WINNER! 2010 TONY AWARD

ES MUSICAL
„4,..„ .0...
0.•••••
creme
C
m.o...

Clutter Control Queen

)00,0000000

eeee ~ e pee

Comic brings her one-woman show
to the Berman.

I

•00•1110041
:1:41112:2
tr; 00
0:00000 0 0
ti (XVI ?
:rift IVA:::
"WAN..
'tee Orel)
4 • 109
• 110
00
,t)
r ■ ••••
.tot
\Ho 30
■ 010t
SO
1

Suzanne Chessler
Contributing Writer

N

ancy Redman jokes that her
first paid performance was
at her bat mitzvah — a lot of
money for a serious presentation.
Redman's earnings since then have
been from comedy.
A recent project — CLUTTER:

I'm Saving My Life and It's Killing
Me — will be performed at 5 and 8:30
p.m. Saturday, April 6, at the Berman
Center for the Performing Arts in West
Bloomfield. It is part of the 2012-2013
season of the Jewish Ensemble Theatre.
Redman, who has been to Metro
Detroit many times as the opening
act for Soupy Sales, has written the
award-winning, one-woman produc-
tion to give a light look at an issue she
has tackled.
"This show evolved from something
very deep within me says Redman in
a phone conversation from her New
York home. "It's about a hoarder who
attempts to break her addiction after
her landlord gives her an eviction
notice with one week to get rid of her
clutter.
"I love sharing my journey, and
I think audiences will identify with
segments of the play, which has many
characters [that I portray]. I'm lucky
in that comedy is how I view every-
thing because I've turned a painful
situation into [something funny]."
The play, which also includes stand-
up segments, has been developed in
many stages. In 2011, the current ver-
sion won Redman the Best Comedian
Award from the United Solo Theatre
Festival. The year before, it brought
the Best Director Award to Austin
Pendleton at the same festival.
"I've always performed in plays
and wrote says Redman, who would
profess that age has not entered into
the clutter of her memory. "I turned
to comedy at the High School of
Performing Arts in New York City. It
was an accident.
"I was doing different exercises in
different classes and did not expect to
get laughs. When I got them, it was
as if I were enveloped in a warm hug.
I felt as if they were laughing with me:'
Her early stage initiatives included
acting at small venues around New
York, where she appeared in The Laff
Maker, Suburban Blues and I Love You
among other shows. Those experi-
ences reinforced her interest in more
personalized comedic presentations,

Nancy Redman

and she turned to standup.
Redman based her routines on
training with Second City and in vari-
ous private classes and turned ideas
into monologues. Attention to her
work brought appearances with Jackie
Mason, Chubby Checker and Charo.
"Soupy told me how to introduce
him:' she recalls. "He wanted me to
say: 'Direct from his dressing room,
Soupy Sales:"
EMERGENCY a la Carte, another
solo production she has written and
performed with Pendleton as director,
won the Best Standup Award at the
2012 United Solo Theatre Festival. It's
about a comedian who dies only to find
that death is her toughest audience.
Redman's television credits include
the Oprah Winfrey Show, Comedy
on the Road, Girls Night Out and
America's Funniest People, which she
won twice. Redman also can be seen
in the films Rescuing Desire, Freeway
Maniac and That's Adequate.
"I starting writing Clutter for a
workshop, and it changed as I pre-
pared the piece for different festivals:'
says Redman, who is single and
spends her free time writing. "The
version for Michigan runs the full 90
minutes. I'm [also] working on a new
one-woman play and a new play with
characters.
"My Jewish activities involve
praying a lot. When I connect with
my mother, who is represented in
CLUTTER, I feel like I'm connecting
with the Jewish community" ❑

CLUTTER: I'm Saving My Life and
It's Killing Me will be performed

at 5 and 8:30 p.m. Saturday,
April 6, at the Berman Center
for the Performing Arts in West
Bloomfield. $42-$45. (248) 788-
2900; www.jettheatre.org .

THE MUSICAL

MEMPHIS

BOOK LYRICS BY

JOE DIPIETRO music&LYPICS BY DAVID BRYAN

CHOREBORAPHYBr

SERGIO TRUJILLO

BIRECTED BY

CHRISTOPHER ASHLEY

Fisher Theatre • April 9-21

Fisher Box Office, ticketmaster.com & 800-982-2707 • Info: BroodwayInDetroit.com & 313 - 872 - 1000

Groups (10+): Groups@BroadwayInDetroit.com or 313-871-1132

I

- BROADWAY IN

DETROIT sponsored by

"

"

The Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor Presents

CELEBRATE ISRAEL

65tA
SiztAday

eanceTt

04

the _1 gizadi
Song Soak

Featuring Gil Dor, Gadi Seri

& theYoed Nir String Quartet

Opening Act: U-M Hillel a capella
group Kol Ha'Kavod

Wednesday, April 17,2013 • 7:30pm

6:30pm Festivities Commence • 7:00pm Concert Doors Open
Michigan Theater • 603 East Liberty • Ann Arbor, MI

Get Your Tickets Today!

Reserved Section: $65

General Admission Adult: $36, Child/Student: $12

To purchase tickets or become a sponsor visit

www.jewishannarbor.org/celebrateisrael

or call 734-677-0100.

efekate Israel

1823090

JN

March 28 • 2013

63

