Arts & Entertainment &About Pretty Amazing Neil After 40 years of making music with a multilayered sound — hits like "Sweet Caroline:' "Song Sung Blue and "Love on the Rocks" — singer- Neil Diamond songwriter Neil Diamond worked with producer Rick Rubin to create his 2005 critically acclaimed album, 12 Songs. Diamond and Rubin teamed up once again for 2008's Home Before Dark, another CD of pared-down, back-to-basics Diamond-written tunes that critics have praised. At 8 p.m. Thursday, July 31, Diamond brings his distinctive voice and his guitar to the Palace of Auburn Hills as part of his current North American concert tour to promote the album. In addition to croon- ing a few of the new songs, like "Pretty Amazing Grace" and the new album's title tune (which Diamond has called his favor- ite), fans are sure to hear classic hits like "Cherry, Cherry" and "I'm a Believe Tickets are $120, $85 and $55. (248) 645-6666. a vivid portrait of the two as their relationship unfolds from what is written — and what is left unsaid — in their letters. Gail Zimmerman One Time This production Arts Editor Only will not be repeated elsewhere. Weaver and You won't have to travel to a Broadway or Daniels have been brought together for an Off-Broadway theater this weekend this benefit performance as a result of a to see major stars reprise a well-known unique collaboration of the Purple Rose beloved play on stage. For one night only, Theatre, founded by Daniels in 1991; the at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 26, at the newly Detroit Film Theatre; and the Flea Theater restored Detroit Film Theatre in the in New York, of which Weaver is a big sup- Detroit Institute of Arts, Metro Detroiters porter. will have the opportunity to see two major Reserved tickets to see the play (10 Hollywood players — actress Sigourney percent discount for DIA members) are Weaver and actor Jeff Daniels — in a ben- available by contacting the Purple Rose efit performance of A.R. Gurney's perenni- box office, open 10 a.m.-10 p.m., at (734) ally popular Love Letters. 433-7673 or by e-mailing Nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in info@purplerosetheatre.org . Drama, Love Letters centers on two char- For VIP and sponsorship ticket infor- acters, Melissa Gardner (Weaver) and mation (featuring an intimate dinner Andrew Makepeace Ladd III (Daniels), and/or cocktail reception at the DIA with as they read the hilarious and poignant the stars following the performance), call letters that have passed between them (734) 433-7782 or e-mail throughout their lives. Under Broadway info@purplerosetheatre.org . director Jim Simpson, Love Letters paints Kids Theater Stagecrafters Youth Theatre presents Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, featuring actors ages 8-18, 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 3 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday, July 24-27, at the Baldwin Theatre, 415 S. Lafayette, in downtown Royal Oak. The familiar Brothers Grimm fairy tale has the traditional characters of Snow White, Prince Robert, the Evil Queen and, of course, the seven dwarfs, but giving the show a twist, the dwarfs sport untradition- al, comical names such as "Gloomy Gus',' "Spritely" and "Gabby" to name a few. New characters include an enchanted vixen and a funny palace cat. Director Scott Forney finds the musical- stage production a challenge. "We wanted a bit more comic relief in the show so we played up the Evil Queen to be a little quirky, which makes her less frightening for the little ones. The Magic Mirror is a little sarcastic to her for even more fun. Even the adults will enjoy the humor in this production:' says Forney. Recommended for ages 3 and older Tickets: $6 youth, $9 adult. (248) 541- 6430. ❑ FYI: For Arts 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 Highway, Suite 110, Southfield, MI 48034; fax us at (248) 304-8885; or e-mail to gzimmerman@thejewishnews.com . Notice 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. WS memo Nate Bloom Special to the Jewish News m e Spooky Stuff IMO (14 B6 Opening Friday, July 25, is The X- Files: I Want to Believe, a film based on the hit TV show that ran 1993- 2002. The stars of the series, David Duchovny (FBI Agent Fox Mulder) and Gillian Anderson (Agent Dana Scully), reprise their roles David chasing down para- Duchovny normal phenomena. Amanda Peet, 36, has a large supporting role as another FBI agent. Duchovny, 47, has had a bit of a love-hate relationship with The X- Files. It made him a TV star; but he has long wanted to be known for his entire body of work, including his current TV series, Showtime's Californication, which returns for a second season this fall. Still, Duchovny seems excited about The X-Files movie, telling the New July 24 2008 York Times that it was "a chance for the characters to have a clean slate on which to create themselves again." Duchovny, who was raised without religion, is the son of a Jewish father and a non-Jewish mother. Brangelina's Doc The Jewish Telegraph Agency scored a major celebrity scoop via their recent exclusive interview with Jewish French obstetrician Dr. Michel Sussman, who deliv- ered Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's twin babies (a boy and a girl) on July 12. Jolie gave birth in a hos- pital in Nice, on the French Riviera. Sussman, a former Perlman vice president of protege Nice's Jewish com- Arnaud munity, told the JTA Sussman that "the delivery was very emotional and exceptional as Ms. Jolie is a superstar, but I think that it happened on Shabbat made it that much more moving. It was not an easy operation; a second cesarean – with twins – is difficult, but it went perfectly, and they are so cute." Sussman said that he never dis- cussed religion or personal matters with Pitt or Jolie: "I am her doctor; I don't want to be her friend. We had an excellent rapport. She is so, so nice and never complained about anything. There are negative things sometimes written about her on the Internet, but don't believe them." Sussman's wife, Juliette, a Moroccan Jew, is also a physician. His son, Arnaud, a violinist, is a graduate of the Julliard School in Manhattan, where he studied with ltzhak Perlman. His daughter, Clara, is now studying there at Columbia University. Another daughter, Laura, who works in high tech in Israel, made aliyah after enduring anti-Semitic diatribes while she was studying in Paris during the height of the second intifada. However, Dr. Sussman says he has experienced no anti-Semitism in Nice. Sussman added that although he and his wife are not regular synagogue goers, they study Jewish thought once a month with an Orthodox rabbi. They are also strong Israel supporters. Spitz's Spritz Mark Spitz: The Extraordinary Life of an Olympic Champion, a new, autho- rized biography of Olympic swimming star Mark Spitz, hit bookstores on July 1. Spitz contributed a foreword to the book, written by his friend, lawyer Rich Foster. Spitz, now 58, still holds the record for the most gold medals (seven) in a single Olympiad. The biography covers most of Spitz's life, including Mark Spitz Spitz's extraordinary situation in 1972 when the famous Jewish athlete was whisked away from Munich, under police protection, following the kill- ing of Israeli Olympic athletes by Palestinian terrorists. Spitz's failure to succeed as a sports broadcaster – despite his movie-star looks, he came across as bland on TV – also is covered. ❑ Contact Nate Bloom at Middleoftheroadl@aoLcom.