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jewish

Coming of age in midlife

The main character in the play “The Bells of West 87th” undergoes what could be considered a coming-of-age crisis, albeit much later in life than is usual. Mollie Fein (Cameron Meyer) is awkward, unmarried, unfashionable, approaching 40 and trapped in the midst of her hilariously dysfunctional Jewish family.

Lovitz, lies and Torah

“I hate lying,” Jon Lovitz, the comedian, actor and comedy club owner, said without a touch of humor in his voice. “I just can’t stand it. I don’t see the advantage of it. It makes me physically ill.” It’s the reason, he said, that he has become something of a specialist in portraying characters who are truth-challenged, or, in his words, “sleazy.” He was Tommy Flanagan, president of Pathological Liars Anonymous, on “Saturday Night Live”; the guy on “Seinfeld” who fibs about having cancer, then dies in a car crash; a loudmouth baseball scout who steals scenes from Tom Hanks in “A League of Their Own”; the voice of an obnoxious movie reviewer in the animated series “The Critic”; and the father, in the film “Rat Race,” who tells his family they are on a minivan “vacation” when he is actually trying to win $2 million in a cross-country dash.

Theater: ‘Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson’ — populism through a post-punk prism

A classically trained pianist who didn\’t write his first song until he was 24, Friedman thrives on intensive research — whether it\’s the hundreds of interviews that form the basis of The Civilians\’ plays, or historical research for \”Bloody Bloody\” — and draws musical inspiration from a seemingly limitless range of styles.

Cooking Up a Meaningful Plot

Despite its title and the food, the play at The Met Theatre employs culinary arts not as an end, but a means to explore the complex and emotional Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Write of Passage

One week, I would ambitiously attempt to devour the entire \”Box Car Children\” series; another I would host a Judy Blume marathon and vigilantly try to sneak the purportedly trashy \”Deenie\” home in between my \”Sheila the Great\” and \”Blubber.\”

Spectator – The Geffen’s Great Escape

Cunningly constructed, the play relates the adventures and misadventures of the Sycamore Family of New York, whose guiding motto is, do whatever turns you on, however eccentric, and you\’ll have lots of fun, avoid ulcers and enjoy a happy ending.

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More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.