arts & life A Michigan native lands a coveted spot dancing in new opera. ® ayP eo PHOTO BY MORGAN HANSHEW PHOTOGRAPHY Above: Soprano Catalina Cuervo plays the title role in Frida. Right, top and bottom: Lila Weinstein during rehearsals for Frida. I Suzanne Chessler Contributing Writer L Lila Weinstein Frida will be performed March 7-8 at the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts in Clinton Township, March 21-22 at the Berman Center for the Performing Arts in West Bloomfield and March 27-28 at the Detroit Film Theatre. $45 - $55. (313) 237-SING; michiganopera.org . Celebrity Jews Nate Bloom Special to the Jewish News SMALL SCREEN Battle Creek is a witty CBS police drama set in Battle Creek, Mich. — though not filmed there — starring Josh Duhamel and Dean Winters. An example of the show's quirky humor: The city's mayor is a dead-ringer for Toronto's wacky ex-mayor, Rob Ford; in the sec- ond episode, the police have to deal with a criminal cartel selling stolen maple syrup. Airs Sundays at 10 p.m. Series co-creator, Vince 38 vlarch 5 • 201S ila Weinstein is steps ahead of Metro Detroiters about to immerse them- selves in the artistry and person- alities of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. Weinstein, who just earned a bachelor's degree in dance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, is rehearsing to appear in the opera Frida, one of many cultural programs associated with the exhibition "Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo in Detroit" (see "Frida And Diego" on page 37). The opera, a co-production of the Michigan Opera Theatre and the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts, will be staged at various locations March 7-28 (see box at left). "I haven't had the opportunity to work in an opera before so this Gilligan — creator of Breaking Bad — wrote the Battle Creek pilot 12 years ago. The studio brought in David Shore, 55, creator of House, to update the pilot and help write new epi- sodes. Says Shore: "I raised the child that Gilligan birthed." Shore, by the way, comes from an observant family from Toronto, Canada, and his twin younger brothers are both Aish HaTorah rab- bis. Patricia Arquette, 46, Arquette who won the best support- ing actress Oscar for Boyhood and a is a new experience for me says Weinstein, joining Columbian soprano Catalina Cuervo and Mexican-born bass-baritone Ricardo Herrera. "I like working with the singers" Weinstein was chosen by cho- reographer Marco Pelle, who also is seen in the production, and is joined by one more dancer, Angela Cavazos. The opera, first performed in 1991, delves into the tumultuous experiences faced by Kahlo as she built her career in the midst of romantic upheavals and illnesses compounded by injuries. With book by Hilary Blecher, the opera's score features music by Robert Xavier Rodriguez and lyr- ics by Migdalia Cruz. It is sung in English and Spanish with English translation projections. The music brings in various styles while emphasizing Mexican traditions. "In one of the scenes, the danc- best actress Emmy for Medium, returns to TV as the star of the new series, CS/ Cyber, as the head of an FBI team of cyber- crime investigators. Premieres 10 p.m. Thursday, March 5 on CBS. The 10-part USA Network mini-series Dig also debuts 10 p.m. March 5. Much of the series is set in Israel, where the pilot was filmed. Jason Isaacs, 51, who played Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter movies, plays an FBI agent recently stationed in Jerusalem. While investi- gating the murder of a young American, he uncovers an ancient international conspira- cy that threatens to change the course of human history. ers represent death as they move around the stage says Weinstein, who will mix ballet with contem- porary choreography. "In other sections, we fill in more as actors. We're guests during the scene in which Frida and Diego get mar- ried" Weinstein, who grew up in Farmington Hills and gradu- ated from Walled Lake Western High School, tried gymnastics before studying dance at Geiger Classic Ballet Academy in West Bloomfield. "I think the challenge, discipline and artistry are what I came to enjoy about dance she says. "I'm a creative person so it was always a good outlet for me" Years of ballet lessons led her to become a member of the pre- professional Michigan Classic Ballet Company. While in high school, she joined the student company of the Eisenhower Dance AT THE MOVIES Opening this week: What We Do in the Shadows is an acclaimed comedic mockumentary — in the style of Christopher Guest's Best in Show — about a household of four vampires and how they cope with Waititi their unusual lifestyle. New Zealanders Taika Waititi, 39, and Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Concords) co-wrote, co- directed and co-star in the film. Both have a Maori parent (New Zealand-Polynesian), and Company and spent summers studying with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York and the Nashville Ballet. She went on to participate in dance festivals, including Regional Dance America's Mid-States Festival and the Michigan Youth Arts Festival. Weinstein, 21, who had her bat mitzvah at Temple Shir Shalom, is planning a summer wedding. She and Evan McDowell will combine Jewish and Catholic traditions in the ceremony. Getting ready to settle in Dayton, Ohio, she plans to audi- tion for companies close to her new home, including Dayton Contemporary Dance Company. "I feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing when I'm dancing" she says. As I work on the opera, [I see that the dance elements] will give audiences more depth in understanding the artists:' ❑ Waititi's mother is Jewish. The comedy Unfinished Business stars Vince Vaughn as a small-busi- ness owner who travels to Europe to close an important Franco business deal, but the trip goes awry in every pos- sible way. Dave Franco, 29, co-stars as a Vaughn associate. Dave, the brother of James, recently said "he's proud to be Jewish." He and Alison Brie, 32 (Community), have been dating for two years. ❑