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Amalie Materna, Emil Scaria and Hermann Winkelmann (right)
in the 1882 premiere production of Parsifal in Bayreuth, 1882

and Writer’s Guild Awards.
In Leicht’s play, Wagner and
Cosima find themselves in a moral,
political and musical dilemma, and
she spends her last night on Earth
reliving her past and contemplating
her afterlife. Levi causes Cosima
and Wagner to try and control their
anti-Semitic views.
When asked what he hopes the
audience will walk away with after
seeing his play, Leicht says that they
ask questions. “I hope audiences
leave with questions. What is preju-
dice? Bigotry? How do we tolerate it?
In this case, it’s anti-Semitism, but it
could be any kind of prejudice.
“It’s very difficult to admit that
we admire people like Wagner or
Dostoevsky or poets Ezra Pound and
T.S. Eliot, who were gifted artists and
at the same time genuine anti-Sem-
ites. We like bad guys to wear black
hats. But, in this case, we have Mr.
and Mrs. Wagner, who were both
very intelligent, sensitive people. He
was arguably the most important art-
ist in the Western world, but had this
bad side. Where did it come from?”

When Leicht, who lives in New
York City and is also an Israeli cit-
izen, isn’t working, he is busy with
family. He has three children and
two grandchildren. His wife, Renee
Lippin Leicht, is an actress who
appeared in the Woody Allen films
Stardust Memories, Celebrity and
Radio Days, starred in the 1972 film
Portnoy’s Complaint and was on the
Bob Newhart Show.
After the Off-Broadway run,
Leicht hopes his play will get moved
to a production in a larger theater.
“I think it’s a fascinating story that
people can relate to today,” he says.
“For one thing, Richard Wagner
was not exactly monogamous and
left many an affair in his wake. He
would be a candidate for the ‘MeToo’
movement, except that most of his
conquests seem to have been quite
willing. It may not be for me to say,
but My Parsifal Conductor is a very
funny play. Look, two unapologetic
anti-Semites in close friendship with
the descendant of a long line of rab-
bis. As Cosima says, ‘Twelve rabbis
conducting Parsifal.’” ■

F INE C HINESE D INING

“A wonderful adventure in fine dining” ~ Danny Raskin

Open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner
Catering and carryout available
Gift certificates

27925 Orchard Lake Rd., North of 12 Mile, Farmington Hills

details

My Parsifal Conductor runs through Nov. 3 at the
Marjorie S. Deane Theater at the West Side YMCA
(5 W. 63rd St). Tickets are available through Ovationtix.com.

248-489-2280

www.honghuafinedining.com

jn

October 4 • 2018

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