CHINESE PEOPLE
EAT HERE
Australia’s Strange
Fruit will be among
the Summer Festival
performers.
ing music, dance, comedy, film, spo-
ken word, contemporary circus, street
arts and family entertainment.
Mainstage performers, the only
ones who are not free, include Doktor
Kaboom!, Colin Mochrie & Brad
Sherwood, Ira Glass and the Capitol
Steps. Top of the Park entertainers
include the Ben Daniels Band, Jill Jack
Band, Lunar Octet and Magic Giant.
“I grew up with a real awareness
of the tradition of Jewish songwriters
that exists in America with Tin Pan
Alley writers, like George Gershwin,
and writers of the generation of my
parents [Wendy and Ted Lawrence],
like Carole King and Neil Diamond,”
says the Lawrence, whose religious
observance included attendance at
Temple Beth Emeth.
“I always loved music, and it fol-
lowed naturally that I would study
that. After college, I got an internship
with Eighth Blackbird, a contem-
porary chamber ensemble based in
Chicago. We were doing cutting-edge
classical music, and I became their
first intern. I learned about making a
living through music.
“When I was with Eighth Blackbird,”
she says, “I started getting gigs around
town and began building a freelance
life. When I started working, I was
more of a singer, pianist and music
director. I’ve gone into composing and
songwriting as a larger part of my life.
I write for others who need songs and
for musicals. It’s been an interesting
trajectory.”
Lawrence, who is compared to
Fiona Apple and Regina Spektor,
describes her career as a “grab bag of
things.” She has released EP record-
ings of her music and composed for
Next Stop: A New Chicago Musical.
“I work regularly with some orga-
nizations and freelance with others,”
says Lawrence, 34. “I teach workshops
in singing for improv comedy and
comedic songwriting at the Second
City Training Center and work every
week with the Chicago Children’s
Choir. I also work every week with
Story Catchers, which creates musical
theater in juvenile detention centers.”
Another regular commitment is
fronting the band Diana and the
Dishes. “I’ve been working with Rob
Kleiner, a producer in Los Angeles,
who’s been helping the band succeed
in a pop sensibility,” she says. “We’re
going to experiment and see what
happens.”
Lawrence has a connection to
theater as music director for a pro-
duction of The Sound of Music done
by Chicago Women’s Charity Players,
a small community company in the
northern suburbs of Chicago.
The group is an Orthodox ensemble
of all women doing musicals in ways
that are in keeping with their religious
beliefs. They perform with an all-
female cast and creative team and an
all-female audience except for those
younger than 13.
“I’m working on a musical about
the first female workforce in the
United States,” she says. “The women
worked in the mills in Massachusetts,
and they were the first women to go
on strike for better working condi-
tions in 1865.”
As much as Lawrence wants a
busy work schedule, she makes sure
to keep the High Holidays clear so
she can listen to her brother Rick
Lawrence, a cantor in Ohio.
“I think an entertainer has to
understand very serious issues to
make good comedy,” says Lawrence,
who has toured as musical director
with Second City. “Comedy is the
other side of the coin, and that’s why
it’s so powerful.
“I enjoy thinking about drama and
comedy in music, which is a very
powerful tool if you’re interested in
social consciousness. I feel that is very
Jewish, and I think I have a responsi-
bility to have that awareness as a Jew
and as a performer.” •
MIDTOWN
4710 Cass Avenue
Detroit, Michigan 48201
UPTOWN
6407 Orchard Lake Road
(15 Mile & Orchard Lake)
313.974.7669
248.626.8585
DAILY DIM SUM &SUSHI
DAILY DIM SUM
uptownshangri-la.com
STAR
DELI
“…one of America’s finest
carryout-only delicatessens!
Star’s reputation
has never wavered!”
— Danny Raskin
COMPARE OUR LOW PRICES WITH ANY DELICATESSEN IN TOWN!
MEAT TRAY
DAIRY TRAY
SALAD TRAY
$10.99 per
person
person
$22.99 per
$12.99 per
person
SALAD TRAY W/ LOX & CREAM CHEESE
$16.99
per
person
Best
Deli Trays in town!
We also have delicious Vienna Hot Dogs
with all the fixings for all your summer
Bar-B-Ques
$ 5
)0634.0/4"5".1.t46/".1.
24555 W. 12 MILE ROAD
+VTUXFTUPG5FMFHSBQI3PBEt4PVUIGJFME
248-352-7377
www.stardeli.net
OFF
On Star’s beautiful already
low-priced trays
Expires 7/8/17. One Per Order. Not Good Holidays.
10 Person Minimum. With this coupon.
DELIVERY AVAILABLE
Prices subject to change
jn
June 15 • 2017
2140950
41