DECEMBER 8 • 2022 | 63

T

he play titled John Lennon 
& Me does not delve into 
the life of the late member 
of the musical Beatles. Instead, 
the play is about a thought that 
one Beatle expressed and how that 
thought affects two teens sharing a 
hospital room. 
“The main character, Star, 

considers John Lennon as a role 
model because he communicated 
that you’re only on this earth for 
so long so that you really should 
enjoy and appreciate what life 
brings you,
” explained Mitch 
Master, who is directing the show.
The production will be present-
ed Wednesday-Thursday evenings, 

Dec. 14-15, by students attending 
the Frankel Jewish Academy. It 
will be staged at the Berman 
Center for the Performing Arts.
“This play is addressed to a 
wide audience,
” said Master, who 
has directed and performed in 
many area productions. “It’s fam-
ily-friendly as a dramedy. There’s 
some comedy and some unfortu-
nate tragedy in the show.
”
Star, performed by Rozalia 
Aronov, has cystic fibrosis and 
often is confined to the hospital. 
Her roommate, Courtney, a role 
assigned to Ava Paige, presents an 
opposite personality. 
The two have been working on 
the production since the begin-
ning of September.
“The whole story is set in this 
children’s hospital, where my char-
acter lives when her health is really 
bad,
” explained Rozalia, 16, a high 
school junior who wants to keep 
theater as a special interest but 
plans on pursuing a math career. 
“She gets this new roommate, 
and they become friends even 
though they’re from different 
worlds. The girl, who’s her age, 
doesn’t know what it means to 
be sick.
“I think it’s important for people 
to see this show and learn not the 
specifics of having a particular 
illness but about what it is like for 
some kids to have to stay on the 
outside looking in and what it feels 
like to be different — not neces-
sarily not included or not accepted 
but not understood in the way she 
wants to be.“
The metaphor used by the 
playwright, Cherie Bennett, 
relates to being on the outside of 
a candy store.
“I love how funny this play is,
” 
Rozalia said. “It has really intense 
dramatic scenes and really great 
witty, charming lines. Most of 
them are by my character, which is 
a lot of fun for me. 
“She’s so feisty, quick-witted 
and clever, and I love that I get to 

play that. Her relationship to other 
characters and her way with the 
audience is hilarious. It’s kind of 
ironic given the circumstances, but 
that’s my favorite part.
”
The play has the characters 
talking directly to the audience 
in some scenes, so the fourth 
wall of theater is eliminated at 
those times. 
Rozalia, who attended Hillel 
Day School, has appeared in 
Annie, Alice in Wonderland and 
The Odd Couple. She takes part 
in competitive ballroom dancing 
and tutors Russian as a first-gen-
eration American whose family 
came from the former Soviet 
Union. 
This is the first time Ava has 
been in a play as encouraged by 
a friend. 
“My character is a teenager 
who’s very popular and has a lot 
of friends,
” Ava said. “She isn’t 
used to sickness, and so she’s very 
defiant against it. She doesn’t think 
she’s as sick as she is. She believes 
that she’s normal. She doesn’t get 
why she’s there, which is essential 
to her development throughout 
the play.
“I enjoy the support from my 
peers because I’ve never done this 
before. I’ve never rehearsed lines. 
Within the play, I love the dynam-
ic between Star and Courtney. I 
love how their friendship grows. I 
can’t wait to see how the audience 
experiences that as well.
”
Ava, 15 and in 10th grade, 
hopes to be successful in business. 
She had wanted to be a model, 
but her height prevented that. She 
is active with B’nai B’rith Youth 
Organization and programs lead-
ing younger children at Temple 
Beth El. Tennis, lacrosse and bas-
ketball are her sports. 
This is the second time Master 
has worked with this play, and 
he has been impressed with how 
audiences react to the definition of 
friendship. 

A Play About 
Friendship

Frankel Jewish Academy stages 
John Lennon & Me Dec. 14-15.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER 

Ava Paige and 
Rozie Aronov

The entire cast of John Lennon & Me

Details John Lennon & Me will be performed at 7 p.m. Wednesday-
Thursday, Dec. 14-15, at the Berman Center for the Performing Arts in the 
Jewish Community Center. $18. (248) 406-6677. theberman.org.

ARTS&LIFE
THEATER

