joy Gresham and Lewis. In the film,
huge movie hit. There's an
answers"). Joy moved to
there is only one son (Douglas) and no
odd Jewish connection.
England in the 1950s (with her hint that there was any religious con-
Lewis (1898-1963), a
sons) and married Lewis. He
flict in the Lewis household.
devout Christian, wrote
adopted Douglas and David
Narnia as an allegory of
and left them his estate when
Stern Stuff
Jesus' life, but the allegory
Joy Gres ham
he died.
It's been a busy month for
eludes most readers — espe-
Lewis and Joy Gresham
Howard Stern — he
cially children.
raised the boys as
launched his new satellite
The film almost didn't get made
Christians. David, however,
radio program, and his
because Lewis' heirs, Douglas Gresham
"rebelled" and became an
aspiring actress daughter
(a paid producer on Narnia), and his
Orthodox Jew while still a teen in
Emily, 22, made -many
brother, David Gresham, aren't on
Lewis' house. (Lewis, to his great
newspapers.
speaking terms. You see Douglas is a
credit, had his kitchen lashered'
Howard is much more
Ho ward Stern
very fervent evangelical, while David is
for David and brought in kosher
traditional than his image:

NateBloom

40

January 19 • 2006

he married his Jewish college sweet-
heart in a synagogue, remained faithful
to her during their 20-year marriage,
and his three daughters became b'not
mitzvah.
Like any doting Jewish father, he
worried when Emily took a part (in the
off-off-Broadway play, Kaballah) that
required her to be nude.
As Stern feared, word eventually
leaked out that his daughter was in the
show. Emily quit the show earlier this
month after it was reported that secret-
ly taken nude photos of her on stage
were about to hit the Internet.
The play's producer-playwright,
Tuvia Tenenbom, unkindly called
Emily a "J.A.P." for leaving the show
with a few weeks left in its run.
Tenenbom, actually, should have just
thanked Emily for publicity for a show
that the N.Y Times called "dreadful!'
(You can read the Times review, for