I
To Life!
AROUND TOWN
Ann Barbar of Berkley, Jenny Marron! of Northville and Michal
Ram of Oak Park, representing Jewish Apartments & Services in
West Bloomfield
Virginia J. Walker of Farmington Hills and Jean Gresnick of Beverly Hills
Youthful Music
Fran Smeak of Birmingham with Carol and Floyd Yeager of Troy
Beth El helps take seniors back in musical time.
M
usicians and singers with the Michigan
Opera Theatre brought some of
Broadway's best-known show tunes
from the 1930s-1950s back to life at Temple Beth
El in Bloomfield Township. In the process, the per-
formers also brought back plenty of fond memories
for an audience of more than 1,300 people, most of
whom were Jewish seniors.
Robert Krause, 86, of Bloomfield
Hills was one of many in the crowd
who sang along with enthusiasm dur-
ing the July 16 performance titled
"Bravo Broadway." The annual seniors
concert was free and open to the pub-
lic, regardless of religious affiliation.
"Those were the songs we used to
sing — we knew all the words:' said
Krause.
"It took us back to our youth; it was
wonderful;' added Henny Spector of
West Bloomfield.
The opera theatre's performers sang
classics like "You Are My Sunshine," first recorded
in 1940 by Jimmie Davis, and "The Way You Look
Tonight," from the 1936 film Swing Time. Young
violinist, Sarah Payne, played the theme song
from Schindler's List and other musical selections.
Soprano, Maria Cimarelli, even surprised the
crowd by singing the Yiddish song "Turn Balalaika."
Cimarelli is the music director at the
Birmingham Temple in Farmington Hills.
"Her Yiddish was pretty good',' said Sylvia
Feldman of West Bloomfield. "My parents spoke
Yiddish in our home — I like to hear the mame
loshn (the mother tongue)."
The show was made possible by the Gerald J.
Rowin Memorial Fund. Transportation was pro-
vided for many of the seniors to make it easier
for them to attend the concert. Organizer Judy
Martens of Bloomfield Hills said the event was
designed to entertain and give something back to
elderly residents who've helped shape the commu-
nity.
"The seniors have given so much all
through the years when you think about
all of the things that have gone on in the
world since they were children:' Martens
said.
"We chose composers they would have
listened to many times, Jerome Kern
and Cole Porter specifically:' said bari-
tone Mark Vondrak, director of the
Michigan Opera Theatre's community
programs. "When that audience starts
singing along with us, we just love that:'
he said.
Based on the crowd's active participation and the
standing ovation at the end of the show, it appeared
the audience loved it, too.
"I thought it was lovely, excellent; I love the old
songs," said. Peggy Winkelman of Bloomfield
Hills.
"It's so much better than the new music; none of
the new music has a melody," added Roz Ackner
of West Bloomfield. "They're either playing the
guitar or they're screaming — so when you get the
chance to hear a melody, you're very happy." I
Trudy Stearey and Roz Hower, both of Farmington Hills
Judy Martens of Bloomfield
Hills
Ruth Stevenson of
Heatherwood Senior Center in
Southfield
July 27 * 2006
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