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82 episodes with judi herman
"It's a very loaded moment to be doing a Jewish work…but the overall message is of coming together and celebrating Jewish traditions" After the success of London's first ever Jewish panto last year, which had everyone from babies to bubbas in fits of giggles, it's only right that the family fun returns for a second season. The same team behind the hilarious Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Pig, presents Goldie Frocks and the Bear Mitzvah, about East Ender Goldie Frocks and the fuzzy Behr family, who are preparing for the best bear mitzvah Picalilli Circus has ever seen. Judi Herman caught up with one of the stars of the show, Frankie Thompson (aka Baby Behr), to talk about her family history in theatre, using comedy to address difficult topics and living up to the legend of ‘Smelly Bum'.Goldie Frocks and the Bear Mitzvah runs until Sunday 8 January. Times vary. From £26 adults, from £16 children. JW3, NW3 6ET. jw3.org.uk/panto
If you love Leonard Cohen and dance, here's an irresistible offering. Dance Me: Music by Leonard Cohen – presented by Ballets Jazz Montréal (based, as the name suggests, in Cohen's home city) – sets the bard's rich and profound work to movement, video and more. The company has already toured the world and now it's London's turn to thrill to their glorious and moving interpretation, which was actually approved by the man himself when it was first conceived by then artistic director Louis Robitaille. In a revealing chat with Cohen devotee Judi Herman, Alexandra Damiani, current artistic director of BJM, spoke about the show, the ideas behind it and Damiani's own career.Dance Me: Music by Leonard Cohen runs Tuesday 7 – Saturday 11 & Tuesday 14 February. 7.30pm, 2.30pm (Thu & Sat only), £33.75-£84.38. Sadler's Wells, EC1R 4TN. sadlerswells.com
The year is 1945 and playrwight Ben Brown takes us to the estate near Berlin, where Heinrich Himmler, architect of the Holocaust, meets in secret with a Swedish Jew and member of the World Jewish Congress, Norbert Masur. The meeting is at the instigation of the estate's owmer, Himmler's Finnish physiotherapist Dr Felix Kersten, who has persuaded Hitler's deputy to come without the Führer's knowledge, to bargain for his life as it becomes clear that Germany is losing the war. The stakes are high, the freeing of thousands of Jews from camps is the bargaining chip, and the 'night' whose end is in sight in Brown's tense, eye-opening drama is World War II and the Holocaust. Listen as Judi Herman speaks to Brown about his vital source material – both Kersten's memoirs and Masur's account written immediately on his return to Stockholm – and his fascination with vividly reimagining vital moments in 20th-century history.The End of the Night runs until Saturday 28 May. 7.30pm, 3pm (Thu & Sat only). £18.50-£32.50, £16.50-£23.50 concs. Park Theatre, N4 3JP. parktheatre.co.ukRead our review of The End of the Night on the JR blog.
This year marks the 80th anniversary of the massacre of more than 33,000 Jews by Nazi occupying forces in the ravine of Babyn Yar in the suburbs of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. The figures rose to more than 100,000 over the following two years of Nazi occupation. Songs for Babyn Yar marks this anniversary with a performance featuring three Ukrainian musicians – Yuriy Gurzhy, Svetlana Kundish and Mariana Sadovska – who have composed and arranged the music. Drawing on diverse voices, including survivors' testimonies, traditional Yiddish and Ukrainian folk songs and poetry, they journey deep into 100 years of their country's history to reveal forgotten stories and silenced songs. It is a new act of remembrance that also asks how to move forward from a tragedy that has never been fully commemorated. After a performance at JW3 on Sunday 21 November, it will tour to Ukraine and there are plans for further UK performances. Songs for Babyn Yar is directed by Josephine Burton, artistic director of Dash Arts, who spoke to JR's arts editor Judi Herman about the story of the production and how it tells a powerful story.Songs for Babyn Yar runs Sunday 21 November. 7.30pm. £15 (in-person), £5 (online only). JW3, NW3 6ET. 020 7433 8988. jw3.org.uk
Many of us have seen The Merchant of Venice, perhaps Shakespeare's most controversial play, featuring Shylock, the reviled Jewish moneylender. But now, theatre director Bill Alexander, who has directed the play several times to much acclaim, has created this “all-new modern-day adaptation”, set in what he calls the "blackly comic world of modern Venice", tellingly entitled A Merchant of Venice – did you spot the indefinite article?In Alexander's version which, he says, "focuses on just six key characters, their entangled loves, desires and fortunes", Peter Tate plays Shylock. He is also co-artistic director (with Anthony Biggs) of The Playground Theatre in west London. He spoke to JR's arts editor Judi Herman about the loves, desires and fortunes of Shylock, and the joys and challenges of running one of London's newest theatres, which is currently welcoming Shakespeare In Italy, the company behind the production, with its brief to take the works of Shakespeare to new audiences in exciting and interesting ways.A Merchant of Venice runs until Saturday 4 December. 7.30pm, 2.30pm (Thu & Sat only). From £13.50. The Playground Theatre, W10 6RQ. theplaygroundtheatre.london
“It was heart-stopping! It's hard to remember she's a puppet, she is so real and lifelike" © David Levene © David Levene © David Levene © David Levene © David Levene © David Levene © David Levene Since she set off in July, JR has been following the extraordinary journey across Europe of Little Amal, the giant puppet of a nine-year-old refugee girl. She is searching for her mother and, on the way, highlighting the plight of her fellow refugees. JR's Judi Herman spoke to the theatremaker behind the project, David Lan in the Summer 2021 issue of JR, and has been looking forward to Little Amal's arrival in the UK ever since. Last weekend she joined the crowds thronging the steps of St Paul's, along with leaders of different faith communities, to welcome Little Amal to the capital, listen to the band and speak to members of the crowd, including Rabbi Laura Janner-Klausner, Sheikh Ibrahim Moghra and Rev Lucy Winkett of St James's Church, Piccadilly.Later, Herman caught up with Lan, who joined her via Zoom from Oxford, where Little Amal was due next, to meet a girl who equalled her in size – a huge puppet of Lewis Carroll's Alice – there to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Alice Through the Looking Glass. But first join us on the steps of St Paul's…The Walk with Amal runs until Wednesday 3 November. Times, prices and venues vary. walkwithamal.org Read our interview with David Lan in the Summer 2021 issue of JR and read more about The Walk with Amal on the JR blog.
Rebecca Taichman won the Tony Award for best director for her production of Paula Vogel's hit play Indecent, charting the controversy surrounding Yiddish playwright Sholem Asch's 1906 drama God of Vengeance, a story of exploitation set in a brothel that also celebrates the passionate love between two women. It caused a furore when the English translation opened on Broadway in 1923 and the company were tried for obscenity. Happily, Indecent became one of the hottest tickets in theatre and Rebecca has been in London directing the UK premiere, now selling out at the Menier Chocolate Factory, where it opened to rave reviews. Before she returned to New York, Taichman spoke to JR's Judi Herman about her fruitful, five-year collaboration with Vogel and their shared passion for telling “the true story of a little Jewish play”.Indecent runs until Saturday 27 November. 8pm (Tue-Sat), 3.30pm (Sat & Sun only). £37.50-£47.50. Menier Chocolate Factory, SE1 1RU. menierchocolatefactory.com
Tsitsit: The Jewish Fringe Festival, aptly named after the Jewish ritual fringes, launches this October throughout the UK and online. It promises a packed month of music, theatre, comedy and family entertainment celebrating “the diversity of Jewishness” and is the brainchild of Alastair Falk, a former head teacher and co-founder of Limmud. Judi Herman caught up with him to find out about this new festival that's really got her excited and about how he himself got the festival bug starting out with his own comedy show on the Edinburgh Fringe.Tsitsit: The Jewish Fringe Festival runs Sunday 3 – Sunday 31 October. Times and prices vary. ONLINE and at various UK venues. tsitsitfringe.org
Josh Azouz is a playwright whose work deservedly draws in audiences. His last play, The Mikvah Project, set in the Jewish ritual bath of the title, intrigued audiences last year (pre-pandemic). Now his Sephardi background and his interest in Jewish/Muslim relations are among the inspirations that sent him on a revealing journey of discovery for his latest play, Once Upon a Time in Nazi-Occupied Tunisia. Azouz speaks to JR's arts editor Judi Herman about this new play and more, from his years singing in the choir at Lauderdale Road Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue, to how time spent training at Philippe Gaulier Clown School in Paris proved useful for this dark tragicomedy.Once Upon a Time in Nazi-Occupied Tunisia runs until Saturday 18 September. 7.30pm, 2.30pm (Sat & Wed only). £10-£43.50. Almeida Theatre, N1 1TA. 020 7359 4404. almeida.co.ukRead our review of the show on the JR blog.
What makes a home for you? Victor Esses answers this very personal question in Where to Belong, a one-man multimedia show that shares his exploration of his own rich identity as Jewish-Lebanese, Brazilian, gay and, as a result of the Lebanese crisis of 1975, a second-generation refugee. As the show takes on a poignant topicality in the current refugee crisis, Esses speaks to JR's arts editor Judi Herman about how he discovered more about himself and his heritage to make this poignant show, which includes storytelling, music, photographs and – thanks to video – a moving appearance by his mother.Where to Belong tours Friday 3 September – Thursday 14 October, stopping in London (3 Sep); Oxford (7 Sep); Harlow (9 Sep); Bedford (18 Sep); Cardiff (23 Sep); and Manchester (14 Oct). For times and prices see JR listings or visit victoresses.com/wheretobelongtour.
In 2013, Jerusalem-born Avital Raz released The Edinburgh Surprise, a song about a one-night stand between an Israeli woman and a Palestinian man. Stemming from this and the controversy it caused, My Jerusalem is her own story. Raz takes the audience through moments of her upbringing in tumultuous 1980s Israel and presents her nuanced exploration of the politics of division, using live music, projected images and storytelling. Although the national tour of the show was cut short due to Covid, it has now been filmed before a live audience in Manchester and is available to stream until Saturday 7 August. The documentary, Your Jerusalem, in which she interviews Israelis, Palestinians and people in the UK about the issues raised in the show, is also available to stream.JR's Judi Herman has watched both films and The Edinburgh Surprise and spoke to Raz about her Jerusalem and the experiences that led her to make My Jerusalem, a show that Judi hails as “personal, heartfelt, controversial, hard hitting and beautiful”.My Jerusalem and Your Jerusalem are available to stream via Apple Cart Arts until Saturday 7 August and Sunday 8 August, respectively.
Orthodox Jewish Comedian Ashley Blaker has built up a great reputation, both live on the comedy circuit and on the airwaves. His landmark show, Ashley Blaker's Goyish Guide to Judaism on BBC Radio 4, gives millions of listeners a window into his world in the Orthodox community.Now, in the four-part radio series Ashley Blaker: 6.5 Children, he takes us into his household in a groundbreaking new comedy show. With a mix of stand-up and observational documentary, all recorded in the Blakers' unusual home with the voices of his real family, the show tackles the parenting of six children, adoption and raising children with special needs – two autistic sons and an adopted daughter with Down's Syndrome. So how does he find the funny under his own roof? The comedian shares some home truths with JR's arts editor Judi Herman, who also gets a sneak preview of an episode about the ins and outs of adoption.Ashley Blaker: 6.5 Children runs until Friday 30 July on BBC Radio 4 at 11.30am. After it airs, each episode will be available to stream on BBC Sounds. bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000xmz7Blaker will tour his brand new stand-up show, inspired by the radio series, from May 2022. ashleyblaker.com
Judi Herman shares the moment that kickstarted her litter-collecting crusade It’s November 2020. I’m done wringing my hands and raging at the appalling volume of litter ‘decorating’ our streets, grass verges and hedgerows that offends me daily on our lockdown walks. My husband Steve has bought me a litter-picker for our wedding anniversary (!) and I take on the role of joint leader with him of the new ‘litterati’. Steve begins by finding some wonderfully official-looking “No litter" notices online, printing and fixing them to the fence at the entrance to an alleyway that is often ankle deep in rubbish; meanwhile, I deftly clear the alley with my new weapon. Now our daily walks have a new purpose. We still look at the stars, but we cast our eyes downwards to the gutters too, to clear them from bottles and cans, baby wipes and takeaway boxes – and facemasks – this last a new addition to the detritus that folk seem to have lost the will to bin or take home.On a walk round suburbia we pick up everything we spot – and I’m gratified to say that, though there’s still plenty to fill a bag, the volume has dropped substantially, especially down our alley, and we are often greeted by local residents who want to thank us.There are folk litter-picking countrywide of course, but now we are reaching out to JR readers and asking anyone who wants to join us to get in touch and let’s try to coordinate our efforts. Just think, if everyone took responsibility for the pavement, verge or road outside their home, it would be pretty well job done! The beautiful Jewish precept of tikkun olam (repairing the world) surely encompasses keeping our own local area free of polluting debris.Our grandchildren (pictured) Alys, 8, and Dylan, 5, are now really into competitive – and cooperative – litter-picking. So now, ahead of the Keep Britain Tidy campaign’s Great Spring Clean (28 May-13 Jun), join us as the kids grab the litter-pickers (and microphone) at a local beauty spot; plus Steve and me on a sunset walk.By Judi HermanConsidering getting your own littler-picker? Visit keepbritaintidy.org to find ways of getting involved, and check with your local council, as you may be able to apply for a picker, bags and even a high-viz jacket.
As she approached her 90th birthday, Holocaust survivor Eva Mendelsson decided it was time to share the precious gift that her mother Sylvia Cohn gave her for her 11th birthday, back in 1942 – a little exercise book filled with her own poetry. Sylvia was a gifted poet who bore witness in her verse to the good times, and the increasingly more terrible times, she was living through. The poems she sent to Eva and her sister Myriam in the Jewish children’s home in France, came directly from the internment camp where she was imprisoned and were only a portion of her prolific writings. Sylvia did not survive, but after the war, Eva and Myriam were able to join their father Eduard in England. This touching and gripping story was broadcast on the BBC World Service in March – The Birthday Gift that Survived the Holocaust – and is available to stream online for over a year.Now, at last, Eva has been able to get her mother’s poetry translated into English to share with the world. JR's arts editor Judi Herman spoke to her, along with her son Jonny, to discover more about Sylvia’s life and legacy, Eva’s life after the war, and insights into what it's like to be a survivor and the child of a survivor.Sylvia’s poems are read by Rabbi Lea Mühlstein and translated by Miriam Godfrey. Hashiveinu is sung by Ruth Colin and Jo Rose at The Ark Synagogue, Northwood & Pinner.
Noemie Lopian is the daughter of Holocaust survivors Dr Ernst Israel Bornstein and Renee Bornstein. Noemie was brought up first in Germany and then from the age of 13 in Manchester, England. The mother of four daughters, she qualified as a GP and for the last few years has dedicated her time to educating and commemorating the Holocaust, continuing the legacy of her parents. She has translated her late father Ernst’s memoirs into a book called The Long Night, the story of his sufferings as a teenager in a series of concentration camps, which has featured on TV, in print and as an animation. Her mother shared with her only more recently the story of her terrifying childhood experiences trying to evade the Nazis occupying her native France.Now Noemie is also able to tell Renee's story in an extraordinarily immediate way, thanks to broadcaster and lawyer Robert Rinder, whose new two-part documentary for the BBC helps Jewish families discover the full truth about what happened to their relatives during the Holocaust. Part one of My Family, the Holocaust and Me, which features both Noemie and her mother Renee, airs tonight, the 82nd anniversary of Kristallnacht. Noemie tells JR’s Judi Herman more about what drives her in her inspirational work – and what happened when she and her mother went to France.My Family, the Holocaust and Me with Robert Rinder airs Monday 9 & Monday 16 November. 9pm. FREE. BBC One & ONLINE. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000pbwkFind out more about Noemie’s work at holocaustmatters.org
With their live performances cancelled, members of Mosaic Voices (New West End Synagogue’s resident choir) have been working hard to continue to bring you their unique music. Released earlier during the pandemic are four music videos written and recorded at various stages of the lockdown, featuring Yiddish lullaby ‘Rozhinkes mit Mandlen’, an ‘Over the Rainbow' rendition of the hymn ‘Adon Olam’, a lively ‘Yism'chu’, and a musical setting of Psalm 23 (The Lord is My Shepherd). All pieces were either composed or arranged by Benjamin Till, composer in residence. Whether they are arranged for singing a capella or with instrumental accompaniment, they all have in common just a small ensemble of voices. The group's founder and musical director, Michael Etherton, spoke to JR's arts editor Judi Herman about the making of these beautiful, inspiring and life enhancing musical films.Since they spoke, Mosaic Voices have released more videos, including 'Shomer Yisrael' ('Guardian of Israel'), 'Avinu Malkeinu' ('Our Father, Our King') and 'Feed the Birds', from Mary Poppins. All videos are available to watch on their YouTube channel.
“We decided to actually go and try and find every footstep of Mary’s” Maisie outside Mary’s home on Boterdiepstraat When Maisie Barnett signed up for the Yad Vashem Bar/Bat Mitzvah Twinning Programme, she and her mother Thamar went more than the extra mile to find out all they could about Maisie’s ‘twin’ Mary, a Dutch youngster murdered by the Nazis long before she could celebrate her bat mitzvah. They found Mary’s best friend Renate, who guided them around Amsterdam to where she and Mary had lived and played all those years ago. They made a moving short film of their journey and Renate was present as guest of honour as Maisie read from the Torah at her bat mitzvah at Northwood and Pinner Liberal Synagogue in July 2019. Here Maisie and Thamar talk to JR’s arts editor Judi Herman about their extraordinarily meaningful and memorable experiences and expand upon making their beautiful film. Watch Maisie and Thamar’s film on Vimeo and read more about Maisie’s experience with the Twinning Programme in the July 2020 issue of JR.
“The burning bush is our entire ensemble; and they sing the voice of God so it’s many voices in one” As The Prince of Egypt – the new musical based on the blockbuster film – opens in London, director Scott Schwartz took time out of rehearsals to talk to Judi Herman about what is essentially the story of Exodus. Two young men, raised together as brothers in a kingdom of privilege, find themselves suddenly divided by a secret past. One (Ramses) must rule as Pharaoh, the other (Moses) must rise up and free his true people, the Hebrews, and lead them out of Egypt. Scott elaborates on themes of the show and their relevance today, discusses the vision of the creative team, and reveals what it’s like working your father – in this case, three-time Academy Award-winner Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell). Stephen has written 10 new songs for the show, including the love duet, ‘Never in a Million Years’, sung by Luke Brady (Moses) and Christine Allado (Tzipporah).On her way out, Judi also stopped off at the costume department to gain fascinating further insight from one of the assistant costume supervisors, Lydia McDonald, who talked through some of the stunning design sketches by Ann Hould-Ward, as well as the materials and trims that go into the making.The Prince of Egypt runs until Saturday 31 October. 7.30pm, 2.30pm (Thu & Sat only). From £19.50. Dominion Theatre, W1T 7AQ. www.theprinceofegyptmusical.comRead our review of The Prince of Egypt on the JR blog.
Theatremaker Miriam Sherwood tells Judi Herman the extraordinary story of her late grandfather, Jan ‘Laco’ Kalina – Slovakian Jewish satirist, joke collector, cabaret creator and radio performer – who survived the Nazis only to be imprisoned by the Communists. He died eight years before her birth, yet thanks to the treasure trove of writings he left behind, he is her collaborator on the show Rendezvous in Bratislava that she dubs "a grandad cabaret". Sherwood talks too about the highly original performance style and musical numbers created with and by her contemporary collaborators: jazz flautist, singer and composer Maria Rehakova, and composer/performers Thom Andrewes and Will Gardner. Listeners also get to hear an extract from the show, the satirical number ‘Socialism with a Human Face’, with words in both English and Slovak that they teach the audience.Rendezvous in Bratislava tours the UK until Sunday 17 May; visiting Oxford (7 Feb), Berkshire (11 Mar), Greater Manchester (14 Mar), London (23-24 Apr) and Yorkshire (17 May). See JR listings for further details or visit rendezvousinbratislava.wordpress.comRead our review of Rendezvous in Bratislava on the JR blog.
An intriguing and moving exhibition came to Northwood & Pinner Liberal Synagogue last week to mark Holocaust Memorial Day. Aron Grünhut: Rescuer of the Jews and Human Rights Defender told the extraordinary, and until now little-known, story of this Slovakian Jew who managed to use his business acumen, considerable influence and sheer chutzpah to negotiate with the Nazis to allow over 1,300 Slovakian and Austrian Jews to escape to places of safety, including Palestine and – in the case of 10 children, in collaboration with Sir Nicholas Winton – England. Routes to Palestine by boat involved danger negotiating Europe’s rivers and towards the end of the war, Grünhut’s own luck almost ran out, his life saved only by the courage of a Slovak fireman who hid him.In this podcast, which begins with an excerpt of an address from the Ambassador of Slovakia, Lubomir Rehak, Judi Herman speaks to Ambassador Rehak, Nicky Winton – son of Sir Nicholas – and Israel's Deputy Ambassador Sharon Bar-Li, about this extraordinary man and his story. Herman is a member of NPLS, a congregation with close links to both Slovakia and the Czech Republic as guardian of Torah scrolls from some of the Jewish communities in those countries that did not survive the Shoah.
Survivor of the death camps Zigi Shipper BEM (British Empire Medal) was one of the key speakers at the Association of Jewish Refugees’ (AJR) Holocaust Memorial Day commemoration at Belsize Square Synagogue, with the theme ‘Stand Together’. He is passionate about the vital Holocaust education work for which he was awarded the BEM and proud of his children and grandchildren, who are continuing the work. Judi Herman was privileged to be invited to Zigi's Hertfordshire home to speak to him and his wife Jeanette, and to hear more of his story and some of Jeanette’s too. As well as sharing the horror of his experiences, there was laughter from the life affirming Zigi, who has just celebrated his 90th birthday.The Windermere Children, which Zigi mentions, airs tonight (27 Jan) on BBC2 at 9pm and will then be available on BBC iPlayer. Find out more about what the BBC have programmed to mark Holocaust Memorial Day on the JR blog.
Licoricia of Winchester was a name to be reckoned with in 13th-century England, and not just because it suggested delicious sweetmeats. This astute and resourceful businesswoman, moneylender and friend to royalty was also a wife and mother, whose second husband David of Oxford – one of the wealthiest Jews in the country – divorced his first wife to marry her. She was twice confined in the Tower of London and sadly suffered the ultimate reversal of fortune – she was found murdered in her Winchester home in Jewry Street.Her story plays an important role in the history of the Jewish community in England, particularly before its expulsion in 1290, and indeed a vital part of the history of women in Medieval England. Now the Jewish community is joining with others in her home of Winchester to celebrate the life of this prominent daughter and to share the often troubled early history of the city’s Jewish community.An appeal is well underway to raise money for a statue by multi-award-winning sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley, to be sited in the heart of the city on Jewry Street itself. Last year, Judi Herman went to the unveiling of the maquette of the statue and met some of the key figures behind the project, including Maggie Carver, Chair of the Licoricia of Winchester Statue Appeal, and the sculptor himself. Before signing off, Judi visits Winchester to check out the proposed site of the statue, appropriately located outside the Winchester Discovery Centre.By Judi HermanTo find out more visit https://licoricia.org
ARCHIVE INTERVIEW: JONATHAN MILLER. The legendary late director Jonathan Miller spoke to Judi Herman about his fifth – and final – attempt at King Lear in 2015. Having directed Northern Broadsides’ artistic director Barrie Rutter in the title role, Miller shared his thoughts on the play, before giving an impromptu masterclass on how to speak […]
As acclaimed as he is controversial, Israeli filmmaker Amos Gitai speaks to Judi Herman about the theatrical staging of one of his films in London this month, as well as his screening at the UK Jewish Film Festival. The performance of A Letter to a Friend in Gaza, based on his 2018 film of the same name, features four actors from Israel and Palestine, onstage with Gitai himself and three musicians, seeking common ground between the opposing sides. At UKJFF his 2018 film A Tramway in Jerusalem takes its audience on a tram journey that reflects the city’s fragmentation, even as it celebrates its diversity. Note: this conversation was recorded before the current escalation of tensions and violence in Israel and Gaza, which sadly makes it all the more timely.A Letter to a Friend in Gaza runs Monday 18 - Saturday 23 November. 7.30pm. £30, £25 concs. The Coronet Theatre, W11 3LB. 020 3642 6606. www.thecoronettheatre.comA Tramway in Jerusalem takes place Thursday 21 November. 8.30pm. £15. Ciné Lumière, SW7 2DT. https://ukjewishfilm.org
In an exciting production from Director Robin Belfield, theatregoers as young as primary school age are being introduced to the Bard in an engaging, thought-provoking and funny new way. The Royal Shakespeare Company is currently touring Belfield's 90-minute adaptation of the Merchant of Venice, which involves audience participation, student actors playing Jessica and Lorenzo and a woman in the role of Shylock. Judi Herman captures the essence of the show in her latest podcast, which features music from the production, verdicts from young members of the audience, and an interview with Israeli actor Shani Erez, who plays Shylock as a dignified businesswoman and single mother.Photo by Sam AllardFirst Encounters: Merchant of Venice tours until Saturday 16 November, visiting Cornwall (29-30 Oct), Devon (31 Oct), Kent (2 Nov), Yorkshire (5-8 Nov) and Nottingham (15-16 Nov). See the JR listings for info or visit www.rsc.org.uk; and read our five-star review of the show on the JR blog.
Jews, Money, Myth is the new exhibition at the Jewish Museum London exploring the ideas and stereotypes that link Jews to money. At a time when antisemitism is on the rise in the UK and beyond, it is especially timely, examining and busting as it does so many of the myths that reinforce prejudice. Join curator Joanne Rosenthal as she takes Judi Herman on a tour of some of the highlights of the exhibition and explains the vision behind it.Jews, Money, Myth runs until 7 July. Jewish Museum, NW1 7NB. 020 7284 7384. www.jewishmuseum.org.ukRead more about the exhibition in the Apr 2019 issue of JR.
Playwright James Phillips talks to Judi Herman about the award-winning Rubenstein Kiss. Inspired by the haunting true story of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, who were executed in 1953 for allegedly providing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, Phillips tells their story. The Rubensteins are a deeply devoted Jewish couple, whose Communist idealism leads to their world being torn apart by suspicion and treachery, which then echoes through the generations.The Rubenstein Kiss runs until Saturday 13 April. 7.30pm, 3pm (Sat & Tue only). £22, £18 concs. Southwark Playhouse, SE1 6BD. 020 7407 0234. http://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk
Caroline, Or Change, the multi-award-winning musical by Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori, draws on Kushner’s Deep South Jewish childhood to tell its tale of changing times in 60s America. The action takes place at Chanukah in 1962, as shockwaves from the assassination of JFK on 22 November rock America and the world. Aaron Gelkoff plays Noah Gellman, a nine-year-old Jewish boy whose relationship with his family’s black maid Caroline (played by Sharon D Clarke) consoles him more than his stepmother ever can after the death of his mother. Sue Kelvin plays the doting Grandma, mother of the boy’s bereaved father. Judi Herman caught up with both actors to discuss their preparations for the roles; the experience of black and Jewish minorities in 60s Louisiana and how it chimes with our current uneasy times of racism and antisemitism; and what it takes to be a star in musical theatre today – both upcoming and experienced.Caroline, Or Change runs until Saturday 9 February. 7.30pm (Mon-Sat), 2.30pm (Thu & Sat only). From £20*. Playhouse Theatre, WC2N 5DE. 084 4871 7631. www.carolineorchange.co.uk*A limited number of £5 tickets are available to ages 16-25 on the day of performance and in person from the Playhouse Theatre box office. There is also an offer on that allows anyone named Caroline a free ticket when also purchasing another paying ticket. ‘Carolines Go Free’ is an exclusive offer available via the box office in person or by phone.Read our five-star review of Caroline, Or Change on the JR blog.
Speaking from his Milwaukee home, Richard Kalinoski talks to Judi Herman about his play, Beast on the Moon, which comes to London’s Finborough Theatre at the end of January. Set in 1920s Milwaukee, his story follows the fate of an ill-matched couple, Aram and Seta. The immigrant refugees are thrown together in the aftermath of the Armenian massacre, trying to rebuild their lives, which is eventually made possible thanks to a youngster from the Italian community.Beast on the Moon runs Tuesday 29 January – Saturday 23 February. 7.30pm, 3pm (Sat & Sun only). £18-£20, £16-£18 concs. Finborough Theatre, SW10 9ED. 012 2335 7851. www.finboroughtheatre.co.uk
From the Canadian Jewish writing team Irene Sankoff and David Hein, Come From Away tells the incredible true story of how the residents of Gander, Newfoundland, welcomed the passengers of planes from around the world grounded by the 9/11 attacks, including a stranded rabbi from London. As the show arrives in London via Dublin this January, the real life rabbi – Leivi Sudak of Edgware Lubavitch – tells Judi Herman the full story of the welcome with which he was blessed in Gander, and the support he in turn was able to bring to other passengers and to a Holocaust survivor who had made his home in Gander.His story is in two parts and both share wonderful instances of the kindness of Gander’s residents. The first ends on a bit of a cliff hanger, while in the second listeners will find out how a fellow passenger, an Israeli Jewish Buddhist, ended up peeling potatoes with Rabbi Sudak to help prepare a Shabbat meal. Discover kosher wine in a Gander supermarket, hear the remarkable story of that Holocaust survivor, and the nail-biting story of how Rabbi Sudak made New York in time for Rosh Hashanah thanks to a 500-mile dash by an extraordinary Gander couple.Come From Away runs Wednesday 30 January – Saturday 25 May. 7.30pm, 2.30pm (Wed & Sat only). From £19.50. Phoenix Theatre, WC2H 0JP. https://comefromawaylondon.co.uk
The grandparents of Alexander Bodin Saphir were among 7,000 Danish Jews who were saved from the Nazis in October 1943 and this daring episode is the subject of his new play, Rosenbaum’s Rescue. Ahead of its premiere at London’s Park Theatre, and our article about the play and its very personal story in the January issue of JR, Alexander met up with Judi Herman during Chanukah, when he told her more about his own background and how the story of the play – part of which takes place during Chanukah – is relevant to the festival’s message of defiance and freedom.Rosenbaum’s Rescue runs Wednesday 9 January to Saturday 9 February 7.30pm, 3pm (Thu & Sat only). £18.50-£32.50, £16.50- £23.50 concs. Park Theatre, N4 3JP. 020 7870 6876. www.parktheatre.co.uk
Borders/Games is the new double bill from playwright Henry Naylor, currently playing at London’s Arcola theatre. Borders, he explains, is “the story of the 21st century in 70 minutes – 9/11, bombs, Bono and Bin Laden”. While Games, set in Berlin, 1936, is about “Europe fracturing, antisemitism rising and right-wing populism surging”. Judi Herman, an old friend of Naylor’s from the days when both of them contributed to BBC Radio 4’s topical comedy show Week Ending, caught up with him to discuss his move from comedy to drama. Find out how he was inspired, for his most recent plays, to write about the plight of a contemporary Syrian graffiti artist struggling to use her art to bring down the Assad regime. He pairs her story with that of two promising Jewish women athletes, who faced horrific prejudice in their bid to compete for their country in the 1936 Olympics.Borders/Games runs until Friday 21 December. 7pm (Mon-Sat), 2.30pm (Sat). £10-£22 (per play). Arcola Theatre, E8 3DL. 020 7503 1646. www.arcolatheatre.com
It’s the season for Chanukah fun, and laugh-out-loud slapstick comedy with music doesn’t come any funnier than the smash hit show The Comedy About A Bank Robbery. Producer Kenny Wax and Mischief Theatre have just announced an extension until at least November 2019! And the good news is that Jenna Augen is to continue in the role of resourceful bank receptionist Ruth Monaghan. Judi Herman and Jenna last chatted on JR OutLoud when she was one of the four stars of another smash hit – Bad Jews – so Judi was delighted to meet up again to talk farce, diamond heists, bad puns, accents, Jewish roles and much more.The Comedy About A Bank Robbery runs until Sunday 3 November 2019. 7.30pm, 2.30pm (Sat only), 3pm (Sun only). £10-£72.50. Criterion Theatre, W1V 9LB. 084 4815 6131. www.bankrobberycomedy.com
“With the shadow of hatred festering at its very core,” writes Stephen Laughton of his latest production, “[One Jewish Boy] is a bittersweet comedy fuelled by antisemitism.” To discuss this and more, Judi Herman caught up with actor Robert Neumark Jones, who plays leading man Jesse. The pair delve into Laughton’s story of one Jewish boy and his life, love, family and marriage, and how these strands are affected by antisemitism.One Jewish Boy* runs Tuesday 11 December – Saturday 5 January. 7.30pm, 3pm (phone for matinee dates). £18.50, £15.50 concs. Old Red Lion, EC1V 4NJ. 033 3012 4963. www.oldredliontheatre.co.uk*Play contains bad language
Stewart Clarke stars in Trevor Nunn’s new production of Fiddler on the Roof, playing Perchik the student revolutionary who falls for Tevye’s second daughter Hodl. As the much-loved musical about the poor Jewish milkman, his wife and five daughters by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick readies to open at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory*, Stewart sits down with JR’s arts editor Judi Herman. The pair discuss tradition and revolution, Anatevka and Siberia, and the resonance of the story of Tevye and his family that has touched hearts and minds worldwide.Fiddler On the Roof runs Friday 23 November – Saturday 9 March 2019. 8pm (Tue-Sat), 3.30pm (Sat & Sun). £45-£49.50, £39.50 concs. Menier Chocolate Factory, SE1 1RU. 020 7378 1713. www.menierchocolatefactory.com*Performances are currently sold out, but check the Menier website for returns and to register for news of extra performances or transfer plans. Returns on the day of performances are possible for those able to register in person at the box office (opens 6pm for evening performances and 1pm for matinees).
In a world of echo chambers, fake news and fear, Ben Nathan’s Semites challenges polarised perspectives by exploring the one indisputable thing that both Palestinians and Israelis have in common: that they are all semites. A term that is often misused. In this thought-provoking new play Nathan invites you to leave your preconceptions at the door and open your eyes, ears and heart. He spoke to Judi Herman about how and why he came to create this show, in which he and fellow actor Lara Sawalha speak verbatim the words of his interviewees of all persuasions in Israel and Palestine. Although their conversation was recorded before the terrible events in Pittsburgh, they only serve to highlight the importance of this vital sort of dialogue.Semites runs until Saturday 3 November. 7.30pm. £15, £12 concs. The Bunker, SE1 1RU. 020 7234 0486. http://bunkertheatre.comThe show then runs Tuesday 6 - Saturday 10 November. Phone for times. £12, £10 concs. The Loco Klub, BS1 6QH. 011 7941 3857. www.locobristol.com
As the epic story of the three Jewish brothers from Germany, who founded the company that changed the world, continues to storm London, Judi Herman speaks to Jewish actor Adam Godley. The National Theatre production of this trilogy is performed entirely by a mighty trio of actors: Simon Russell Beale, Ben Miles and Godley himself. They play not only the Lehman brothers, but all their descendants and everyone else in this English version, which they helped to develop with adaptor and playwright Ben Powers, as well as director Sam Mendes, from the Italian original by Stefano Massini.All performances are currently sold out, but tickets will be available on the day and during Friday Rush, when more tickets are released for all NT shows every Friday at 1pm.
As Barry Humphries' Weimar Cabaret prepares for take-off at the Barbican next week, Judi Herman speaks to the stars of the show. Australian actor, artist and comedian (you may well recognise him as Dame Edna Everage) Humphries and fellow Aussie – cabaret performer Melissa Madden Gray, who's best known as Meow Meow. The pair discuss their passion for the raucous jazz of 1920s/30s Berlin – the backbone of the musical – and the composers and lyricists who were deemed 'degenerate' by the Nazis. They also talk about the music's influence on the Australian, European and American music scenes and Humphries reveals why he gravitated towards Jewish boys at school.
As Opera North revives its acclaimed 2015 production of Kiss Me Kate, the humorous reimagining of Shakespeare’s The Taming of The Shrew by Bella and Sam Spewack, Judi Herman speaks to the show's musical director and orchestrator David Charles Abell. He discusses the Spewacks, the brilliant Jewish husband and wife team, revealing the role the Spewacks played in getting Cole Porter onboard to write the musical that revived his career and is arguably his best and most popular work.
In Shirleymander Jessica Martin plays Westminster Council leader Shirley Porter in Gregory Evans’ dark satire charting the events behind the Westminster ‘homes for votes’ scandal of the 1980s. She tells Judi Herman more about the resonance for 2018 of a play staged in a theatre barely five minutes from Grenfell Tower. Martin describes the scandal as "a real-life House of Cards situation" and Porter as “a north London Marie Antoinette”. The Spitting Image star also gives a taste of her Edwina Currie, and we get a peek at some of the exciting graphic novels she writes and illustrates too.
As Tik-sho-ret Theatre Company prepare to bring their haunting production of Israeli playwright Yonatan Calderon's Under the Skin to Brighton, Judi Herman speaks to the company's artistic director Ariella Eshed. Discover the few known facts about concentration camp guard Annelise Kohlmann as the story of a love affair between her and a young female prisoner unfolds, before revealing the aftermath in 1991 Tel Aviv under threat during the Gulf War. Read about the show in more detail in our review of Under the Skin.
Ahead of this year’s Yom Hasho'ah event at JW3, which features a performance of Bertolt Brecht’s chilling one-act play The Jewish Wife, JR's arts editor Judi Herman spoke to director Katharina Reinthaller (all the way from Melbourne, no less) about the vision for the performance she shares with JW3's community programmer Eva Burke. The event will also include new translations of Brecht's poetry, all performed by actor/singers Susanne Fiore and Peter Halpern, accompanied by pianist Ilan Lazarus. The evening culminates in a short ceremony led by Rabbi Roni Tabick and singer Aaron Isaac.
As Watford Palace Theatre gets set to revive Arthur Miller’s Broken Glass, JR's arts editor Judi Herman spoke to the team behind the production. The powerful play details the reactions of a New York Jewish family to the news of Kristallnacht coming out of Germany in November 1938 – a horrific night that sees its 80th anniversary this year. Listen in as Charlotte Emerson and Michael Matus, who play the couple at the heart of the play, read an extract recorded especially for JR OutLoud. Plus hear from the production’s director, Richard Beecham, and actor Clara Francis, who tells the moving story of how her great-grandparents were caught up in the violence of Kristallnacht.
As Israel Zangwill’s play is revived at Finborough Theatre for the first time in 80 years, Judi Herman finds out about the visionary writer and activist. He coined this evocative description of inclusivity for the title of a play that influenced President Theodore Roosevelt at its premiere in 1908. Judi spoke to actor Peter Marinker about the play and his own background, complete with tales of rabbis and nuns! He plays Zangwill himself, as well as the uncle and prospective father-in-law of Jewish composer David Quixano. First we hear an extract especially recorded for JR OutLoud by Marinker and actor Steffan Cenydd, who plays David, a man in love with a beautiful Russian Christian called Vera, much to the consternation of his Uncle Mendel (Marinker).
In 1975 when Chagall was 88, he illustrated an edition of Shakespeare’s magical play The Tempest, perhaps feeling an affinity with Prospero the magician and prince, who gives up his ‘rough magic’ at the play’s end. The first UK exhibition of this rare and limited portfolio is currently on view at the Ben Uri gallery. Curator Hanna Scolnicov, Professor emerita of Tel Aviv University, talks to JR's arts editor Judi Herman about how Chagall came to illustrate the edition and takes listeners on an audio tour of the exhibition, stopping at her favourite images.
Writer/performer Hadar Galron is the inspirational artistic director of the three-day-long International Shalom Festival taking place at Edinburgh Festival Fringe this month. Its mission is to "build cultural bridges and celebrate coexistence and peace" by bringing artists from both the Israeli and Palestinian communities to share a dialogue with visitors to the festival. Here she tells Judi Herman how she plans to combat the protests of anti-Israel protestors like BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) by shedding some real light in Edinburgh.
Silver Birch – a newly-commissioned community opera about the toll war takes on soldiers and their families – will be premiering at High Wycombe's Garsington Opera festival this weekend (28-30 July). Ahead of that Judi Herman spoke to novelist and journalist Jessica Duchen, who has written the libretto for composer Roxanna Panufnik’s score. The performance features the poetry of Siegfried Sassoon and, in fact, Sassoon's great-nephew Stephen Bucknill is singing in the production. Also amid the 180-strong company, two are members of the armed forces and 50 of them are primary school children. Eight-year-old soloist Maia Greaves plays Chloe, the younger sister of the two soldiers at the heart of a story set in the present day, with echoes of the Great War provided by Sassoon’s poetry.
Hodl is the second daughter of Tevye, the poor dairyman whose family are at the heart of one of the world’s favourite musicals. She falls in love with Perchik, a student and revolutionary, and follows him into exile in Siberia. “When I got the phone call that I’d been offered [the part], I burst into tears,” says Kingston. Listen as she tells Judi Herman why, and much more about her research for the part, including reading Shalom Aleichem’s original stories on which the musical is based. The actor also discusses her Jewish upbringing; how she and fellow Jewish cast member Tracy-Ann Oberman (who plays Tevye’s wife, Golde) share insights with the rest of the cast; and the joy of rehearsals with Iranian-born actor and comic Omid Djalili in the role of Tevye.
Playwright Cordelia O’Neill talks to Judi Herman about her powerfully imagined drama, No Place for a Woman, the story of two women caught up in the Holocaust. At concentration camp commandant Fredrick’s orders, Jewish ballerina and internee Isabella is ordered to dance for guests at the party his wife Annie is throwing and their lives become inextricably intertwined. Click here to read our review of of No Place for a Woman.
Writer Samantha Ellis talks to Judi Herman about her new play. The Only Jew in England tells the story of Dom Marco Raphael, the Venetian Rabbi who is said to have been consulted by Henry VIII over his divorce from Anne Boleyn. Ellis's drama imagines Raphael's life at court, rubbing shoulders with the greats, along with the king's musicians, who may also be secret Jews. It's performed by actors/musicians from E15 Acting School and directed by Matthew Lloyd (of the verbatim drama Listen, We're Family).
Ahead of its run at Upstairs at the Gatehouse in Highgate, Daniel Donskoy performed A Song Goes Round the World – his show of European chansons – for the residents of Selig Court. Many of those who live in these independent living apartments on Jewish Care's Maurice and Vivienne Wohl Campus are survivors of Nazi persecution. Donskoy sings in many languages, including Yiddish, to bring people together in a fractured Europe. Judi Herman was there to meet Donskoy and the residents, to hear their stories – and of course Donskoy's glorious vocals, accompanied by MD Inga Davis-Rutter on piano.
First it was a play, then a film and now Calendar Girls has been made into a musical – already nominated for several Olivier Awards – with book and lyrics by Tim Firth, who wrote the play and co-wrote the film script (with Juliette Towhidi), and music by Gary Barlow. The Girls tells the true story of members of a Yorkshire branch of the Women’s Institute who had the idea of assembling a nude calendar to raise money for Leukaemia Research, when the husband of one of the girls became ill and died from the disease. As all the girls of the title are nominated jointly for an Olivier Award, Judi Herman singled out Debbie Chazen, who has the distinction of being the only Jewish girl, as well as being the only one who appeared in the original stage play.
It’s Dora Reisser’s ability to reinvent herself – from child refugee to prima ballerina, actor, screen star and fashion designer – and in such nail-biting circumstances, that makes her memoir, Dora’s Story, so gripping. Judi Herman visited Reisser at her remarkable London home (it used to be a railway station) to hear more of the stories behind her book, which begins with the little-known history of how Bulgaria’s Jews survived the Holocaust; and about her life in the UK and Israel, including an eye-opening account of how she started her Reisser fashion house – just one of the many new stories Reisser has that could fill a sequel.
Janet Haig is one of the ceramicists whose pieces, as well as a film showing how she works, are featured in Shaping Ceramics at the Jewish Museum London. The exhibition explores the work of pioneering ceramicists, tracing their influence on subsequent generations of ceramic artists whose Jewish heritage has shaped their work. Polish-born artist Haig joins JR's arts editor Judi Herman here for a very personal tour of the exhibition, discussing the experiences that have moulded her work: from the hardships of the war years in a Siberian prison camp with her mother, to her formative childhood in Australia (where she studied painting) after they discovered that their closest family had perished in the Holocaust, to her arrival in the UK in 1962 and work teaching in a boys’ school.
When Harry is talked down from throwing himself off a Bridge by old school friend Milt, who luckily happens to be passing, his life takes a different direction as he finds love in this 1963 comedy from Murray Schisgal. He's the prominent New York Jewish writer responsible for Tootsie, Dustin Hoffman’s cross-dressing film comedy hit. Here Charles Dorfman talks to Judi Herman about finding LUV and playing Harry; his co-stars Nick Barber and Elsie Bennett; his collaboration with director Gary Condes; and Dorfman’s Buckland Theatre Company, resident company at Park Theatre’s studio space, Park 90.
Imam Dr Muhammad Al-Hussaini, Rabbi Debbie Young-Somers and Steven Young, priest in charge, tell Judi Herman about their hopes and fears for their very first comedy gig. An Imam, a Rabbi and a Priest Walk into a Comedy Club is taking place as part of JW3’s third annual UK Jewish Comedy Festival. And for an extra treat, hear Imam Muhammad demonstrate his prize-winning singing in Gaelic at the end of his chat with Judi!
Australian-Israeli comedian, actor and human rights lawyer Jeremie Bracka will be making his London debut on night one of JW3’s UK Jewish Comedy Festival (1-4 Dec). Here he talks to Judi Herman, JR’s arts editor, about life in the Middle East and Down Under, as well as his latest one-man show, Thank you for Flying Hell-Al, in which he uses storytelling, stand-up, character comedy and mockumentary to explore life in Israel and the experience of making Aliyah.
Writer/performer Niv Petel's one-man show Knock Knock is an explicit, heartbreaking account of the agony faced by bereaved parents of young Israeli soldiers killed during compulsory army service. The dreaded 'knock knock' at the door means a trained army therapist has come to tell you the worst. Petel spoke to JR's arts editor Judi Herman on the stage of the Etcetera Theatre immediately after the show.
The Church of England wants to attract a more diverse range of people into the vocations. William Crawley is joined by Rev Lusa Nsenga-Ngoy and Rev David Isiorho to discuss why, despite repeated efforts, the Church remains a predominantly white institution. Trevor Barnes has been delving into the fascinating and sometimes controversial world of religious tattooing. After the bombing of a humanitarian aid convoy in Syria the United Nations has suspended all further aid convoys to Aleppo. William talks to Christine Latif from the Christian aid agency World Vision about the current crisis. 500 years ago Venice established the world's first Ghetto. Although it was the place where Jews were forced to live, it became a cultural crossroads. Judi Herman reports on events marking the anniversary. According to theologian Harvey Cox, business and theology aren't so far apart. The Harvard Divinity professor discusses his new book, 'The Market as God', with William. The "biggest and most important" changes in 100 years to cremation laws in England come in to force next week after it came to light that some families were denied their baby's ashes. William Crawley talks to Glen Perkins about what happened to his daughter's ashes and whether the new laws will prevent it happening again. Has Pope Francis finally opened the way for divorced and remarried Catholics to take communion? It might depend on who you listen to. Vatican watcher John Thavis gives us his verdict. The idea of mosques run by women is still something of a novelty in many parts of the world but in China women have been running mosques for over 300 years. Dr Maria Jaschok explains their unique history to William Crawley. Producers: Catherine Earlam and Peter Everett Series Producer: Amanda Hancox Tattoo: Anton Ivkin Photograph: Alexander Kuzovlev.
Samantha Ellis’s play How to Date a Feminist is currently on at The Arcola, telling the story of Kate, a journalist who happens to be Jewish, brought up by an Israeli refugee father, and have an attraction to bad men. She meets Steve, a man who happens to be a feminist, brought up by his mother at Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp. With these characters Ellis explores love in the 21st century. Growing up in London with Iraqi-Jewish parents, Ellis speaks here to JR's arts editor Judi Herman about her background, influences – including “old screwball comedies” – and her other written works.
The London Jewish Museum's curator Joanne Rosenthal joins JR's arts editor Judi Herman on a guided tour of Jukebox, Jewkbox! A Century on Shellac and Vinyl. The exciting interactive exhibition explores 20th century popular culture through shellac and vinyl, celebrating the history of Jewish inventors, musicians, composers, music producers and songwriters, as well as the artistry of the album cover.
Playwright Alix Sobler talks to JR's arts editor Judi Herman about her award-winning play The Great Divide, about the fight for equal pay and unionisation in American garment factories and the resonance that The Great Divide has today. Inspired by true events, the play tells the story of a fire in a New York garment factory that killed 146 workers – mostly women and mostly Jewish immigrants.
As the long-awaited date of the first performance of The Merchant of Venice in the Venice Ghetto itself arrives this week, in the last of our series of interviews with members of the company, JR's arts editor Judi Herman talks to French-American actor Paul Spera. Based in Paris, Spera plays Lorenzo, the Christian youth who elopes with Shylock's daughter, Jessica – and plenty of his money and jewels – thus goading the distraught father into seeking the revenge that leads to his demand for the famous pound of flesh from Antonio, the merchant of the title. Spera is interesting casting for the role of the Christian lad who steals away with the Jewish girl as he is half Jewish himself. And so we come full circle with this series of interviews with members of Compagnia de Colombari, for we began with Michelle Uranowitz aka Jessica herself.
As the long-awaited date of the first performance of The Merchant of Venice in the Venice Ghetto itself arrives this week, in the last of our series of interviews with members of the company, JR's arts editor Judi Herman talks to actress Francesca Sarah Toich. Playing the role of Lancillotto, the servant to Shylock and confidante of Jessica, his daughter, normally a male role, but here intriguingly played by Toich, as a sort of cross-gender Harlequin figure. Italy-based Francesca is an award-winning performer who combines skills and experience in the very physical Commedia dell Arte tradition with a huge vocal range.
In the next of our chats with members of the cast and creative team of the very first production of The Merchant of Venice to be staged in the Venice Ghetto itself, Judi Herman talks to Frank London, composer and musician. The Grammy-winning trumpeter and composer, founder of the Klezmatics and leader of bhangra/Yiddish group Sharabi (with Deep Singh), Shekhinah Big Band, and his Klezmer Brass Allstars is no stranger to large-scale collaborative projects, or of course to Jewish-themed work. Here he talks about the musicians who are working with him on this project and his inspirations for the music that will be heard in the Ghetto.
In the next of our chats with members of the cast and creative team of the very first production of The Merchant of Venice to be staged in the Venice Ghetto itself, Judi Herman talks to Welsh actress Jenni Lea-Jones, who has relocated to Venice and is perhaps the most unusual of the five performers sharing the role of Shylock in the show they are calling The Merchant in Venice. Apologies for the quality of the line at the start of this conversation, which happily soon improves.
Jeff Ingber, table tennis champion for decades from the mid-20th century and one of Howard Jacobsons heroes, met up with JR's arts editor Judi Herman at the exhibition Chess in Shorts that accompanies the production of the Mighty Walzer at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre. Ingber told Judi about playing the other beautiful game in Manchester and how it was his passport to travel the world, from Israel to China.
As the celebrations to mark the 500th anniversary of the Venice Ghetto continue, excitement mounts over the first ever performances of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice in the Ghetto itself (26-31 July). In the next of a series of interviews with members of the cast and creative team, JR's arts editor Judi Herman talks to Londoner Davina Moss, currently studying dramaturgy at university in New York, to find out more about her role as assistant dramaturg on this unique production.
As the celebrations to mark the 500th anniversary of the Venice Ghetto kick off, excitement mounts over the first ever performances of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice in the Ghetto itself (26-31 July). JR's arts editor Judi Herman will be talking to various members of the cast and creative team in the coming weeks, but first spoke to American actor Michelle Uranowitz about playing Shylock's rebellious daughter Jessica in Venice.
Israeli actress Dana Ivgy chats to JR's arts editor Judi Herman about her role in Asaf Korman's drama Next to Her. This powerful, challenging film – with a script by Korman's wife Liron Ben-Shlush – explores the symbiotic relationship between Chelli (played by Ben-Shlush) and her mentally-challenged sister Gabby (Ivgy), for whom she is the sole carer. One day she is forced to hand Gabby over to a daycare centre part-time, which is when a relationship of another kind develops with Zohar (Yaakov Zada Daniel) the new gym teacher at the school where she works. Ben-Shlush based this story on her own experience of having a mentally disabled sister and worked closely with friend and co-star Dana Ivgy on her role.
Liverpudlian playwright Diane Samuels talks to Judi Herman about identity and change from London's East End 1919 to now. These themes feature in her play Poppy + George, about Northerner Poppy Wright, who is taken on at a tailoring workshop by the proprietor Smith, a Russian Jew with a Chinese past. It's here that Poppy also meets Tommy the music hall artist and George the chauffeur, both changed by serving in the trenches. Diane also discusses her new project (at 21:49), Song of Dina, a multimedia oratorio with music by composer Maurice Chernick, based on the story of the Patriarch Jacob’s only daughter.
JR's arts editor Judi Herman joins Joanne Rosenthal, curator of the London Jewish Museum's Blood exhibition, to take you on a guided audio tour. This cutting edge exhibition explores the provocative and complex subject of blood, featuring manuscripts, prints, Jewish ritual and ceremonial objects, art, film, literature and cultural ephemera to present a rich exploration of how blood can unite and divide, reflecting on over 2,000 years of history.
Larry Mollin talks to Judi Herman about his new play, 'The Screenwriter's Daughter', which is set in 1960s America and follows the tempestuous relationship between Hollywood screenwriter Ben Hecht and his free-spirited daughter Jenny.
Filmmaker Gur Bentwich talks to JR's arts editor Judi Herman about an extraordinary Jewish dynasty, as detailed in his latest film 'The Bentwich Syndrome'.
Allan Corduner speaks to Judi Herman about his role in director Nae Caranfil’s dark comedy 'Closer to the Moon', which is based on a true story. Set in post-war communist Romania, a group of Jewish intellectuals stage a bank robbery and find themselves paying the price for the bravado of their extraordinary gesture. He also mentions his role in 'Homeland'.
In the October issue of Jewish Renaissance, Arthur Smith gives Judi Herman the not so sweet lowdown on his show, Arthur Smith Sings Leonard Cohen, with which the gravel-voiced wit makes his debut at JW3 in December. Here you can hear an extended version of his conversation with Judi. The two share a love of Leonard Cohen and they compare notes on their mothers, both of whom are living with dementia – indeed Arthur’s mother Hazel has become a vital part of his show
At age 36 Franz Kafka was still living at home, a petty bureaucrat, a failed artist, a timid Jewish son. Ruling and ruining his life was his overbearing father, Hermann. Kafka wrote a letter to his father in which he reveals deep connections between his life and his fiction. As he confesses, "All my writing was about you". Adapted from this monumental (and undelivered) letter, Kafka and Son is a blistering, often hilarious, dissection of domestic authority, starring Canadian actor Alon Nashman. Kafka and Son has toured Europe and now it returns to the UK as part of JW3’s Kafka Festival, 24 to 25 October. Judi Herman caught up with Alon Nashman when he performed his acclaimed one-man play in The Hague and after the performance he spoke to her for JR OutLoud.
Hear writer/director Julia Pascal speaking to JR's arts editor Judi Herman about her play and her reasons for writing it – and for reviving it now. (NB: Thanks to the tube strike this interview was recorded via Skype and is not of the finest quality, but hopefully rewards the patient and persistent listener!)
Hear Ariella Eshed, director of 5 Kilo Sugar, and cast members talking to JR's arts editor Judi Herman post-performance at London's Etcetera Theatre
Come In! Sit Down! cast members, Daniella Isaacs and Ramzi DeHani, talk to JR's arts editor Judi Herman (in the busy bar at the Tricycle after their performance)
With exactly a month left to go and see this glorious exhibition, Judi Herman takes listeners on an audio tour with curator Elizabeth Selby to whet appetites. Catch it while you can!
As Joshua Harmon's dangerous, yet funny debut play, Bad Jews, enjoys its third successful run – the second in London – at the Arts Theatre, Judi Herman caught up with cast members Jenna Augen (Daphna) and Ilan Goodman (Liam) to talk about battling it out live on stage.
As Hans Krása’s concentration camp opera, Brundibár, prepares to show on the Watford Palace stage, Judi Herman caught a rehearsal and spoke to the cast
Judi Herman speaks to the cast of The 2000 Year Old Man and offers listeners a sneak preview of the show
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