Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Should You See ‘Witness for the Prosecution’ at PowPac? It’s No Mystery

By Eva Trieger POWAY, California — Thank you PowPac Theatre for bringing us Witness for the Prosecution, the edgy murder mystery penned in 1925 by Dame Agatha Christie. While I am not quite certain the author would recognize her play with PowPac’s treatment and influence, I do think she would have loved the performance I

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

‘Hereville’ Is Getting Thereville

The story begins as they prepare for Shabbat. But the story is not about Shabbat, or heavier themes that we may expect from “Jewish” shows, it’s about a blended family learning to overcome their respective grief and come together as a family.  It’s about motherly love between a daughter and a stepdaughter and feelings of familial betrayals. [Sandi Masori]

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

SIX, a Musical about Henry VIII’s Wives, Electrifies

Electric! That is the first word that comes to my mind when I think about the SIX, the Broadway in San Diego show currently playing at the Civic Theatre. It’s the shortest Broadway musical I have ever seen, being only one act and clocking in at about an hour and twenty minutes, but every single one of those minutes is jam-packed with energy and earworm-worthy tunes. [Sandi Masori]

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

Documentary Challenges America’s Wildfire Strategy

Jack Cohen, a retired U.S. Forest Service fire research scientist who lives in Missoula, Montana, passionately contends that for centuries the United States has dealt with wildfires all wrong. Instead of spending billions of dollars to put the fires out wherever they may occur, efforts should be prioritized to make homes and other structures as invulnerable as possible to flying embers, he insists. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

A High-Stakes Love Triangle in the Warsaw Ghetto

When the actors were backstage, they were enmeshed in a real-life love triangle featuring the competition of Edmund (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) and Patryk (Mark Ryder) for the affection of Stefcia (Clara Rugaard).  Patryk’s on-stage wife Ada (Valentina Belle) was left out of the backstage action. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Jewish Fiction, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Annotated ‘Merchant’ Both Confuses and Edifies

I want to precede this review by saying that I think avantgarde theatre that is designed to make you think is an important creative expression and we need art that starts conversations. Now having said that, I have to admit that it left me scratching my head wondering if I were smart enough to be in the audience.  [Sandi Masori]

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

Hallmark Channel Highlights Jewish Customs in ‘The Wedding Contract’

The Hallmark Channel premiered on Saturday night, June 17, The Wedding Contract, a movie about a Jewish wedding that might have given viewers some wrong ideas about ketubahs. Adam (Jake Epstein) and Rebecca (Becca Tobin) joke about putting this or that into their ketubah, but they, like most Jewish couples, sign a traditional, off-the-shelf document. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

A One-Woman Tour de Force: North Coast Rep’s ‘Eleanor’ Reveals Personal, Public Facets of Former First Lady’s Life

By Eva Trieger SOLANA BEACH, California — North Coast Repertory Theatre has resurrected Eleanor Roosevelt from the dead. In the West Coast premiere of Eleanor, actor Kandis Chappell is a one-woman tour de force. Director David Ellenstein has done an amazing job with this impressive show. From the 85-minute visit with the former First Lady,

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

‘A Small Light’ Leaves a Big Impression about the Holocaust

Many of us grew up with the story of Anne Frank. I read her diary, saw a movie and plays about her, read books by people who knew her, even interviewed one of her contemporaries. Although I was quite familiar with the important role Miep Gies had played in Anne Frank’s life, it was not until I watched this dramatization that I came to understand the intensity of Miep’s experience and the vast contours of her bravery as well as that of her husband Jan. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Jewish Philanthropist Mandell Weiss Gave Famed La Jolla Playhouse Its Home

It is a playhouse with good yichus.  It was started in 1947 by three movie stars – Gregory Peck, Dorothy McGuire and Mel Ferrer—with the financial backing of movie producer David D. Selznick, who was then best known for his 1939 blockbuster Gone With the Wind. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA