Arts & Entertainment

A Little Theater Music

Three very different musical styles rousing rock, songbook Gershwin
and holiday fare — soon will take over area stages.

Kaufman's interest in the stage started in
theater camp, and she went on to study at the
University of Miami. She has done summer
stock and an Off-Broadway children's show.

Suzanne Chessler

Special to the Jewish News

W

hile Rock of Ages at the Fisher
Theatre, 'S Wonderful at Macomb
Center for the Performing
Arts and Forever Plaid Tidings at the Gem
Theatre each offer unique storylines, they all
have at least one team member with ties to
Michigan.

Rock Of Ages
First-time stage producer Carl Levin,
not the senator, knows the Metro Detroit
area through his dad, William Levin, who
moved to California after growing up in
an Orthodox Detroit family and attend-
ing Central High School and Wayne State
University School of Medicine.
"I think Rock of Ages [running Nov. 9-21
at the Fisher Theatre] has special appeal
for Michigan audiences because the main
character is from Detroit and moves to Los
Angeles hoping to become famous',' says
Levin, 40, who will be in one of the Fisher
audiences. `Also, the writer, Chris D'Arienzo,
grew up in Paw Paw."
Tony Award nominee and American Idol
alum Constantine Maroulis, who starred
in the Broadway production, appears as
the aspiring Detroiter who meets his love
interest in a California rock club. Romance
develops to 1980s rock hits by Journey, Styx,
REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Pat Benatar,
Whitesnake and many other rock favorites.
"The song that has the most meaning
for me is 'Don't Stop Believin): by the band
Journey," says Levin, a Princeton University
graduate who was an investment banker in
New York and chief financial officer for the
producers of Wicked before venturing into
his own show- business initiatives.
"It's been a five-year project getting this
show going, and a lot of people along the way
said we couldn't do it because the musical
would require too much time or money.
"My group and I were very persistent and
didn't stop believing. Among the highlights
of our careers was seeing this show on stage
at Radio City Music Hall and at the Tony
Awards." (Another producer of the musi-
cal, Jayson Raitt, 39, a graduate of West
Bloomfield High School and the University
of Michigan, was profiled in the JI\I when the
show was nominated for a Tony during the
first year of its Broadway run.)
Levin, who has produced for film and

Kevin

tzger, left, and Tripp Hampton

in 'S Wonderful, a salute to Gershwin

American idol alum Constantine Maroulis
reprises his Broadway role in Rock of Ages.

TV, especially likes Rock of Ages because he
believes it offers entertainment for all ages.
"When we first designed the show, we
wanted to create it so that men would enjoy
it along with women:' Levin says. "I think
a lot of theater tickets are purchased by
women, who often make the choices on what
shows will be seen. I think the rock will be
attractive to men:'

'S Wonderful
Kevin Metzger, who spent two summers
at Interlochen, thinks its hard to beat the
Gershwin brothers, George and Ira, the
composer and lyricist whose music fills five
segments of 'S Wonderful, a touring produc-
tion that stops for one performance 3 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 7, at the Macomb Center for the
Performing Arts.
"We have some great new arrangements
for all five segments," says Metzger, who sings
"Nice Work If You Can Get It" and "I Got
Rhythm" as he takes the role of a 1920s copy
boy in New York.
The other plotlines, with 40 Gershwin hits,
take place in 1930s Paris, 1940s Hollywood,
1950s New Orleans and modern times.
"I've played in regional theater, but this
is my first time touring the whole country,'
says Metzger, 23, whose singing interest
started with participation in the choir at his

Jared Gerfner—froftt and center,

as

Sparky in Forever Plaid Tidings

California synagogue. Serious stage studies
launched at a performing arts high school
before he went on to New York University.
"We have a pianist on stage accompanied
by prerecorded orchestrations," he explains.
Jessica Kaufman, who understudies all the
women's roles, also is on her first national
tour.
"I feel so at home with the music:' says
Kaufman, 24, who taught religious music
at her temple and records children's books
for audio presentation."I especially like the
songs 'Someone to Watch Over Me' and 'They
Can't Take That Away From Me:"

Forever Plaid Tidings
Jared Gertner, who plays Sparky in the Gem
Theatre production of Forever Plaid Tidings,
also has appeared in children's plays, and
a part in Charlotte's Web brought him into
Michigan cities.
While in Detroit for the seasonal musical
running Nov. 10-Dec. 31, he will take a few
days off for a big Jewish wedding to his part-
ner, a writer and wine dealer.
"Forever Plaid Tidings touches on the time
of year and holiday spirit': says Gertner, who
previously has appeared in Forever Plaid and
Forever Plaid Tidings, as well as episodes of
The Good Wife and Ugly Betty.
"We sing a little bit of `Dreidel' and men-
tion Chanukah in a couple of songs. For the
first part of the show, we sing hits like 'Fever,
`Stranger in Paradise,"Shaboom and 'Mambo
Italiano' to take people back to really great
times."
The four performers act out the stories
of a demised quartet brought back to Earth
for one last show. As Sparky, Gertner comes
across as the most spotlight comfortable in
the group, accompanied by a pianist and
bass player.
"I grew up in New Jersey, and my parents
took me to see a lot of theater," Gertner
recalls. "I did my first show, Peter Pan, when I
was 6 for a community theater that my aunt
and uncle ran:'
After lots of theater roles, Gertner went
on to earn a drama degree from New York
University. With experience on regional stag-
es, he made his Broadway debut in The 25th
Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
The holidays and a wedding will be just
part of the Gertner celebrations.
"While I'm in the city': he says, "I'll also be
celebrating my 31st birthday:'

❑

Rock of Ages runs Nov. 9-21 at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit. Performance
times are 8 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and 7:30
p.m. Sundays. $29-$79. (313) 872-1000; www.BroadwayinDetroit.com .
'S Wonderful will be staged 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, at the Macomb Center for
the Performing Arts, 44575 Garfield, in Clinton Township. $37-$52. (586) 286-
2141; www.macombcenter.com.
Forever Plaid Tidings runs Nov.10-Dec. 31 at the Gem Theatre, 333 Madison,
in Detroit. Performance times and days are listed on the website,
www.gemtheatre.com . $27.50-$32.50. (313) 963-9800.

November 4 2010

35