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A walk in the park inspired
playwright's Arborphilia.
Jacob Appel
Suzanne Chessler
Special to the Jewish News
acob Appel did not set out
to write a comic play with
a Jewish theme, but he can
relate Arborphilia ("Tree Love") to
religious issues.
The comedy, in its first produc-
tion Nov. 2-Dec. 30 at the Detroit
Repertory Theatre, has to do with
two sisters caught up in intercultural
relationships — a Democrat and a
Republican, a woman and a tree.
"I think one of the most challenging
issues for Judaism today is the issue
of intermarriage and to what degree
one preserves one's own culture as
opposed to embracing other cultures,"
says Appel, 33, who transitions from
short fiction with this play.
"If I wrote about intermarriage
directly as a comic writer, I think I
would run the risk of making a mock-
ery of very serious issues. Instead, I
put the subject in the framework of
discrimination we tolerate much more
comfortably — like political discrimi-
nation. I try to leave it all unresolved
and give people something to think
about."
Appel, who holds various degrees
from creative writing to law and
j
teaches bioethics, always has
enjoyed writing but came
to playwriting at the urging
of a friend. His stories have
appeared in more than 50
literary journals with some
winning prizes, such as the
New Millennium Writings
competition.
"What inspired the content
of the play was walking in
the park:' says Appel, a New
Yorker who has camped
out in Michigan's Upper
Peninsula. "Suddenly, I saw a
tree in front of me and start-
ed thinking what if someone
fell in love with a tree, and
that lent itself to staging more
than it did to narration."
Henrietta Hermelin, who
has appeared in many local
productions, takes the role of Dame
Lucretia, whose business interests
impel her to clear the property on
which the beloved tree stands.
"I play the tough old bird in this
play and become a symbol of gaining
and holding on to wealth," explains
Hermelin, who recently appeared in
the production Birds of a Feather
at Trinity House Theatre in Livonia.
"This character is very different from
me, but I call on my empathy to get
into it:"
Appel, who will be in Detroit for
opening week, hopes people who see
the play will let him know their reac-
tions by going to his Web site,
www.jacobmappel.com .
"Writing is my relaxation and fun,"
Appel says. "I write articles on issues
like the right to die and marijuana use
so writing short stories sometimes
seems like a hobby." -11
Arborphilia will be performed
Nov. 2-Dec. 30 at the Detroit
Repertory Theatre, 13103
Woodrow Wilson. Show times are
us at
www.leosconeyisland.com
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