L 11-1 11-1 On A Carousel Jacques Brel revue summons the late, great composer and performer to mixed effect. Susan Zweig Special to the Jewish News T he staging of Jacques Brel Is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, at the Jewish Ensemble Theatre through Jan. 6, recalls the com- poser's musical genius. Jacques Brel, Belgian by birth, Flemish by descent, saw the world through politi- cal eyes. He walked the tightrope of human experience, exploring life, death, love and spiritual discovery. His masterfully wrought lyrics flicker like a series of snapshots — live- ly, colorful, exceedingly specific. It's no surprise he became such a darling of the Vietnam era. As the world became more incom- prehensible, Brel's metaphorical lyrics felt ever more decidedly pure, a kind of emotional com- pass in an increasingly soulless, murky world. The music endures, even offers a palpable whiff of an era. Translated into a stage revue by Eric Blau and Mort Schuman in 1968, the show is a highly ambitious undertaking for any theater company. No stranger to difficult material, JET should be commend- ed for taking such work on. There is no book; the songs are independent pieces of a Brelian whole. And yet, when the imagery and magic of Brel's twists of lyric and musical line are relied upon to captivate without the meticu- lousness necessary for staging such a show, danger lurks. REVI EW Nate Bloom wv0 Special to the Jewish News Chanukah Bits TWEN XM satellite radio will celebrate Chanukah with a channel devoted exclusively to Jewish music and conversation. Radio Hanukkah will broadcast on XM 108 from Dec.15- 23, with nightly candlelight blessings (at the right time for Eastern and Pacific time zone listeners), includ- ing the National Menorah Candle Matisyahu Lighting Dec.17 from Washington, D.C. The lineup also will feature sports specials, children's shows and Chanukah music – traditional, mod- ern and funny. Participating are rock band Barenaked Ladies (featuring Jewish singer Steven Page), Kinky Friedman, Matisyahu, Ruth Westheimer, Al Franken, Neil Sedaka and comedian Larry Miller. 50 December 14 2006 Of the 25 Brel piec- es, the power of John Delvierrell's "Next:' performed angrily in little more than a towel, his in-your-face ode from a casket in "Funeral Tango," and the ensemble's "Carouser with its Clockwise from top left: John DeMerrill, Ellen Sandweiss, Rusty Mewha and ups and downs on Michelle Hooks-Stackpoole in JET's production of Jacques Brel Is Alive and the wheel of life, are Well and Living in Paris. particularly effec- tive and memorable. The instrumental quartet is backdrop. This canvas begging Brel was political by nature, also strong. Unfortunately, a for representation is underused but with allegory, analogy. Had number of the pieces are per- until the end of the first act, the screens been used to imagi- formed devoid of the passion when it suddenly becomes a native effect throughout, any they deserve — perhaps because heavy-handed visual emissary periodic forays into the political the performers must navigate a for Darfur, and in time, among would feel less manipulative. The Himalayan blocky set through- other CNN-appropriate mon- Abu Ghraib mention that closes out. tages, 9-11, the terrorist bomb- another composition feels simi- With little else onstage, three ings in Madrid and the military larly ham-fisted. huge screens serve as a constant campaign in Iraq. The Nat King Cole-Natalie Also appearing are Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan and Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland. You can listen for free via the Internet by going to XM Radio online. The normal three-day free trial of Radio Hanukkah (and all of XM radio online) is extended for the entire period (Dec.15-23) by entering the promotional code "The Chosen" after signing-up at xmro.xmradio. COM. It's a no- strings attached free trial – no refundable pre- Sen. Carl Levin payment or credit card is required to enjoy the free trial. If you are a Direct TV subscriber, you can simply listen to Radio Hanukkah on Direct TV on Channel 108. Also worthy of note: Comedian and Flint native Sandra Bernhard does a nice job singing a new Chanukah song she penned, "Miracles of Light." It appears on the multi-artist holiday CD Breaking for the Holidays (breakingrecords.com ). Clooney Tribute George Clooney, who isn't Jewish, recently met with Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres in New York, and Peres invited the actor to visit Israel as his official guest. Clooney, who once visited Tel Aviv, welcomed the offer. On Wednesday, Dec.13, AMC cable debuted a Ellen Barkin taped broadcast of Clooney receiv- ing the American Cinematheque Award. The award dinner took place last October and featured appear- ances by many biggies, including Julia Roberts, John Cusack, Noah Wyle (his father is Jewish) and Ellen Barkin. At press time, it was not clear whether the following made it into the AMC broadcast, which will be shown again noon Sunday, Dec. 17, but Barkin made a stir at the award dinner by "confessing" during her tribute speech that she recently had sex with Clooney. After the dinner, Barkin told reporters that she had been joking and was just playing off a false rumor that she had a fling with Clooney not long after her now ex-husband, billionaire Ronald Perelman, left her. Barkin added that Perelman courted her because she was a famous and accomplished actress, but after they wed he objected to her taking any acting role, includ- ing a small part in Ocean's Twelve, which Clooney produced. Ironically, her scenes in that 2004 movie were cut. Clooney, though, made it up to Barkin by giving her a big part in the third entry in the Ocean's series, Ocean's Thirteen, which opens in 2007. Julia Roberts, meanwhile, stars as the voice of Charlotte the spider in a new film version of the children's classic Charlotte's Web, which opens Friday, Dec.15. Charlotte was helmed by Jewish director Gary Winick (13 Going on 30).