Arts & Entertainment
The Play's The Thing
Modern Orthodox
D
Suzanne Chessler
Special to the Jewish News
aniel Goldfarb, who grew up in a
Reform household in Canada, has
found himself increasingly bond-
ing with the religious character developed
in his play Modern Orthodox.
The comedy, scheduled Jan. 19-Feb.
13 at Jewish Ensemble Theatre in West
Bloomfield, presents touching encounters
shared by Hannah and Ben, a nonobser-
vant engaged couple, and Hershel, a highly
observant diamond merchant, first selling a
ring and later entering more deeply into the
couple's lives.
"The play gets warmer and warmer as it
goes along because I discovered something
of Hershel in myself:' says Goldfarb, who
came up with the idea for the play after par-
ticipating in a dramatic exercise at Juilliard.
"Although Hershel says things that are
sexist, old-fashioned and close-minded, he
is completely true to himself and under-
stands his place and purpose in the world.
"I think there's something incredibly
appealing about his understanding; and no
matter what production I've seen, the audi-
ence is rooting for Hershel:'
In the JET production, directed by Aaron
Moore, Aral Gribble plays Hershel. Also
appearing are Christina Flynn (Hannah),
Scott Crownover (Ben) and Kat Grilli
(Rachel).
"My body of work in general has explored
Jewish identity" says Goldfarb, 37. "My plays
have dealt with Jewish thought and debate."
Goldfarb, a Toronto native who started
writing short stories in elementary school,
went to an arts high school and had one of
his plays staged when he was 15 years old.
After earning bachelor's and master's
degrees at New York University, where he
now teaches, and studying at Jnilliard, he
wrote Adam Baum and the Jew Movie, his
first produced play. Sarah, Sarah was inspired
by a trip he took with his sister and father to
N
The War Since Eve
Suzanne Chessler
Special to the Jewish News
3
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Aral Gribble (Hershel), Christina L.
Flynn (Hannah) and Scott Crownover
(Ben) in Modern Orthodox
China, where she adopted a baby.
Goldfarb branched out with the pro-
duction Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me,
written with the comedian and Hairspray
composer/lyricist duo Marc Shaiman and
lyricist Scott Wittman.
"I think that all good plays are marriages
of accessing the base deep inside the play-
wright and harnessing imagination',' says
Goldfarb, married and the father of two. "It's
taking research and history, personalizing
both and turning [the material] into some-
thing that feels authentic and rear
Goldfarb, currently working on a comedy
about a Jewish couple training a baby and
a musical based on the life of songwriter
Bert Berns ("Twist and Shout"), thinks of
Modern Orthodox as an expression of the
relationship between observant and nonob-
servant Jews, questioning different practices
while feeling a strong connection.
"Modern Orthodox is 100 percent fiction:'
he says, "but something inside myself forms
the kernel." 17
JET presents Modern Orthodox Jan. 19-Feb.13 at the Jewish Community Center
in West Bloomfield. Performances are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 5 and 8:30 p.m.
Saturdays and 2 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays, Jan. 30 and Feb. 6 and 13. Other times
are 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 19, and 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 9. $32-$41 with dis-
counts for seniors and students. (248) 788-2900; www.jettheatre.org .
JET, in the spirit of emerging social connection networks for young Jewish
adults, is offering its preview price ($32) for certain performances to those
accessing www.facebook.com/jettheatre and pressing the "Like" button.
ocal actress Henrietta Hermelin,
whose long career has brought
her to many Michigan stages,
is taking on the lengthiest role of her
career. As lead character Roxie Firestone
in The War Since Eve, she stays in the
spotlight for almost the entire pro-
duction, portraying a shining star in
feminist circles and a dimming light in
her own family circle. About to receive
a Presidential Medal of Freedom, she
is confronted by critical problems with
two grown daughters.
The comedy, running Jan. 13-Feb. 13 at
the Performance Network Theatre in Ann
Arbor, is a world premiere for Michigan
playwright Kim Carney. Director David
Wolber also is working with Sarab
Kamoo and Leah Smith as the daughters.
"What seems obvious and clear-cut as
the play begins becomes complicated as
the plot unfolds," says Hermelin, in her
fourth role with Performance Network.
"Roxie is a 70-year-old woman with
two daughters in their 40s, and that
brings up so much history in my own life.
I know I've gotten in the habit of treating
my daughters in certain ways, and this
play has made me think about all that."
The issues surrounding this mother-
daughters relationship have to do
with Milty, who lives and works with
her mother, and Tara, who has been
estranged for 20 years. When Tara returns
and Milty threatens to jump ship, Roxie
must decide whether to focus her atten-
tion on sisterhood or motherhood.
"My character initiated a walkout
for equal pay in Detroit and got lots of
attention for that',' Hermelin explains. "As
Roxie is confronted with the problems
her daughters are having, she questions
whether the troubles stem from the way
she mixed family and work."
Henrietta Hermelin in The War Since
Eve
With feminism at the core of the play,
Carney describes the context of the devel-
opment of her theme.
"As a lifelong feminist, I guess what
I'm proudest about is that I feel like I'm
making a contribution toward the cause
by not only the subject matter of the
play but the fact that it has a challenging,
complex main character who's in her 70s,"
says the playwright, whose credits include
Moonglow and The Home Team.
"At a time when they're at the top of
their game, actresses in their 70s usually
are relegated to small, grandma-type
roles, and that's not fair."
Hermelin, who has had many roles
with the Jewish Ensemble Theatre, is
playing a Jewish character thinking about
turning to Christianity.
"It seems that Roxie is thinking about
Christianity because of its outlook toward
forgiveness',' Hermelin says. "She has
been very manipulative, and it becomes
apparent that she is wondering whether
she ultimately will be forgiven."
The War Since Eve runs Jan.13-Feb.13 at the Performance Network Theatre,
120 E. Huron, in Ann Arbor. Show times are 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays,
2 p.m. Sundays and 3 p.m. Saturdays, Jan. 29 and Feb.12. $22-$41 with
discounts for seniors, members, students and groups. (734) 663-0681;
www.performancenetwork.org .
January 13 2011
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