Giacomo Puccini
Eyewitness
To History
La Rondine
MICHIGAN
April 18 - 269 2008
at the Detroit Opera House
Dr. David DiChiera, General Director
A treasure trove that
includes some of Puccini's
most rhapsodic music!
Featuring the heart-melting
"Doretta's Dream Song"...
heard in the film,
"A Room with a View"
Michael Fox
T
he year 1968 has always held a
lot of meaning for filmmaker
Brett Morgen; after all, it is the
year he was born. It was much later, of
course, that Morgen heard about the
tumult that cleaved America that year
and discovered the central roles of a
couple of Jewish antiwar activists. Early
on, the future documentary filmmaker
felt a connection with Abbie Hoffman.
"Abbie put his body on the line
numerous times and that was some-
thing totally heroic, courageous and
inspirational," Morgen says in New York.
"[He] married that level of commitment
with [an] ability to find humor in the
darkest places — which is something
I was always raised around. There was
a lot of laughter around our table. I was
raised to look for humor and have an
irreverent approach to life!"
Hoffman is the star of Morgen's
Chicago 10, a film that examines the
protests and police riot outside the '68
Democratic National Convention and
the subsequent trial of eight defendants
(including Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Tom
Hayden and Bobby Seale) on conspiracy
charges.
The documentary — set to a
soundtrack that ranges from Black
Sabbath and Steppenwolf to the Beastie
Boys and Eminem — blends archival
footage with animation depicting the
courtroom proceedings. It opens Friday,
April 18, at the Main Art Theatre in
Royal Oak.
Morgen grew up in Los Angeles,
where his parents gave him a typi-
cal, culturally Jewish upbringing. "We
Performed in Italian with English Surtitle Translation
Saturday, April 19, 2008 at 7:30PM
Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 2:30PM
Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 7:30PM
Friday, April 25, 2008 at 7:30PM
Saturday, April 26, 2008 at 7:30PM
FREE Opera Talk one hour prior to performance
Featuring Dr. Wallace Peace
Director Brett Morgan on the set of Chicago 10
Special to the Jewish News
Conducted by Steven Mercurio
Directed by Lotfi Mansouri
The Spring 2008 Opera Season is
sponsored by Cadillac
celebrated all the holidays," he recalls,
"but it wasn't until got to college and
started taking classes in Judaic studies
at Amherst that I got in touch with my
roots!"
Morgen's early films, the Oscar-
nominated On the Ropes and The Kid
Stays in the Picture (about Hollywood
player Robert Evans), didn't draw on his
Jewish identity or his political aware-
ness, which was dramatically height-
ened by the invasion of Iraq.
"We conceived [this] film at a point
when most of the country was compla-
cent about the war," Morgen explains. "I
think as Jews we are raised with a men-
tality to give back to the community, to
invest in our community. Abbie set up a
free store in the East Village. It was very
much ingrained in him. I think those
threads of being aware of your commu-
nity — and the country as a whole —
and giving back and being able to evoke
comedy and laughter in dark places is
sort of essential and is missing!'
Abbie Hoffman is shown in the docu-
mentary standing up to Jewish judge
Julius Hoffman, whom many thought
extraordinarily biased while presid-
ing over the conspiracy trial. And yet,
when the judge handed out contempt
sentences at the end, he gave Abbie only
eight months.
"I have to tell you," Morgen confides,
"I think Judge Hoffman had this kin-
ship with Abbie. I think the judge was
kind of humored by him. As much as he
viewed the defendants as alien beings, I
think he identified with Abbie!"
❑
Chicago 10 opens Friday, April 18,
at the Main Art Theatre in Royal
Oak. (248) 263-2111.
mosiwiiii94- 44.401
ArvinMeritor
Saturday April 26 Sponsor
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ggi
FOR TICKETS AND PRE-PAID PARKING
IN THE OPERA HOUSE PARKING CENTER
CALL 313-237-SING or visit
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The way it's meant to be!
Undenvritten by:
40.0
The Jewish Women's Foundation
41 0/%1E-N 5 MI R AN
March 18-April 13, X2008
Written by: Naomi Ragen • Directed by: Sharma Kanter
An Orthodox mother of 12 flees her abusive husband and is forbidden from
seeing her children. She forms a women's minyan to ultimately sit in
judgment of her right to have access to her children. Women's Minyan played
in Israel for five years to sold out performances of 300.000 theatre goers.
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April 10 2008
B17