The Arts

The Savoyard Murders: An Uplifting, Playful Adventure

By Eva Trieger SAN DIEGO — Local playwright, performer, lyricist, director, and teacher, Omri Schein, never fails to delight audiences regardless of which hat he is wearing. When his cleverly, witty, and innuendo-laden scripts are co-directed and acted by Phil Johnson, you know you’re in for exceedingly good fun. Now, the entire experience is put […]

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Eva Trieger, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Ironically, ‘Mugre’ is a Bright, Shiny New Play

Set in a carwash in Chula Vista, this multilingual show is about families — both born and discovered.  Don’t worry if you don’t speak Spanish, the most important parts are in English, and Spanish is used to give it color and flavor. It is mostly slang.  You will be able to get what’s going on from the context, and in those few places where you may not understand, one of the characters will explain.  [Sandi Masori]

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San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Book Presents 21 Jewish Role Models for Grade School Girls

In chronological order, the women whose accomplishments are praised are Emma Lazarus, Henrietta Szold, Marthe Cohn, Shari Lewis, Golda Meir, Vera Rubin, Devra Kleinman, Judy Blume, Nalini Nadkarni, Barbra Streisand, Marlee Matlin, Rusty Kanokogi, Judit Polgar, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Cheryl & Nikki Bart; Dara Torres, Annie Leibovitz; April N. Baskin, and Jessica Meir. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History

‘Angel’ is Hilarious New Play

Adapted from an old Hungarian play, Play At The Castle by Ferenc Molnar, it’s a play within a play about a play.  I’ll give you a brief synopsis in a moment, but honestly, in this play, the plot doesn’t matter.  Not to say that there isn’t one, but what it really delivers on is LPM- that’s laughs per minute.  This over-the-top comedy does not take itself too seriously and even calls itself out on the things happening to move the action along.  I don’t remember ever laughing so hard or often at a show.  Every line landed.  Every physical comedy bit hit. The absurd became plausible and wonderful. [Sandi Masori]

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San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘Cabaret’ Provides a Stark Warning about Racism, Extremism

It all comes to a boil at the end of the first act, when at a party celebrating the engagement of Schultz and Schneider one of the inn’s resident ladies of the night tells Ludwig that Schultz can afford the party because the Jews have all the money anyway, thus bringing to his attention Schultz’ ethnicity.  [Sandi Masori]

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San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Fights Among the Zealots

By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin BOCA RATON, Florida — Just as fights exist between religious Zionists, they exist among the Zealots. Judaism is destroying itself. Maggid Books in Israel has reprinted the original 1920 version of the classical mystical book “Orot” (Lights), by the famous Rabbi Abraham Isaac Hakohen Kook. The 2023 publication appears in

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Israel, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion

 ‘Queens of Jerusalem’ Book Seeks to Rectify Historians’ Neglect of Women

By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — Author Katherine Pangonis notes in her preface to “Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared to Rule” that “this is a book about women and power.” The wives and daughters of crusader kings and princes in the Holy Land sometimes found themselves in the position of default ruler

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East

Powerful Novel Indicts Lithuanian Role in the Holocaust

The plot is simple. The fictional Milia Gottstein-Lasker, the Israeli-based director of the Survivors Campaign who is known in Lithuania as a public enemy, receives an invitation from Darius Vidas, an idealistic Lithuanian professor, to keynote a conference titled “Our Neighbors, Our Friends” about the historic Lithuanian Jewish community that was all but totally wiped out in the Holocaust. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History

Golda director reveals why Dame Helen Mirren was cast as Golda Meir despite not being Jewish

Published by BANG Showbiz English Golda Meir’s grandson chose Dame Helen Mirren to play her on screen. The 78-year-old actress stars as the late Israeli Prime Minister -who died in 1978 at the age of 80 – in the upcoming biopic ‘Golda’ but attracted controversy over the role because, unlike her character, she is not

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast

You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah boasts big tunes from Dua Lipa to Olivia Rodrigo

Published by HITC HITC breaks down the You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah soundtrack and who plays DJ Schmuley. Audiences are always glad to see Adam Sandler on screens and fans will be glad to see that he’s brought some of the family along for his latest movie. You Are So Not

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Jewish Men’s Choir Brings Joy in Several Languages

What once was a choir featuring the voices of male expatriates from South Africa has become a choir of many international voices performing not only Jewish liturgical music but also secular songs in Yiddish, Ladino, Hebrew, and English.  Choir members hail from countries around the world, among them the U.S., South Africa, France, Guatemala, Mexico, and Israel. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA